As life has returned to normal following the pandemic, people living in and around South East England have been left without connectivity to Europe, which was formerly available pre-Covid.
As the Covid-19 virus took hold, essential measures were put in place across the country, including one which saw Eurostar train services from London, which called at Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent put on hold.
The two state-of-the-art International stations provided a fantastic and convenient service to Paris, Brussels, and further afield without the need to travel to London.
Today those living South of London are forced to travel into the capital in order to reach Europe by Eurostar, be it for business or leisure purposes. Given that environmentally friendly travel is a key focus of railways, surely it is time to return the formerly successful Eurostar services to these stations and prevent needless travel and emissions into London.
To sign the Bring Back Eurostar petition, please click here.
Anyone who wishes to get involved with the campaign in any way can get in touch by email: info@bringbackeurotrains.com.
A spokesperson for Ashford Borough Council said:
“The services at Ashford International Station are not only important for existing businesses and travellers, they are also important for our future commercial investments.”
“There was a public outcry when Eurostar made their initial announcement and the local strength of feeling is clearly reflected by recent meetings and the petition that has been launched, which we welcome.”
“The prospect that Eurostar are not likely to return anytime soon represents a real challenge for those residents and businesses that rely on the service and those that work locally. Ashford is an important economic driver for not only Kent and the East Kent region but also an important international access point to Europe.”
“Significant investment has been made over the last 25 years in infrastructure at Ashford International Station to ensure international services are able to operate to support business and leisure travel to Europe, so it is imperative that the benefits of this investment are realised through services being returned to support the economy of Kent and the UK.”
“We are in regular dialogue with Eurostar, and we will continue to work with partners, including Kent County Council, our MP Damian Green, Government and High-Speed One, to ensure services at Ashford International Station return.”
“We will not give up on this and will continue to make the case for their return as soon as it's commercially viable. International rail services provide an alternative to travelling by road or air. Not only is it a much more sustainable mode of transport, it also makes sense from an economical point of view too.”
“With the valuable support of local residents, we will continue our fight and call on the Government to intervene in order to maintain the prosperity of the borough and indeed the wider East Kent region.”
If Eurostar will not do this, should there perhaps be another operator running shuttles just between Ashford and Co quelled, connecting with respectively Southeastern and SNCF services? Or perhaps could some SNCF Calais services be extended through to Ashford?
Maybe the mayor of London should be informed of Eurostars deliberate attempt to bring extra pollution into London.john
It seems that Eurostar does not need KENT they seem to be fully booked without us.john
Bring a competitor in – that will focus Eurostar!