A rival to Eurostar has said it would bring international trains back to Kent if it is allowed to operate.
Italian state-owned company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) is one of a handful of competitors, including Virgin, that want to run trains on the line.
An Italian rival to Eurostar has said it would bring back services to Ashford. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA
Eurostar has held a monopoly on the route since the Channel Tunnel was constructed in 1994.
In 2020, it pulled services from Ashford and Ebbsfleet, leading to petitions and pressure from MPs to bring them back.
Now, FS has told The Times it will reopen Ashford International Station to cross-Channel trains if it gets the go-ahead to run the route.
The company says it wants to open an “International Hub” at the station as early as the beginning of next year and will start services to Paris in 2029.
Francesco De Leo-Kaufmann, the international head of FS, said he has earmarked up to £1 billion to be “plugged into this project”.
The empty Ashford International station, where Eurostar services to Europe have been suspended since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic
He added: “A clear portion of it will be dedicated to Ashford because we need to build up our innovation out there.”
The rail service says it already holds the necessary accreditation for operating on the European continent, as well as having access to a pipeline of new trains, putting it ahead of other rivals.
In order to operate on the route, it will need access to a service depot used by Eurostar in Temple Mills, London.
Earlier this year, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said some capacity could be made available to other operators, which was hailed as a “green signal” to go ahead by Virgin.
Eurostar, however, said the findings of the ORR’s report “confirm” the depot was “effectively almost full today for major maintenance work and would require investment to meet the growing demands of international rail”.
Ashford International station hasn’t seen a Eurostar service pick up passengers for five years. Picture: Chris Davey
A firm decision on whether other businesses will be allowed in the facility is expected to be made soon.
The Good Growth Foundation said international services in Ashford could inject £2.7bn to the local economy over five years and increase tourism by almost 500,000 visitors a year.
A Labour peer, MPs, councillors, French counterparts and business people met at the station last month, where it was said local businesses were “crying out” for it to reopen.