Eurostar will not resume services from the UK’s Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations for “another two or three years”.
The international train operator stopped calls at the two Kent stations in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and later that year Eurostar announced that its services would not stop at Ebbsfleet or Ashford until 2022.
Eurostar has now confirmed that it will not be serving either station in 2023, with the company adding that it “cannot make any commitment for another two to three years”.
“Our recovery is progressing well, but we have considerable financial commitments following the pandemic which we will continue to face for a number of years,” said Eurostar in a statement.
“Our border environment has also toughened post Brexit, and further complexity is expected with the launch of the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES).
“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.”
This means that Eurostar will continue to focus on running its services from London’s St Pancras station to its key European destinations of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
“We understand that this will be disappointing for the local communities, and we will continue to work closely and openly with the local councils on the future of the stations,” added Eurostar.