Eurostar services campaign petition reaches 50,000 milestone

Over 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for the return of Eurostar services.

They join a growing number of voices from across the county and beyond expressing their desire for the services to return, with over 500 businesses filling in a business survey, Ashford MP Damian Green raising the issue in the House of Commons and many council and business leaders adding their support to the campaign.

The campaign petition to bring Eurostar services back to Ashford International Station began in March 2023, and continues to gather support, reaching a significant milestone. The group behind The Bring Back Eurotrains petition said:

“It's great to see the number of people who have got behind this petition, which is a clear indication of the demand from people across the South East for international train services from Kent’s two existing international stations.

“The Bring Back Eurotrains group is regularly contacted by residents in Kent and beyond who have been affected by the loss of this service and are concerned about the impact this is having on the region’s economy.

“We hope that we can help provide a collective voice for the residents and show any international rail service provider the substantial opportunities of running services that link the regional hub stations of Ashford and Ebbsfleet to Calais, Lille, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and beyond.”

If you would like to see the Eurostar trains servicing our Kent International stations again please sign the online petition. Please also share this within your local communities and encourage friends and family to do the same. If you would like to get more involved, share any information or help in any way please email info@bringbackeurotrains.com. 

Leader of Ashford Borough Council, Cllr Noel Ovenden, said: “Rail services at Ashford International Station are not only important for existing businesses and travellers, but they are also important for our future commercial investments.

“Significant investment has been made over the last 25 years in infrastructure to ensure international services are able to operate to support business and leisure travel to Europe, so it is imperative that the benefits of this investment are realised through services returning. 

“With the valuable support of local residents and businesses, we will continue our fight to bring Eurostar services back.”

Over 500 businesses give their views on the lack of international rail services

Hundreds of business leaders, representing thousands of employees, have responded to Kent County Council’s (KCC) call for views on the lack of international rail services stopping in Kent.

Early analysis of the survey results was shared with Ashford’s Joint Transportation Board. The survey received around 530 responses from business representatives operating in Kent and the wider region with nearly all calling for a return of stopping services in the county.

In October 2023, KCC, supported by Ashford Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council, launched the business survey to understand the impact international rail services not calling in Kent is having on trade. The survey ran for three months, closing in January 2024.

The councils have focused on the impact of Eurostar’s decision to stop services since 2020 and have been working with rail industry leaders to address this.

Further work will now be completed to understand the full range of views, so a case can be built with the aim of persuading operators and government to get back on track in what is the Channel Tunnel’s 30th anniversary year.

KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Neil Baker said: “I want to thank every single one of the more than 500 businesses that have responded to our survey, calling for views on how the halting of international rail services calling in Kent has impacted their firms.

“These businesses represent more than 30,000 employees, demonstrating the economic importance of international rail to this county and the wider country. We are focused on the opportunity to get these benefits back in the 30th anniversary year of the opening of the Channel Tunnel given it brought so many opportunities to the county prior to services being pulled from Kent in 2020.

“We will now continue to analyse the views that were shared with us and build a case that can be presented to central government and the international rail operators.”

Campaign reaches House of Commons

Ashford MP Damian Green instigated a debate in the House of Commons last month on international rail services in Kent.

This received support from Minister of State for Rail at the Department for Transport Huw Merriman, and MPs from across Kent, East Sussex and South London to find a resolution as well as a commitment to work alongside his officials on their return.