VILLAGERS who have had their lives put in turmoil with the construction of a new railway line are outraged they have gone through the upheaval for nothing.

Train operator Eurostar plans to divert all its trains from the continent to St Pancras instead of Waterloo from 2007.

This means the three-mile track around Southfleet towards Fawkham Junction, which connects the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) with the older domestic line to Waterloo could now be redundant.

And a CTRL spokesman has confirmed the line is only likely to be used in emergency situations or exceptional circumstances.

Chairman of Southfleet Parish Council Councillor Noreen Salway said: "We're all aghast at the sheer amount of waste.

"They tore us apart during its construction and we lived with all of that which it now seems they needn't have done in the first place," she added.

"What we're going to be left with is a rusting, disused railway line."

Southfleet villagers have endured the development of the CTRL for more than a decade. They have had their reservations over plans for Eurostar to share a domestic line to Waterloo ignored up until now and watched their tranquil backdrop devastated during the construction project.

Cllr Salway is determined their upheaval should not be in vain and wants the line extended towards the Medway towns so residents there can access Waterloo.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We'll look at options for the future of this line as a consequence of Eurostar diverting services from Waterloo to St Pancras in 2007."

But the change of heart adds to the uncertainty of north Kent's future rail service, with the Government's announcement last month it no longer plans for London's Crossrail to reach Ebbsfleet and Dartford, and the Strategic Rail Authority assessing proposals to cut rural services into the capital.

A Eurostar spokesman says only high-speed trains can use the CTRL line because of the overhead power supply but its trains will be sharing the railway line with high-speed domestic trains announced last month from 2009.