A government minister has pledged to work with Eurostar or its competitors to ensure international rail travel returns to Kent.

Transport minister Huw Merriman said he was “extremely keen” to see services to the continent return to Ashford and Ebbsfleet stations.

Eurostar is facing the prospect of increased pressure to return to the county – something bosses say will not happen until “at least 2025” – after Evolyn’s announcement it will invest £1 billion into a new international rail service.

Similarly to Eurostar, Evolyn has said it will only serve capital cities for the time being; however, Ashford MP Damian Green said the prospect of competition could encourage either company to make the move to start (or restart) Kent stops.

Speaking in the commons yesterday (Wednesday, October 25), Mr Green said that while both rail firms are independent commercial companies, the “time is right” for the government to involve itself.

“The low, difficult period identified by Eurostar is coming to an end as revealed by their own press release in June about their latest financial results,” he added.

“They say themselves; ‘we have turned the page on the pandemic and are now moving towards a new chapter of building the new Eurostar group. Their earnings were a record €332m and clearly they are now generating cash as they repaid €107m of the debt they incurred during the pandemic. They are now, evidently, in a position where they could expand if they wanted to.”

He added that the introduction of a competitor will mean that both companies will have to seek advantages over the other.

“The free offer of stations already built and ready to go is potentially a great advantage to either of them if they have the gumption to take it,” he added.

Mr Merriman, who is also MP for Bexhill and Battle in East Sussex, said he had “a real passion for this subject,” and “would very much like” to see international services restored in Kent.

“As a member who is from a constituency not far from his own, I share [Mr Green’s] disappointment that Ebsfleet and Ashford International stations do not currently recieve international services,” he told the commons.

“I was a frequent user of that service, and that is something that I would like to do again.

“I have been in contact with Eurostar to make it absolutely clear that I am very keen to see [these services restored] as soon as it is possible and commercially viable to do so – and I agree that there are some very good arguments [as to those conditions exisiting now].”

The minister also commented on the prospect of competition on the line, and said that the Department for Transport would be keen to work with any company on restoring the services.

“There is capacity on that line – I would dearly like to see another operator bringing competition and stopping at those Kent stations,” he added.

“My officials and I will work tirelessly on this matter and continue to press for change.”

A petition calling for local Eurostar services to be reinstated has now attracted some 35,000 signatures.

A statement from the firm in August, on its return to Kent, said: “Our Kent stations will remain closed throughout 2023 and 2024. We will provide an update should anything change regarding this.

“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.”