Eurostar: Calls grow for Kent reopening as passenger costs surge
Pressure is mounting on Eurostar to reinstate services from two stations in Kent as passengers from the county face a surge in costs and journey times to Brussels, according to a new report.
Transport research group Enroute and the grassroots campaign “Bring Back Euro Trains” said on Monday that suspending international rail services from Ashford International and Ebbsfleet during the pandemic had had “significant repercussions” for Kent’s economy and undermined its position as a “gateway to Europe.”
Critics have also warned of overcrowding at St Pancras and longer security queues, a claim which Eurostar refutes given it has doubled border capacity at the busy London station in recent years with additional border positions and e-gates.
The report will ramp up scrutiny of Eurostar’s decision not to re-open the routes since they were closed in March 2020 amid a dramatic drop off in passenger numbers. Since borders re-opened post lockdown, demand for international travel has rebounded dramatically across Europe.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said earlier this month he was keen to see operations from the two South East hubs restored, ahead of calls from the leader of Ashford Borough council.
Eurostar has said there is “no short term prospect” of a return but is committed to reviewing the situation in 2026.
The report, titled “Returning International Rail Services to Kent”, argues both Ebbsfleet and Ashford International, which represent more than £180m in infrastructure investment, are “underutilised” and “wasted.”
High Speed 1, the rail route connecting London to Folkestone, and Channel Tunnel are currently running at just 50 and 40 per cent of their capacity, respectively.
Eurostar, which has long-held a monopoly on the Channel Tunnel, is the only rail operator with the rolling stock, access rights and experience to serve Ebbsfleet and Ashford on a short timescale.
The report added that journey times to Brussels have more than tripled from 90 minutes to 4.5 hours across Kent, while costs have nearly doubled for many travellers on all Eurostar routes to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris.
Pre-suspension, a round trip between Ashford International and Brussels would have cost passengers between £120 and £180 and taken around three hours.
Factoring in the additional trip via Southeastern to London and longer security queues at St Pancras, it now takes passengers from Kent around nine hours, at a cost of between £200 to £280, Enroute found.
In the past, Ashford has also acted as a fallback hub when services on the London-Folkestone railway line are disrupted.
Alexander Bienfait, Interim Chair of Bring Back Euro Trains, said the underutilisation of Ashford and Ebbsfleet was a “glaring waste of resources.”
“Restoring services would boost Kent’s connectivity, support local businesses, and contribute to achieving carbon reduction goals,” he added.
“People should not have to endure expensive, inefficient journeys through London when faster, direct links to Europe are already within reach.”
Harry Burr, Joint Chief Executive of Enroute, said: “With High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel running far below capacity, reinstating these connections is not only feasible but critical for regional economic recovery, international business ties, and achieving sustainable transport objectives.”
Enroute and Bring Back Euro Trains, which represents groups including Ashford Council, Kent County Council and the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, are calling for an array of policy measures to restart services.
These include commissioning a review into the economic case for “regional international hub development including maximising the use of existing assets,” considering strategic funding to enable efficient border processing post-Brexit, reforming the air passenger duty (APD) levy, and assessing the potential for state-backed guarantees for challenger operators.
A Eurostar spokesperson said: “Our Kent stations will remain closed throughout 2025 and will be reviewed in 2026. We understand that this may be frustrating, and we want to stress that we are closely monitoring the situation and, should there be any changes, we will provide an update.”