Eurostar: Call for 'swift' resumption of service in Kent

Passengers in Kent have had to start their cross-Channel journeys from St Pancras in London

Calls are growing for a "swift" resumption of Eurostar rail services in Kent.

The trains have not stopped at Ebbsfleet and Ashford since March 2020, with Kent passengers having to start trips at St Pancras in London instead.

The cross-Channel operator hoped to resume the service in 2022, but this has been delayed until 2023 amid falling passenger numbers and profits.

Eurostar said it will review its decision later this year.

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said he was "disappointed" the trains' reinstatement "has yet to occur".

He called for more clarity on the conditions under which Eurostar would "deem services in Kent to be viable".

Green county councillor Rich Lehmann asked for the "swiftest" resumption of the services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ashford Borough Council leader Gerry Clarkson said: "The prospect that Eurostar services will not return to Ashford International Station until 2023 represents a real challenge for those residents and businesses that rely on the service and those that work at the station."

Talks between Eurostar, Kent County Council, the local transport authority and Ashford Borough Council over the way forward were ongoing.

A Eurostar spokesperson said: "Kent services will not resume this year. We have already said it will be 2023 at the earliest and that we will review this decision towards the end of the year.

"The decision will be based on general business performance but also looking in particular at how the local market has evolved since Covid."

Eurostar carries passengers from St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

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