Kentish Express Ashford & District
No Eurostar stops until next year
Eurostar trains will not be stopping at Ashford until 2023 despite claims the company could be losing out on business.
The European train operator hasn’t run any services from Ashford or Ebbsfleet since the start of the pandemic.
Since then Eurostar has been reluctant to reopen these services due to running costs.
The company’s debt has almost doubled and last year it saw a 95% drop in revenue.
Looking to rebound the troubled trains and reopen the connections in Kent, Ashford Borough Council’s transport board asked Eurostar if this was a possibility.
Last week Eurostar’s head of public affairs Renaud Thillaye told councillors that the company would stick to its original timetable and not open any of its intermediate stations until 2023.
This includes services at Ashford, Ebbsfleet, Calais and Lyon.
He said: “Eurostar has to focus on its core routes which generate the most profit to support the debt we’ve accumulated.
“We have to continue strict cost control, which has been in place since 2020 and this means intermediate stations are suspended. We will review this in the second half of the year.”
He also said UK customers could see hours of queues due to new arrangements with the EU which will slow down border crossings for non-EU passengers.
Chairman Cllr Bernard Heyes (Con) asked if Eurostar would compromise and have one stop between St Pancras and Paris.
He said: “As you’ve said the travel market will be at around 80% by Easter, which is showing the market is booming when you consider where it’s coming from.
“It is regrettable when you see the trains flying through Ashford and people have to go to St Pancras just to come back down again.”
However, this was shot down by Mr Thilaye, who said: “The decision to reopen Ashford or Ebbsfleet is not a simple one, because it would involve hiring staff, we need to secure police presence. I can’t see a situation where we do that for one service.
“It’s not a decision that would be taken lightly so I don’t really think it’s a realistic option.”
Mr Thilaye also commented on rumours that the Spanish train operator Renfe could run on the line, saying: “To put it very bluntly, we are not worried about competition and we welcome this.
“This is the nature of the Eurostar business, we don’t receive any subsidies to operate.”