13 June 2023 , 14:29
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Residents say their town has fallen into decline due to the prolonged closure of the Eurostar terminal.
The loss of the vital transport service in Ashford, Kent, has angered large parts of the community. It shut at the start of the Covid pandemic and, despite some 23,000 people signing a petition, there are no plans to reopen it more than three years on.
But residents say it's caused a loss of vibrancy, lack of investment and high street decline because both people and businesses had moved to the area because of its easy European links.
The terminal, once a bustling hub of activity, now stands derelict.
"Walking through the railway station, it’s so sad and empty," Janet Halliburton, who lives in the area, said.
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Janet Halliburton has spoken about the closure of Ashford International Station (KMG / SWNS)"When I used to work in London, there were always several hundred small children going to Disneyland and the hotels were always full.
"Businesses have moved to Ashford because of its international links, but now there aren’t any, they must be going out of their mind.
"Ashford is destroyed. I moved here 27 years ago, and I have just watched it slowly decline.
"Nobody wants to drive to Gatwick to get a flight to the continent when they could just as easily get a train.
"We have this facility and it’s outrageous we can’t use it."
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Around 30 people from across the town, including Janet, are now part of the newly formed Bring Back Eurostar Group, and attended a meeting last week in a desperate attempt to find a way to bring services back to the town.
And more than 23,000 people signed a petition calling for international service to be reinstated in Kent earlier this year.
Monica Nash, part of the group, said: “We used to use it for days out over to Europe and for holidays.
“Before lockdown I could have got on at Ashford and I could have gone all the way to Lille.
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“Flying is an option but it is not environmentally friendly and I think a lot of people now will use it who didn’t before for that reason."
The now unused Ashford International Station is derelict (KMG / SWNS)Resident Lynne Newell agreed, saying: “We have the fantastic building there and it is just sitting empty – it’s criminal.
“It will reduce the environmental impact of flying.
"Having it back would drive wealth back, not just to Ashford, but the whole of Kent.”
Thirteen years ago, Simon and Susan Good moved to Ashford, and its international connections was one of the main reasons why.
Mr Good, 66, said: “The bonus of having Eurostar stopping here was fabulous and it’s only 15 minutes from the Channel Tunnel.
“I was doing a fair bit of work in France and it was extremely convenient for me.
“I’ve now retired and I plan to spend a lot of time travelling and I would rather travel by train than fly.
"From a selfish point of view, it would make my life more enjoyable, but from Ashford’s point of view, it is something that would make this town much more vibrant.
“People are really fed up. It’s outrageous and I’m seething about it to be honest.
“I would like to see the government take a tighter line to sort this because having the Eurostar back would help the town massively.”
Simon and Susan Good say the transport service was vital for Ashford (KMG / SWNS)Alexander Bienfait, who is half Dutch, said: “One of the reasons why we are living in Kent is because of its proximity to continental Europe and because of family.
“One of the key things to come from the meeting is focusing on the regeneration argument.
“There used to be more ways to cross the Channel than there are now. Everything is concentrated on London, Dover and Folkestone ...
“Transport links build a business future and I hope that a meeting like this can be a catalyst for developing links with similar bodies in France and building a cross-Channel case.
“Ashford has always been a hub and it would be a key driver for business to have those international connections back.”
Speaking after the meeting, a spokesperson from the Bring Back Eurostar Group said the meeting at the Hampton Hotel in Ashford marked the beginning of their fight, adding: "The idea of the meeting was to give the residents an opportunity to understand the current situation and have a voice.
"It was great to see a good turnout with such a diverse set of skills, experience and connections.
"Some great ideas and suggestions were discussed as well as the challenges.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming new members to the group and seeing how we can help.
“It is clear that residents have been impacted by the closure of the Eurostar and are concerned about the consequences to Kent's economy and regeneration plans the longer it stays closed.
“There is real motivation amongst residents to get involved in a proactive way to help change the situation.”
Since the meeting, Ashford Borough Council (ABC) says it welcomes the proactive approach by residents and supports calls to bring the Eurostar back.
It is feared the closure has pushed the Kent town into decline with no end in sight (KMG / SWNS)A spokesperson said: “The services at Ashford International Station are not only important for existing businesses and travellers, they are also important for our future commercial investments.
“There was a public outcry when Eurostar made their initial announcement and the local strength of feeling is clearly reflected by this meeting and the petition that has been launched, which we welcome.
“The prospect that Eurostar is not likely to return anytime soon represents a real challenge for those residents and businesses that rely on the service, and those that work locally.
“Ashford is an important economic driver for not only Kent and the east Kent region, but also an important international access point to Europe.
“Significant investment has been made over the last 25 years in infrastructure at Ashford International Station 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 being returned to support the economy of Kent and the UK.
“We will not give up on this and will continue to make the case for their return...”
“We are in regular dialogue with Eurostar and we will continue to work with partners, including Kent County Council, our MP Damian Green, government and High Speed One, to ensure services at Ashford International Station return.
“We will not give up on this and will continue to make the case for their return, as soon as its commercially viable. International rail services provide an alternative to travelling by road or air.
“Not only is it a much more sustainable mode of transport, it also makes sense from an economical point of view too.
“With the valuable support of local residents, we will continue our fight and call on the government to intervene in order to maintain the prosperity of the borough and indeed the wider east Kent region.”
Monica Nash and Lynne Newell voiced their opinions at the meeting (KMG / SWNS)Eurostar services began running between London Waterloo, Paris and Brussels in 1994.
Two years later, they began stopping in Ashford after an 18-month, £80million construction project, to transform the station into "Ashford International".
But now the ticket office shutters are down, the international side of the station deserted and the future remains unclear.
Eurostar's former chief executive previously explained how the pandemic, Brexit and soaring inflation scuppered hopes of restarting Kent services.
Jacques Damas, who left the cross-Channel rail operator last year, previously said he understood the frustration of those wanting international trains to run again, but increased border friction and tough economic headwinds make it impossible for the services to be financially viable.
However it is not just Kent being cut back from the operator’s network.
Brexit, coupled with refurbishments at stations in The Netherlands, could see the number of stations served by Eurostar slashed from 13 to just four.
Already services from London to Disneyland have been cut as the final train to the theme park departed last week.
It was stopped because of extra checks brought in as a result of Brexit.
Services from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam will also stop for almost a year because of work being carried out on the station in the Dutch capital.
Passengers arrive at Paris Gare du Nord station on the Eurostar from London before new travel restrictions between the UK and France come into effect (Getty Images)Cllr Steve Campkin (Green), deputy leader of ABC and cabinet member for climate, environment and transport, also attended the meeting and feels the international train station is a “lifeline” for Ashford.
He said: “The problem is we need something in Ashford to justify bringing Eurostar back, but we need to bring Eurostar back to regenerate Ashford town centre.
“We definitely need to move towards trains and away from planes.
“I think the Eurostar is a lifeline for Ashford and it’s something the government should definitely be supporting.
“I’m hoping to work with the community and the working group and we will see what solutions we can come up with.”
He hopes projects like Brompton Bikes moving its HQ from London to Ashford, and the Newtown Works film studio, which is set for the derelict railway facility in Newtown will attract more attention to Ashford.
A spokesperson from Eurostar said: “Services will not stop at Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations in 2023, and we cannot make any commitment for another two to three years.
“While we continue to operate in an uncertain and fragile environment, we must focus on our most profitable inter-capital routes to enable us to meet our financial commitments, stabilise our operation and our customer experience, before considering any further developments.
“We understand this is disappointing for the local communities, and we will continue to work closely and openly with the local councils on the future of the stations.”