Since March 2020, Eurostar trains have not served either Ebbsfleet or Ashford, with passengers forced to trek into London if they want to catch a train to the continent. Since then, Eurostar have expressed a desire to return to serving both stations, but dates have progressively slipped. The latest estimate is 2024 or later, a date which is liable to slip further.
Recent correspondence between Jacques Damas, Eurostar’s (now former) CEO and Huw Merriman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, has revealed further details as to why this continues. Understandably, pandemic-related travel demands have had an impact – with the lack of Governmental financial support, unlike that offered to airlines, having resulted in significant knockbacks. One such impact from this has been Eurostar’s ability to hire staff to replace those who have naturally left – with maintenance engineers being a particularly acute shortage.
A further factor is the impacts on border controls following the UK’s departure from the European Union. With passengers taking longer to process at the border, passenger capacity has dropped. Even with the border fully staffed for example, St. Pancras can only process 1,500 passengers per hour versus 2,200 in 2019. As a result, border staff are being concentrated on St. Pancras, rather than Ashford and Ebbsfleet “where demand and yields are much lower”.
With the global economic outlook looking gloomy, and no prospect of improvements to border controls in the near term, it is hard to have faith in a return of Eurostar services to Kent stations in 2024. It looks like Kentish travellers will need to continue to trudge up to London to reach the continent – potentially passing through stations that in years prior could have saved them many hours of hassle.
One thought on “Kent’s link to the Continent still missing”
Such a shame to not have the option of Ebbsfleet. I’d have gladly taken my children to France on the train but don’t want to go up to St Pancras to come back South again! Thanks for the article