Back on Track: International Travel Must Return to Ashford

One of my earliest memories is boarding the Eurostar to France at Ashford International when I was about five years old. I loved going on what I then called the ‘yellow-nosed train’ and having a whole continent on the doorstep of our East Sussex home.  

Anyone in Rye who has ever taken the Eurostar from Ashford after journeying only 20 minutes on the Marshlink to get there will recognise this feeling. You could start the day with a coffee on Rye High Street and have steak frites in Paris for lunch!  

But the closure of the international terminal at Ashford has made this once-seamless journey a thing of the past.  

During the pandemic Eurostar decided their trains would no longer make the Ashford stop between London and Paris, making the service much less accessible for those of us halfway along the track.   

Using the Eurostar now takes much longer and costs more, with my constituents having to travel up to St Pancras only come back down the same way. It is particularly depressing to pass through the deserted Ashford International terminal before entering the tunnel.  

Not only is this unbelievably frustrating, but it is also cutting off our area from opportunity. The impact on jobs, tourism, local businesses and relations with our European neighbours is huge.  

That is why I have been working with other MPs in Sussex and Kent to campaign for an international rail service to return to Ashford International.  

In January, I met with the CEO of Eurostar to stress the importance of restoring the service to Ashford. I reminded her that Ashford’s international terminal was opened with significant public investment under the last Labour Government, and that Eurostar had a responsibility to ensure that services stopped there as intended. Her answers were lacking, and the truth is that Eurostar used Covid as an excuse, having run down the service at Ashford International for years before with fewer trains stopping there. They cite less demand at Ashford, but admitted to me that they have failed to do a proper assessment of demand post-pandemic and in light of the many changes that have happened in our region since then. If Eurostar will not step up and restart the Ashford service, we should enable another rail operator to take it over.  

Meeting with the Rail Minister

I have since met with the Rail Minister to discuss what the Labour Government can do to help. The Government has pledged its support to the restoration of international Ashford, and the Minister is currently supporting measures to secure space to store trains and help other operators access the lines.   

I have also reached out to interested rail operators Virgin and Evolyn, to emphasise the business case for returning services to Ashford International.  

The Labour Government recognises that strengthening our cross-channel connections is key to boosting business, tourism and unlocking economic growth across our area. At a time when we need to cut carbon emissions, a decent international rail service is vital. I'll keep up the pressure.  

Originally published in Rye News