Over 46,000 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 600 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, and eight months on 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 you can sign the online petition. If you would like to get more involved, share any information or help in any way 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.”
Eurostar said there was no update on the current situation.
Photo credit: ORR
