Call to Restore International Services
MPs from across Kent and Sussex have launched a campaign to pressure the rail regulator to remove barriers preventing new international train services from stopping at Ashford International Station. The push comes ahead of a crucial decision by the Office of Rail and Road expected by the end of October, which could pave the way for the return of rail services from the station to Paris and Brussels.
Cross channel rail services from Ashford International were abruptly ended by Eurostar in 2020, leaving the purpose-built international terminal without any continental services.
The campaign highlights the significant economic opportunities which the restoration of international services would bring to Sussex and Kent. A recent report published by the Good Growth Foundation found that resuming European services at Ashford could inject more than £2.5 billion into the local visitor economy over five years.
Local Labour MP Helena Dollimore supports the campaign. She has secured a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on 14 October on the “potential merits of returning international rail services to Ashford”. She is expected to call on the government to reinstate border infrastructure at the station and to favour international operators who commit to running Ashford services.
As part of a local campaign, she has also delivered a petition to the rail regulator signed by hundreds of her constituents in support of reopening international services from the station.
All eyes are now on the Office of Rail and Road, whose decision before Halloween will determine if the path is clear for international trains to once again stop in Ashford.
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