Bring Back Euro Trains

We are rallying all our supporters to champion the future of South East England. Reach out to your local parliamentary candidate and encourage them to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing international rail services in our region. Your voice can make a difference! Click here for a list of candidates’ email addresses and to see those who have already signed our pledges: https://lnkd.in/e35VKzme Together, we can shape a better future! #generalelections #greenfuture #internationalrail #BringBackEuroTrains

French voters living in the Ashford area were briefly allowed to enter the international terminal at Ashford station in order to vote in yesterday’s European elections. The French consulate in the UK "rightly chooses Ashford for their voters living in the south east of England, because of its central location and excellent transport links." At Bring Back Euro Trains we hope Eurostar (and its future competitors) take note of this view and of Ashford’s status as a transport hub. https://lnkd.in/e7Uwxgwm

If we are serious about growing the Kent and national economy in a sustainable and pragmatic way, using unused capacity on our only existing 67 miles of high-speed line and through the Channel Tunnel, and bringing international services back to Ashford and Ebbsfleet is vital. It's time to Bring Back Euro Trains to Ashford and Ebbsfleet.

Analysis of our Bring Back Euro Trains (BBET) data from our tens of thousands of petition signatures suggests we have strong demand for the return of international service to Ashford and Ebbsfleet from people in major population centres and areas out to roughly 40 km around Ashford e.g. out to Hastings to the south west, and around 20 km around Ebbsfleet. See image for heatmap data for signatures as at March 2024. For further information watch the analysis chapter of our Petition Anniversary Webinar video on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/d-rNWsSE. If you draw a 40 km circle around Ashford International we have an estimated population of about 1.37 million which is a substantial pool of potential customers. A more modest but still justifiable 20 km circle around Ebbsfleet International gives another pool of about 2.03 million potential customers for Ebbsfleet. European International rail trends indicate strong demand for international short haul rail travel which Ashford and Ebbsfleet, acting as regional hubs, could help to service and grow in the UK. It's time we rediscovered our international rail mojo here in the UK.

Celebrating 30 years of the Channel Tunnel is an opportunity to reflect on the current state of international #rail connections in the United Kingdom and aspire to broaden our horizons and go further with our aims. Bring Back Euro Trains is fighting for a stronger, more resilient international rail system that does not exclude regions and their inhabitants outside London. 🛤 International rail is about connection. 🌍🔗 We implore the current and future UK government to prioritise rail travel for international journeys and ensure that levelling up for transport does not result in urban communities being left behind. #international #rail #connection #travel #trainsnotplanes #greentravel #Kent #Europe #levellingup

"...we should be doing everything possible to enable more trains to run to current destinations, to reopen Ashford and Ebbsfleet and to make rail the first choice for all to travel to Europe." Click here for more about Campaign for Better Transport's views on international rail connection and their thoughts on the future of international rail: 👇 https://lnkd.in/ewr9Xxn7

'Fraternité is the solidarity we share, the collective will that drives us forward, as evidenced by today’s gathering here. Calais - Fréthun, Ashford, and Ebbsfleet are more than mere transit points; they are siblings in a family of vital European regional transport hubs. Bring Back Euro Trains' ongoing meetings and collaboration with stakeholders, experts, and policymakers, is not just a dialogue; it’s a testament to the power of community action, of fraternity.' Our Political Liaison Officer Diccon Spain shares his reflections on the Channel Tunnel during his speech made in celebration of the Channel Tunnel's 30th anniversary:

Bring Back Euro Trains commemorates 30 years of the Channel Tunnel. Its impact on Ashford and surrounding regions has been huge. For over two decades, from 1996 until 2020, #Kent residents benefited from direct access to European #rail services, enabling them to strengthen both personal and business connections. The Chunnel also opened up new employment areas, facilitating significant economic growth for the region. Today, we celebrate the Channel Tunnel and remain hopeful that passengers will once again enjoy direct access from Ashford and Ebbsfleet International Stations. 

In response to Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP‘s recent (25th April 2024) speech unveiling Labour's plan to ‘fix Britain's railways and put passengers first’, our campaign group Bring Back Euro Trains (BBET) is advocating for a parallel focus on international rail services. We contend that while the intentions of this domestic rail strategy are commendable, the omission of Britain's only existing high-speed line and link to the continent, HS1, and the currently dormant International stations at Ashford and Ebbsfleet, represents a significant oversight. Bushra Akhtar, Chair of BBET, asserts, “Louise Haigh’s speech was encouraging, particularly her commitment to ‘Mission-Driven’ action to improve domestic rail services and the focus on passenger interests. However, we believe this mission-driven approach should also encompass international rail services, and crucially, extend direct international connectivity to areas beyond London, including Ashford and Ebbsfleet.” Our group draws attention to the upcoming 30th anniversary of international cross-channel passenger services this year (2024) and Eurostar's ongoing monopoly position. Diccon Spain, BBET’s Political Liaison Officer, offers further insight into our group’s perspective, “We've seen the consequences ‘purposeless drift’ can have around domestic rail services, as Louise Haigh pointed out; but where is the corresponding and equally important focus on international rail and international rail travellers? The reality of Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly, coupled with the fact that we have two substantial international rail facilities at Ashford and Ebbsfleet lying dormant, along with underused capacity on our only 67 miles of high-speed line, HS1, and through the Channel Tunnel, are evidence of exactly the kind of drift the Shadow Transport Minister is talking about, but on the international rail side of things. These existing assets—that are already paid for—some dormant, some underused, represent significant opportunities for our country and economy. We need a holistic, pragmatic, and opportunity-maximising strategy that focuses on the interests of both domestic and international passengers.” “Enhancing international rail isn’t just about convenience, economy, and opportunities, it’s a crucial step in fulfilling our environmental commitments. By promoting the growth of international rail travel over short-haul air travel, we can reduce our carbon footprint by an average of 95% per passenger, and make a substantial contribution to combating climate change.” Our petition for the reinstatement of international services to Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International stations already has over 53,000 signatures, and we urge more members of the public to sign: https://lnkd.in/eSArnmGZ. For more information about the campaign, see our website: https://lnkd.in/eBngc8m6.

Our #petition now has over 53,000 signatures. We are grateful to everyone who has signed and shared so far! Please take a moment to sign and share the petition, if you have not already done so: https://lnkd.in/eSArnmGZ Together, we can make European rail services at #Kent a reality once again. Together, we can #gofurther. #European #rail #trains #Campaign #internationalrail