BBC South-East reported last week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave a boost to the return of international trains to Ashford.

In a debate in Parliament on international affairs Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye, told him that reopening the international terminal there “would boost our economy by £2.7 billion and bring half a million more visitors to Sussex and Kent every year… It is a no-brainer, so will the Prime Minister give me his commitment that he will support this, like the Transport Secretary?”

The Prime Minister replied that she “makes an excellent case. She and I will ask the Transport Secretary to look into it and get back to her.”

Commentators have pointed out, however, that the government does not run cross-Channel trains and no longer has any financial stake in Eurostar, the only current operator. Eurostar trains ceased making any stops at Ashford or Ebbsfleet during the Covid pandemic in 2020, and the company has made it clear that it has no plans to restore its service to these stations.

In August, Virgin’s plan to run a competitive cross-Channel rail service was given approval by the Office of Rail and Road, with track access granted from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel from October 2030. Italy’s FS Italiane Group is also planning to run rail services through the Tunnel from 2029. Neither has made any commitment to serve Ashford.

Meanwhile, Kent County Council has endorsed a survey being conducted by local campaign group Bring Back Euro Trains to help demonstrate the commercial case for re-connecting Ashford and Ebbsfleet to international services. Almost 20,000 would-be passengers are reported to have registered their ‘demand’.


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https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NEWS-Eurostar-at-Ashford_International_-1024x641.jpeghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NEWS-Eurostar-at-Ashford_International_-150x150.jpegHIPNewsTop StoriesAndy Burnham,Helena Dollimore,Kent County CouncilBBC South-East reported last week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave a boost to the return of international trains to Ashford. In a debate in Parliament on international affairs Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye, told him that reopening the international terminal there “would boost our economy by £2.7...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper