Will the Eurostar ever stop in Kent again?

The Eurostar stopped at two Kent stations before the pandemic

Jean-Claude Cothias has lived in Ashford for 27 years, moving there from France as he enjoyed the convenience of Eurostar links between the Kent town and his home country.

But he's now considering leaving, as the loss of the rail links has impacted the town's "attractivity", he told the BBC, on the fifth anniversary of the final Eurostar train stopping in Kent.

Mr Cothias is one of many local residents concerned at Eurostar's exit from Kent - and a petition with 61,000 signatures to reinstate services continues to gather pace.

Eurostar has told the BBC in 2019 only 4% of passengers travelled from Ashford, or Ebbsfleet, which is also in Kent.

Services stopped operating at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International because of the coronavirus pandemic, but they never returned when international travel did.

The company blames the impact of Covid-related debt for it not returning to the county, as well as a priority to invest in major city stations to increase capacity.

Jean-Claude Cothias says lack of Eurostar connections in Ashford is costing his business

Mr Cothias, a 51-year-old entrepreneur, said: "This is the first time I'm actually considering setting up businesses in different locations because of the Eurostar not stopping in Ashford.

"That connection, if it's not there, it is hugely detrimental to the economic environment in the town and to its attractivity," he added.

For people to be able to get a train to France from Kent, they currently need to go back on themselves to London, to board the Eurostar at St Pancras International.

The train then travels through Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International on it's way to Europe, but doesn't stop at either.

In January Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was "keen" to see international services reinstated to Ashford "as soon as possible", when responding to Ashford MP Sojan Joseph's question in the House of Commons.

He added the decision was with Eurostar.

Like Ashford and Ebbsfleet, Eurostar no longer stops at Calais's international station - Calais Frethun.

Artus Galiay is the Hauts-de-France representative to the UK, and he regularly speaks to his counterparts in Kent.

He says the tourism and hospitality sector employ close to 70,000 people in the northern France region, but with people from both sides of the Channel unable to stop at Calais, it has a "huge" economic impact.

He said: "It affects businesses' ability to go very quickly and efficiently to the UK and to Kent.

"We are the closest continental European region to the UK. If we want the region to fully play this role of the ideal gateway to European markets, we need good international train connectivity."

Artus Galiay is the Hauts-de-France representative to the UK

Ashford Borough Council originally invested £25m for the infrastructure of the town's international station, which opened in 1996.

It also spent a further £8.5m to upgrade signalling in 2020, so newer Eurostar trains could access the station.

Council leader Noel Ovenden said it didn't make sense for both stations to be closed for five years, given the benefits to the local economy and environment.

"We want it open now, not in another five years," he added.

"We need to keep banging the drum, louder and louder, and push hard to get this station reopened."

Eurostar has told the BBC that in the year before the pandemic, 1.4% of its passengers travelled from Ashford and 2.7% travelled from Ebbsfleet, out of a total of 11 million people.

At peak times, it says there were 50 passengers from Ashford on each 900-seat train.

In the 10 years to 2019, passenger growth at St Pancras International increased by 20%, while Ashford and Ebbsfleet saw a 0% growth, the company added.

A Eurostar spokesperson said: "This will require a focused allocation of resources at our busiest stations, particularly for French border controls, to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for our passengers."

The company added that it has "ambitious growth plans" including investment of 50 new trains, as well as upgrades at St Pancras and depots.

Services to and from the Kent stations will be reviewed next year.

The company added reopening the stations would require significant investment, particularly in eGates and border resources.

Eurostar also says it also needs to assess the impact of the EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) which are due later this year when it examines future plans.