Eurostar stopped services to and from Ashford at the start of the pandemic and have not yet restored them. I am involved with campaigning alongside Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council to persuade the company to bring them back.
We have been here before when the company cut all services from Ashford to Brussels. I campaigned for a long time for them to be brought back and succeeded in changing Eurostar’s mind.
I am determined to do so again and have been talking not just to Eurostar but to other train operators and Transport Ministers so that the UK Government is aware of the importance of international services to Ashford, and indeed the whole of Kent.
There are issues of financial viability for Eurostar, and problems with border checks which need resolving, but these can be solved with determination and goodwill on all sides. International trains are important to Ashford, and I want to see them come back here.
