There’s a call for the urgent return of international services to Ashford, as a new report warns of billions of pounds in lost growth.
Eurostar trains last stopped at Ashford International in 2020 with the company offering no real hope of restoring the service.
The station could deliver up to £2.7 billion in economic growth for the South East over five years if services to Europe are restored, according to a report by the Good Growth Foundation. The report calls on the government to support reopening the station and several Kent and East Sussex MPs have backed the campaign, including Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye.
In her column this month for Rye News, Helena Dollimore says the loss of Ashford International means more than just the trains to the people. “The impact on jobs, opportunities, tourism, and links with our European neighbours is huge. Restoring international services at Ashford is key to unlocking the economic growth that we need along the South Coast.”
Since its closure to international travel in 2020, Ashford International – which cost £80m to build and acts as a regional rail hub – has largely sat dormant.
The report, Light at the End of the Tunnel, highlights the benefits of reopening Ashford International, including increased investment, a boost for tourism, and reducing the current six-hour return journey to Brussels to two hours.
The Good Growth Foundation estimates that reopening international services would require £2 million to £3.5 million in capital investment.
Director of the Good Growth Foundation, Praful Nargund, said: “At a time when Britain is struggling with a stagnant economy, it is absurd that the international services at Ashford lie derelict. This is a ready-made opportunity to bring vibrancy and growth back to towns and coastal communities that have been left behind for too long. The government should signal its support for this project, which would generate billions for the South Coast and be a visible symbol of investment in a region battling the populist right.”
There are thought to be at least six companies looking to run trains on the high speed line after recent changes. So far, none have committed to restoring the service at Ashford International.
Image Credits: Joshua Brown https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshtechfission/14961954169/ CC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/.
There is no incentive for Eurostar or any other future company who will be granted a licence to run high speed train on this line to open the station.
If this government are serious about being friendly towards and supporting business, debatable on their current form, they will need to invest in the new customs requirements for entry and exit in the UK.
Our current MP for Hastings and Rye appears to be happy to promote Jet2.com and campaign for the opening of the station. Let’s see what the outcome is…….
I recently travelled on Eurostar from St Pancras to Lille, having come up from Folkestone. The service there was a shambles, everybody herded like sheep I a very small waiting area. On duty were about 4 booths at border control. This was a busy Saturday. Having spent 80 million on Ashford, surely it cannot cost that much to deploy the required amount of border staff there? That is the only difference needed from pre 2020 as far as I can see. It would also mean all the good folk travelling from Kent and Sussex would no longer have to waste time and extra money travelling to St Pancras, and it would ease congestion there.
I have traveled on the Eurostar for years and it was lovely, I traveled from Ebbsfleet to Brussels midi and left my car at the parking. But since Ebbsfleet has been closed I had to travel to St Pancras which was a disgrace, I only travelled from St Pancras once and never again it was like a cattle market and staff overwhelmed, and it cost a lot more money because I had take another 2 trains from clacton on sea to get to St Pancras and we are pensioners .
I hope someone will take notice of what I said .
Hope Ebbfleet opens up again, that would make a lot of people happy.
We travelled from East Anglia to Ebbsfleet which takes just over an hour. We now will not travel into London, which is totally inadequate to handle this number of passengers in the waiting area. Let alone the extra time and cost involved, Eurostar seem very blinkered to what passengers would like.
Steve
The so-called issues of border facilities, staffing, and costs are nothing more than excuses. As the saying goes, “when there is a will, there is a way.”
For Eurostar, these challenges are both manageable and achievable. The real issue is profit plain and simple. Eurostar is not content with merely covering the principal amount, and they show no interest in supporting the local community or its people. With an absolute monopoly and no competitors, they act as though they are beyond accountability.
We, the residents of Ashford, say enough is enough. If Eurostar refuses to recognize our community’s needs, then we must act. We call for a complete halt to Eurostar trains crossing Ashford on their way to London until our concerns are addressed and a genuine commitment to the local community is made.
Together, we can send a clear message, Ashford will not be ignored.
Eurostar are competing against airlines point to point London Paris. Ebbsfleet and Ashford slow that down. Our only hope is open access operators.
It’s a disgrace that while we are encouraged to use rail rather than air links that it is not possible to travel direct from Ashford. In the summer I thought lets try the ferrys from Folkestone as a foot passenger. That was a challenge with only one company putting up with foot passengers. Then only on a limited number of sailings.
We travelled from Ashford to Lyon in 2019, it was so easy, just 4 hours later and we were there. In 2023 we had to park at Ebbsfleet, then go up to St Pancras and come all the way back again, then change in Lille, it took forever. Sadly, we said never again, it was chaotic to say the least. When are Eurostar going to get their act together? Every year they say they’ll review it next year, what’s the betting nothing changes next year. There’s a perfect opportunity for Virgin trains to take over. We can but hope.