As part of their campaign for the resumption of Eurostar services from Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations, Dartford and Ashford Borough Councils have commissioned a short video explaining their position.

The two councils are working with Kent County Council, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Visit Kent, Locate in Kent, neighbouring councils, and local Members of Parliament to keep a regular dialogue with Eurostar for its services to again stop in Kent.

Residents and businesses across the county are providing valuable support to the campaign that calls on the government to intervene in their call for the return of services suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaigners look upon the return of Eurostar services being essential to maintaining the prosperity of the boroughs and the wider northwest and east Kent regions.

The removal of stops by Eurostar train services from London at Ebbsfleet and Ashford International in Kent was one of the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both stations provided a convenient way to travel to Paris and Brussels without needing to travel to London. Today, people living south of London must travel into the capital to catch Eurostar when they travel by train to Europe.

Since environmentally friendly travel is a key focus of railways, now is the time for Eurostar services to once again stop at these stations.

A petition to support the campaign has already attracted more than 60,000 signatures.
Further information about the campaign is available online at www.dartford.gov.uk/eurostar

The call for the reinstatement of stops at Ebbsfleet and Ashford was given a boost with the recent announcement that London to Amsterdam services are to resume.

“Nearly 250million worth of investment has gone into these stations, and here they are now not being used to their full potential, it’s a tragedy. We’ve got to force government, force the operators, force everybody to actually make a positive decision. Make it very clear to your local representatives and to the government that we want to see these services back.”

Dartford Borough Council Leader Jeremy Kite