Campaigns to get Eurostar trains stopping in Stratford and restart services to Kent stations are gaining momentum amid overcrowding fears at London St Pancras.
Stratford International in East London opened in 2009 but has never been used by Eurostar and only serves Southeastern trains on the High Speed 1 route to Kent.
Meanwhile Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International have not been used by Eurostar since services were cut in March 2020 when the pandemic began.
Now, senior Labour MP Sir Stephen Timms has written to Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy as he aims to get Eurostar stopping in Stratford to boost the local economy.
But critics fear his plan could cause chaos in an already-congested area where football fans attending games at West Ham United’s London Stadium and shoppers at Westfield already have to vie for space with commuters on several rail lines.
Over in Kent, business leaders are urging Eurostar to stop again in the county – however, no restart is in sight as the operator continues to run only from St Pancras to Lille non-stop and then onto Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam via Rotterdam.
It also has connecting Eurostar services from Brussels to Dortmund via Cologne and Dusseldorf; and the winter ‘Snow Train’ from Lille to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
There could also be changes afoot if any plans by potential competitors to Eurostar come to fruition – including Swiss national railways (SBB) which is working on a new five-hour service between St Pancras and Basel through the Channel Tunnel.
Spanish firm Evolyn wants to run a direct link to Frankfurt, Cologne, Zurich and Geneva; Sir Richard Branson is said to be looking into Virgin operating a route; and Dutch start-up Heuro hopes to launch a rival service within the next five years.
Here, MailOnline looks at the campaigns to increase Eurostar stops in the UK:
Eurostar currently runs from St Pancras to Lille and then onto Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam via Rotterdam. It previously stopped at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, and has never stopped at Stratford
Stratford International
- Constructed: 2007 for £210million
- Services: Southeastern HS1 since 2009, no Eurostar
Plans for an international station in Stratford were first suggested in the 1980s, when they were put forward by Sir Stephen Timms, then-chairman of Newham planning committee.
Construction on Stratford International station eventually began in 2001 before being completed in 2006 at a cost of £210million.
One year later, Eurostar trains started terminating at St Pancras in 2007 – having previously gone to and from London Waterloo since 1994.
But the ceremony to mark Stratford International’s opening in April 2006 was overshadowed by an admission that international trains might never use it – and it was suggested at the time that it could be ‘Britain’s biggest transport white elephant’.
London and Continental Railways, which built the station, said it was supposed to have been a London stop for Eurostar services from northern England.
Stratford International station opened to rail services in 2009 but has never hosted Eurostar
Stratford International station is connected to Stratford station by the Docklands Light Railway, with both hubs used by football fans heading to West Ham United’s London Stadium
West Ham fans outside Stratford International before a Europa League game in October 2021
Trains were intended to start in Manchester or Leeds and travel around the edge of Central London towards the Channel Tunnel via Stratford.
But these plans were killed off by the rapid growth of budget airlines linking northern cities with Europe, offering a significantly faster and cheaper journey.
Then-Mayor Ken Livingstone said at the time of Stratford International opening that it was ‘crucial for the regeneration of East London that an appropriate number of Eurostar trains stop at Stratford’.
However, Eurostar trains have never stopped at Stratford International – even during the London 2012 Olympics when the station experienced its busiest period.
The station still only serves Southeastern trains on the High Speed 1 route to Kent, while the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) also stops at a station of the same name located across the road.
The name has therefore become something of a joke considering the lack of international services – but Labour MP Sir Stephen has now launched a new campaign to change this.
He wants Eurostar trains to leave St Pancras and stop at Stratford on their way to Kent then onto the continent – and the reverse on inbound services.
Sir Stephen believes a Eurostar stop at Stratford International would help make the area more attractive for firms along with Westfield and the Olympics which have already helped regenerate it.
West Ham fans at Stratford station after their Europa Conference League win in June 2023
Huge crowds by the Jubilee line platforms at Stratford station following a strike in June 2022
An aerial view of Stratford International station, with the HS1 line running through the centre
The MP for East Ham also believes the change would help with overcrowding at St Pancras and get more people to travel by rail to the continent instead of flying.
He has now written to Lord Hendy about the issue, after they previously discussed it during a meeting at Queen Elizabeth Park in December 2021.
In a letter shared with MailOnline, Sir Stephen added that plans for international trains to stop at Stratford International station ‘appeared increasingly likely, given growing demand for cross-Channel rail travel and the capacity constraints at St Pancras, where there is a limit on the number of passengers which can be handled’.
He continued: ‘The solution would be for passengers to embark and disembark at Stratford as well as St Pancras.’
Sir Stephen added that he started Newham Council’s campaign for an international station at Stratford as chair of the council’s planning committee in 1987, and it was also the subject of his maiden speech in Parliament in July 1994.
He wrote: ‘That campaign led to the construction of Stratford International Station, which then opened up the possibility of the London bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
‘As you know well from your own involvement, the economic geography of London has been transformed as a result of that success and the transformation is continuing.
‘And yet, the original hope for international trains to stop at Stratford has still not been realised.’
Sir Stephen then asked Lord Hendy: ‘What are the prospects at present for the commencement of international services at Stratford?’
A source at the Department for Transport (DfT) told MailOnline that it will respond to Sir Stephen’s letter in due course.
Stratford International is located just seven minutes from St Pancras by train on existing Southeastern services, and a new Eurostar stop would require new immigration desks to be set up and significant ongoing costs for immigration staff.
However, much of the infrastructure is already in place given previous plans for Eurostar were for Stratford to have been a London stop for trains heading north of the capital to other areas.
But because these links do not exist, there has been little appetite for a Eurostar stop at Stratford.
A Eurostar spokeswoman told MailOnline: ‘We have no plans to go to Stratford International. This news hasn’t come from us and isn’t something that we’re looking into.’
The nearby Stratford station – which is connected to Stratford International via DLR – is Britain’s sixth busiest station with 44.1million entries and exits between April 2022 and March 2023, according to the last Office of Rail and Road data.
Stratford International meanwhile had 2.5million entries and exits over the same period – about 6 per cent of Stratford’s total.
Stratford station – which became Britain’s busiest station during lockdown in the year to March 2021 – is a key transport interchange, served by c2c, Greater Anglia and London Overground services in addition to the Central line, Jubilee line and DLR.
Stratford International station was opened in 2009 but has never been used by Eurostar
Stratford International had 2.5million entries and exits between April 2022 and March 2023
Stratford International was busy during London 2012 (pictured after the opening ceremony)
The Elizabeth line also now stops at Stratford, which has prompted suggestions that passengers going on onward international journeys may find it easier to connect at Stratford International than St Pancras.
But concerns that Stratford station is very overcrowded and poorly laid out have led to proposals for a major redevelopment of the station and its surrounding area.
London Assembly Member Keith Prince, the City Hall Conservative group’s transport spokesman, told MailOnline: ‘We welcome the proposal to reroute the Eurostar into St Pancras via Stratford International as an opportunity to bring investment into East London.
‘People are right to raise concerns about overcrowding at St Pancras, and this decision would help to address that.
‘However we want Ministers to be certain that there is a business case for Eurostar to adopt this route, and to ensure that this proposal doesn’t negatively impact or overcrowd public transport and local services in Stratford purely as a means of outsourcing the issue from St Pancras.’
An artist’s impression of Stratford International station, produced for the bid for London 2012
Commuters wait to board a train on a busy platform at Stratford station in November 2022
Eurostar trains are parked at the Temple Mills maintenance depot in Stratford in June 2022
London TravelWatch also called for any plans to consider pressure on the local area, saying: ‘We welcome any improvements to Eurostar services provided the necessary and sufficient infrastructure is in place to accommodate them.’
Local Green Party councillor Danny Keeling agreed with Sir Stephen that it was an ‘excellent idea’ and pointed out that there was space at Stratford International between the concourse and the entrance to put in a customs area.
They told MailOnline: ‘It’d be a brilliant alternative to people getting short haul flights to get straight to the city, but it’s important to remember that Stratford station specifically is very overpopulated and to the point of dangerous.
‘It’s one of the busiest stations now. If we have a matchday or even if we just have rush hour with the Central line and Elizabeth line coming in at the same time, the platforms get overrun – and they’ve already had to put in place one-way systems.
Sir Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham, said there was a growing case for international Eurostar services to call at Stratford International in East London
Overcrowding at London St Pancras in December last year after Eurostar services were cancelled because of flooding in a tunnel under the River Thames
Passengers queue at the entrance to Eurostar at London St Pancras station last December
‘I’m positive towards it for the reduction of short haul-flights but there would have to be a mass infrastructure project to connect Stratford to Stratford International – but I believe that could definitely be done.
‘Stratford station already – even if this does not happen – needs a mass boost in the amount of footfall it can take, and platform widening, which is going to cost a fortune. But investment in trains not planes is the way forward anyway.’
And Michael Solomon Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘In a climate emergency, rail should be the first choice for international travel but to compete with flying, our international rail link must be expanded.
‘Stratford International has been passenger-ready since 2009, frequent international trains from Stratford would ease pressure on St Pancras and boost services so more people can experience the joy of international rail travel.’
The campaign has also received backing from the nearby Westfield shopping centre this week, given the likely increase in footfall.
Commuters on board a packed Jubilee line train at Stratford station in December 2021
Stratford International also has a Docklands Light Railway station of the same name, located across the road from the station used by Southeastern’s High Speed 1 services to Kent
Scott Parsons, chief operating officer of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, told MailOnline: ‘Since it launched in 2011, Stratford International Station has been primed to accommodate the Eurostar and as one of the UK’s most connected hubs, Stratford City not only offers the perfect solution to the overcapacity issue at St Pancras, but opens up new opportunities for those coming from East London and beyond.
‘With Westfield, the Olympic Park and the East Bank already contributing to the local economy as a thriving destination for retail, leisure, offices and residential; the arrival of millions of Eurostar passengers each year would provide a further significant boost to tourism and investment in the area and we fully support Sir Stephen Timms’ ambitions to make Stratford truly International.’
Newham Council is also behind the plans.
Darren Mackin, director of community wealth building at the local authority, told MailOnline: ‘We would certainly support plans for Eurostar trains to stop at Stratford International. The boost to Newham’s economy could be significant and it would further accelerate the borough’s growth.
Commuters board a crowded Elizabeth line train at Stratford station in November 2022
Busy scenes at Stratford station in March 2022 during a strike by members of the RMT union
Huge crowds by the Jubilee line platforms at Stratford station following a strike in June 2022
‘The specific location is also significant as Stratford has railway history dating back to around 1840. It is also home to Newham’s biggest and busiest town centre – and as a destination for shopping, culture and leisure, is essentially the heart of east London.
‘The addition would certainly support our ambitious Stratford Vision strategy, which sets out the principles which will define how the town centre could improve and the aspirations for Stratford to be the fairest, greenest and most exciting district in London.’
Mr Mackin added that while this is a ‘long-term aspiration’, no formal talks have been held with the council – although it would ‘welcome any opportunity to discuss further’.
A representative for London Mayor Sadiq Khan declined to comment. A spokesman for West Ham United also declined to comment.
Ebbsfleet International
- Constructed: 2007 for £180million
- Services: Eurostar from 2007 until 2020; Southeastern HS1 since 2009
Ebbsfleet International was another new station intended for Eurostar, and began serving passengers in November 2007 as part of the second phase of High Speed 1 (HS1) between north Kent and London St Pancras.
The station was opened by athlete Dame Kelly Holmes in 2008 after costing £180million to build and offered a convenient way for people in Kent to visit France and Belgium.
The Eurostar services took as little as two hours and five minutes to reach Paris; one hour and 41 minutes to Brussels; and one hour and ten minutes to Lille.
Southeastern HS1 trains also began stopping there in 2009, taking passengers to destinations across Kent including Ramsgate, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone.
However, Eurostar trains have not stopped at the station since the pandemic began in March 2020, when the operator suffered an unprecedented fall in demand.
David McIntosh, 59, and his wife Sarah were using the Eurostar to hop across to Brussels for their 25th wedding anniversary. But the couple from Rochester, around 15 minutes away from Ebbsfleet, had an extra 90 minutes on their journey because of Eurostar not stopping in Kent
Eurostar trains from Ebbsfleet used to take as little as two hours and five minutes to reach Paris
Steve Morgan, 73, and wife Joan, 74, are frequent travellers to the continent – and are upset by the pause to the Eurostar at Ebbsfleet International. The husband and wife from nearby Grays in Essex were on their way to Budapest via Luton Airport to watch Tottenham play Ferencváros
Amid major financial uncertainty, Eurostar decided to reduce its timetable and focus only its routes and destinations seeing the highest demand – hence Ebbsfleet was dropped from all schedules.
The station is now far quieter than before – now only visited by Southeastern HS1 trains between St Pancras and Kent.
And its enormous 2,500-space car park is now far too big for the site – as is the station itself.
Since the pandemic ended, pressure has been building from business leaders and councils in the region to get Eurostar back to Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
But Eurostar has confirmed to MailOnline that it still has no plans in the 2024/25 year for its trains to stop in Kent.
MailOnline visited Ebbsfleet International this week, and spoke to passengers frustrated at the lack of Eurostar services.
The indefinite pause means that to pick up rail connections to destinations such as Paris and Brussels, Kent-based passengers need to go into London and enter the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras.
Some even spend hours on trains before having to go through the very station they began at while on their way to France and Belgium.
And those who have made the journey said overcrowding and the extra 90 minutes added to their travel time had ruined the previously-convenient route for them.
Emma Richardson and husband Dave, both 49, were visiting Ebbsfleet International on Tuesday to pick up tickets ahead of a trip to Paris this weekend.
Mrs Richardson, who is going on the trip with a friend, said: ‘If it were still running, then I wouldn’t have to get up a 4am to get the train into St Pancras.
‘You come past yourself on your way back through to Paris. This station is just wasted. It’s a wasted place. But it could be so convenient for people in the local area. There’s a bus connection.
‘You even used to be able to get the train directly into Disneyland Paris – and they’d take your bags and all that. But you can’t anymore.’
Mr Richardson added: ‘When Bluewater Shopping Centre was first put in, you had loads of Parisiens coming over here for cheap shopping. But now they can’t be bothered with the faff.
Ebbsfleet International station in Kent is on the HS1 route from London to Ashford and Europe
Sandra Lecheuga, 51, a Mexican traveller on her way to Paris as she continues her European travels, said while pulling a large suitcase behind her that she would have preferred to be able to head towards Paris directly from Ebbsfleet International because of her luggage
‘You can see the investment they have put in. And it’s not been noticed by the governments since. It needs to be brought back.’
Sandra Lecheuga, 51, a Mexican traveller on her way to Paris as she continues her European travels, said she would have preferred to be able to head towards Paris directly from Ebbsfleet International because of her luggage.
Pulling a large suitcase behind her, Ms Lecheuga said: ‘I heard it used to stop here and I thought ‘wow that would have been convenient’.
‘Instead, the journey to London and then on to Paris will take around four hours.
‘It seems a bit stupid that they do not just let it stop here. It would have been better for me as the hotel I stayed at is in this area and I have to carry a lot of luggage.’
Steve Morgan, 73, and wife Joan, 74, are frequent travellers to the continent – and are upset by the pause to the Eurostar at Ebbsfleet International.
Ebbsfleet International station in Kent was opened in 2007 but is no longer used by Eurostar
Emma Richardson and husband Dave, both 49, were visiting Ebbsfleet to pick up tickets ahead of a trip to Paris this weekend. Mrs Richardson, who is going on the trip with a friend, said: ‘If it were still running, then I wouldn’t have to get up a 4am to get the train into St Pancras’
The husband and wife from nearby Grays in Essex were on their way to Budapest via Luton Airport to watch their beloved Tottenham Hotspur play Ferencváros in a Uefa Europa League clash on Thursday night.
Mr Morgan said: ‘We’ve used the Eurostar from Ebbsfleet a few times, I’d say around five or six times. We used it to go to Paris and Belgium.
‘We’d prefer just to be able to get on it here. It’s probably an extra hour onto to your journey and you end up coming back the same way. It means you have to get up early.’
Mrs Morgan added: ‘And St Pancras is always so crowded because of it’.
Pleading with Eurostar bosses, she said: ‘Bring it back. Please start it again.’
Lauren Purser, 41, from nearby Meopham, said the changes had put her off planning a trip abroad.
Ebbsfleet International station opened in 2007 for Eurostar trains, which stopped in 2020
The operations director, who was on her way to Manchester for work, said: ‘They should have kept it running – it gives everybody an opportunity to get into Europe relatively easily.
‘Especially if people don’t drive, it’s easy for them to get on the train. There must have been a case to build in the first place. I don’t see what could have changed.’
David McIntosh, 59, and his wife Sarah were using the Eurostar to hop across to Brussels for their 25th wedding anniversary.
The couple from Rochester, around 15 minutes away from Ebbsfleet, were left with an extra 90 minutes on their journey because of Eurostar not stopping in Kent.
Mr McIntosh, who works for a financial services company, said: ‘To not be able to get on at Ebbsfleet is just such a pain. I have a golfing friend who now has to go into London as well when he wants to get to Brussels.
Lauren Purser, 41, said the changes had put her off planning a trip abroad. The operations director, on her way to Manchester for work from Ebbsfleet International, said: ‘They should have kept it running – it gives everybody an opportunity to get into Europe relatively easily’
‘You end up going the same way and coming back on the same tracks. It’s mad. It can’t be that different and the demand is there. We speak to people and everyone’s saying ‘why can’t we get on?’
‘The last time I got on was at Ashford so we drove there as its closer to the continent which makes sense. But going into St Pancras doesn’t.’
Engineer Tony Minns, 53, also uses Ebbsfleet for fast travel into London from his home in Maidstone.
He said: ‘It’s so awkward because sometimes I have to go to France. I go about twice a year. And that extra bit of a journey makes such a difference.
‘It means that you can no longer do a hop over to Paris and back in one day. You end up with an extra three hours there and back. You’ve got the infrastructure here. It’s just such a waste of money.’
Ebbsfleet used to offer a convenient way for people in Kent to visit France and Belgium
Hairdresser Tasha Hollowell, 28, said the extra time on the journey would put her off taking her children, aged two and four, to Disneyland Paris on the train.
The mother, from Higham, said: ‘It’s just annoying because it wouldn’t just be me and my partner, it would be our kids too. So the extra hour would really affect us.
‘It puts me off. Having to travel all the way to London and then go through the massive queues there. I go past the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras and it seems quite manic.
‘Why haven’t they brought it back to yet? If they do, they should also do kids go free because that would help me out.’
Mini cab drivers lined up outside Ebbsfleet International also said the prolonged pause has affected them.
Hairdresser Tasha Hollowell, 28, said at Ebbsfleet station that the extra time on the journey would put her off taking her children, aged two and four, to Disneyland Paris on the train
Among them was ‘H’ Gill, in his 50s, who said that he has been left out of pocket since the services stopped.
The cabbie, who has been operating in the area since 2000, said that when continental passengers came into Ebbsfleet, he would often pick up large fares to take them around the south.
He said: ‘It means that there are fewer fares during the day. There used to three big waves in the middle of the day between the commuters.
‘I used to pick up fares going all over the place. One person asked me once to get a cab to St Albans. Another to Dover. Southampton as well. These were fares of over £100. And now we don’t. It’s a shame. They should bring it back.’
Tudor Price, chief executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, told MailOnline that businesses in the county are ‘become frustrated and annoyed at the lack of engagement from Eurostar on the matter of recommencing services from Kent, despite overwhelming demand and evidence of the economic benefit to the region’.
Mini cab drivers lined up outside Ebbsfleet International also said the prolonged pause to the Eurostar has affected them. Among them was ‘H’ Gill, in his 50s, who has been working in the area since 2000, and said that he has been left out of pocket since the services stopped
He added: ‘Many local and international businesses invested significantly on the back of this provision and millions of pounds of taxpayer funds have been spent on improvements to accommodate the service.
‘We’re open to positive discussions with Eurostar however, the lack of competition on the line is having a detrimental effect and this needs to be reviewed.’
Mr Price added that the group has secured a meeting with Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave later this month as well as a visit from Rail Minister Lord Hendy.
But the DfT has said it believes the decision on which stations to operate to is a commercial and operational one for Eurostar, given it is the only international operator.
A source within the department also said it fully supports the growth of international rail passenger services and recognises the benefits that they could provide for UK citizens and businesses.
Meanwhile a spokeswoman for Kent County Council (KCC) said it ‘continues to call for a return of services to Kent alongside partner organisations and have set out our concerns to the new Government’.
Engineer Tony Minns, 53, uses Ebbsfleet for fast travel into London from his home in Maidstone. He said: ‘It’s so awkward because sometimes I have to go to France. I go about twice a year. And that extra bit of a journey makes such a difference’
She added that Eurostar’s decision to stop services in Kent ‘has had a huge effect on the county’s economy, causing much uncertainty to residents, businesses and potential investors with the loss of international passengers at Ashford and Ebbsfleet International stations’.
The spokeswoman also cited how more than 58,000 people have now signed a Change.org petition to bring Eurostar services back to Kent, which she said was ‘testament to the strength of support from Kent’s residents and businesses for international rail services to stop in Kent again’.
She added: ‘The taxpayer is not getting the full benefit that the billions of pounds invested in the High Speed 1 rail link and what the Kent stations were meant to achieve.
‘We look forward to working with Government Ministers on how we can get services back to Kent.’
KCC said it was working on getting Eurostar services back in partnership with Ashford and Dartford District Councils, the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership, VisitKent, Locate in Kent, and the Kent and Invicta Chamber of Commerce.
Ashford International
- Constructed: 1996 for £80million (first opened as ‘Ashford’ in 1842)
- Services: South Eastern Railway from 1842; Southern Railway from 1923; Eurostar from 1996 until 2020; Southeastern HS1 since 2009
Ashford International has a far longer history than Ebbsfleet International which goes back nearly two centuries, although both have been without Eurostar services since March 2020.
The station began life in 1842 as simply ‘Ashford’ and was rebuilt in the 1960s for electrification of the South Eastern Main Line – and then again for international Eurostar services in the 1990s.
The station began taking Eurostar trains in 1996 when they were running from the previous London terminus of Waterloo, and continued as a stop when international trains were switched to St Pancras in 2007.
Southeastern High Speed 1 trains then also began stopping at Ashford International in 2009.
In addition, Southeastern also operates standard services to London Charing Cross, and passengers can additionally catch Southern trains to the likes of Eastbourne and Hastings.
Steph Hallett, a mother from New Zealand who moved to Ashford with her husband in 2021, said she would love to use the service to explore Europe but has never had the opportunity. Speaking alongside her three-year-old son, she said: ‘We love Paris and we love to travel’
The history of Ashford International goes back to 1842 but it no longer has Eurostar trains
But Eurostar passengers have been unable to benefit from these connections since the pandemic began and all services to the station were halted.
MailOnline spoke to a series of passengers at Ashford this week who criticised Eurostar for not resuming services.
Software engineer Kevin Scott, 52, who lives in one of the small villages which surround Ashford, travels to France frequently for work.
He said he drives to Folkestone to get the LeShuttle train over to Calais before getting the train to Paris.
He said: ‘I now typically drive to Folkestone and have to pick the train in Calais to get to Paris. It means I am producing a lot more carbon and it’s less convenient. They need to open it back up. The terminal was jam-packed when it was open.
Retired Della Goodlet, 68, has lived in Ashford for a decade. Speaking at the station, she said: ‘I have got the Eurostar twice from Ashford and Ebbsfleet. It was brilliant when it was running. Super convenient. It’s such a waste – it really was a lovely station when it was running’
Southeastern trains in sidings at Ashford International in Kent during a strike in January 2023
‘It’s so nonsensical that you have to go up to St Pancras and then check in an hour before just to be back where you started three hours later. It’s turned Ashford International into a big white elephant.’
Dawnie Nilsson, 49, an Ashford borough councillor, also criticised the service being stopped.
She said: ‘We’ve been driving to France so far. We’ve tried the Eurostar and you have to go through London to get it. It’s awful because it’s not just me and my husband. There’s two kids as well.
‘We’ve all signed the petition to bring it back. There’s got to be a business case given how many people are living around these stations now. It’s just a real shame given the amount of money spent on changing Ashford to become an international station.’
Retired Della Goodlet, 68, has lived in the mid-Kent town for a decade. She said: ‘I have got the Eurostar twice from Ashford and Ebbsfleet. It was brilliant when it was running. Super convenient.
Dawnie Nilsson, 49, an Ashford borough councillor, said: ‘We’ve all signed the petition to bring it back. There’s got to be a business case given how many people are living around these stations now. It’s just a real shame given the amount of money spent on changing Ashford’
Eurostar began using Ashford in 1996 but the only high-speed services are now Southeastern
‘It’s such a waste – it really was a lovely station when it was running.’
Chris Hatton, 77, said he had sympathy for Eurostar bosses if the business case for reintroducing the stopping services was not there.
The retired accountant, who has seen the opening of the high speed line and the pause of the services in his 40 years in the town, said he understood why they were not stopping at Ashford anymore.
He said: ‘I think it’s a great shame that they’re not doing it from there. I can understand why though because it was a massive cost. They were running the station for four or five trains a day.
‘I think the big thing in the first place is if they’d have made it slightly cheaper going from here to France, it would have made a big difference.
‘They say Covid killed it off, but it stopped before Covid. It stopped when they brought in the new trains. So the new trains couldn’t stop Ashford for some reason.
Regan Mangan, 22, a student at the University of Kent, said the lack of Eurostar trains at Ashford International was a shame because any investment or tourism being lost was a waste
A Eurostar international train service bypasses Ashford International station in Kent
‘But the Eurostar from Ashford never took off in the way that it was intended to. Partly as I say, because they didn’t make it cheaper to go.’
Regan Mangan, 22, a student at the University of Kent, said it was a shame because any investment or tourism being lost was a waste.
He said: ‘I don’t think it’s good at all. Any business or anything being lost by Ashford is a real shame. Especially as it brought people into the town from continental Europe – which was a big boost to the local economy.
‘Now you’ve got to go on the line up to St Pancras and then go past yourself. It takes three hours just to get back to Ashford.
‘Using the train is a greener form of transport. If people are driving to London or to France, it means they are creating more carbon.’
Steph Hallett, a mother from New Zealand who moved to Ashford with her South African husband in 2021, said she would love to use the service to explore Europe but has never had the opportunity.
Software engineer Kevin Scott, 52, who lives in one of the small villages which surround Ashford, travels to France frequently for work. He said he drives to Folkestone to get the LeShuttle train over to Calais before getting the train to Paris
Speaking alongside her three-year-old son, the social care worker said: ‘We love Paris and we love to travel. We want to show our little one as much of the world as possible.
‘But we’ve never had the opportunity to use this service. We’ve tried driving but it’s not as good a way to travel. It’s ridiculous. All the people around here want it so I am not sure why they aren’t bringing it back.’
Noel Ovenden, leader of Ashford Borough Council, said services at Ashford International were important for existing businesses and travellers, as well as future commercial investments and tourism.
He told MailOnline: ‘There was a public outcry when Eurostar made their initial announcement, and the local strength of feeling is clearly reflected by the petition that has over 58,000 signatures.
‘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.
Platforms at Ashford International station in Kent, which was previously used by Eurostar
‘Ashford is an important economic driver for not only Kent and the East Kent region, but also an important international access point to Europe.’
He said ‘significant investment’ had been made over the last 25 years in infrastructure at the station to ensure international services can operate to support business and leisure travel to Europe.
Mr Ovenden continued: ‘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 will not give up on this and will continue to make the case for their return. 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.’
Chris Hatton, 77, said he had sympathy for Eurostar if the business case was not there. He said: ‘I think it’s a great shame that they’re not doing it from there. I can understand why though because it was a massive cost. They were running the station for four or five trains a day’
He cited £8.5million of government funding invested into signalling and power upgrades at Ashford International in 2018/19.
Mr Ovenden also pointed out that international visitor spend was down in Kent in 2023 by 20 per cent on 2019 levels, compared to 11 per cent in the wider South East region, due in part to the loss of international rail connectivity.
And he cited a survey which found 99 per cent of business in Kent want the Eurostar services to return to stopping at Ashford and Ebbsfleet.
And 89 per cent of businesses surveyed believe international services not stopping at Kent stations was impacting their business custom.
Survey evidence also indicated that about 30,000 jobs – equivalent to £750million of gross value added activity – has been affected by the loss of international rail services from Kent, Mr Ovenden said.
A file photo of Eurostar branding at Ashford station, when it was served by international trains
He added that there is also now an estimated £16.5million in unnecessary travel expense for former users of Kent international stations, now travelling to St Pancras.
Among those outside of Kent calling for Eurostar to return are the French dynasty behind the champagne house Taittinger.
Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, honorary chairman of the 290-year-old wine company, and his daughter Vitalie, its president, said Eurostar’s decision to cut services to and from Ashford was holding back tourists from visiting Kent’s vineyards.
Mr Taittinger told the Telegraph that the loss of Eurostar services in Kent was ‘a big regression’, adding : ‘For us, it’s obviously a mistake. Ashford, the station, should be a fight for all the region – we need it.
‘It needs to develop this part of the world where we will have, I hope, many more wineries and vineyards.’
Eurostar told MailOnline it has no plans in the 2024/25 year for its trains to stop in Kent.
The operator has never given a date for a restart in Kent since the pandemic began, so business leaders and residents will simply have to wait and see whether there is a change of heart.
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