Ashford International still has its international platforms, border-control facilities and direct connection to High Speed 1. Yet Eurostar trains continue to pass the Kent town on their way to the Channel Tunnel without stopping, leaving an £80 million international terminal — opened on 8 January 1996 after an 18-month reconstruction programme — without the European services it was specifically built to handle.
Eurostar has repeatedly argued that restoring calls at Ashford and Ebbsfleet is not commercially justified under its present operating model. That leaves the station’s best chance of revival with new competition rather than the operator that once served it. Gemini Trains says it intends to launch cross-Channel services by 2030, linking Britain with Paris, Disneyland Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport and Cologne, with Ashford International and Ebbsfleet included among its proposed stops.
The plan still depends on financing, regulatory approval, rolling-stock procurement and access to suitable maintenance facilities. No return is guaranteed, but Ashford is once again part of a serious international rail proposal, Ashford Chronicle’s editorial team reports.
Eurostar is not preparing a return, leaving rivals to test the Kent case
Eurostar has not announced plans to restore calls at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International. Kent councils have continued to press for their return, but the operator’s position has not materially shifted since the pandemic suspension in March 2020.
The company’s argument is commercial rather than technical. Ashford and Ebbsfleet still have international rail infrastructure, but Eurostar has concentrated its post-pandemic capacity on higher-volume routes from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Kent County Council said in September 2025 that Eurostar had “no plans to stop in Kent”, and presented new competition as the more realistic path back for cross-Channel services.
That changes the nature of the Ashford question. The issue is no longer simply whether Eurostar can be persuaded to reverse a decision. It is whether a new operator can build a viable business case for stopping in Kent while also meeting the regulatory, financial and operational demands of the Channel Tunnel market.
Gemini Trains has put Ashford back into that discussion. The company, chaired by Lord Tony Berkeley, announced in March 2025 that it wanted to launch open-access cross-Channel services between Britain and continental Europe. Its early public plan focused on London–Paris and London–Brussels routes, with further destinations under development.
Later reports linked Gemini with a broader network by 2030, including Paris, Disneyland Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport and Cologne. Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International were named among proposed stops, giving Kent its clearest place yet in a rival operator’s public plan. For a station without European passenger services since 2020, that is a meaningful shift.
The proposal, however, remains several steps away from a timetable. A stated ambition does not create a train path, a fleet or a maintenance base. Before passengers could board in Ashford, Gemini would need to settle several practical questions:
- secure long-term financing for a new cross-Channel operation;
- obtain the required regulatory approvals in the UK and continental Europe;
- procure trains certified for Channel Tunnel and high-speed network use;
- agree track access, station access and border-processing arrangements;
- establish a maintenance plan for a fleet operating through the tunnel;
- convert proposed Kent stops into confirmed services in a published timetable.
The maintenance question is the most immediate constraint. Cross-Channel operators need specialist depot access, and Temple Mills International in east London remains the established facility used by Eurostar. Virgin Trains, Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia all applied for access to Temple Mills, but the Office of Rail and Road approved Virgin’s application on 30 October 2025 and rejected the others.
That decision weakened Gemini’s near-term position. It did not end the company’s plan, but it forced the question of how its trains would be maintained if Temple Mills is unavailable. Gemini would need another maintenance solution or a revised operating structure before its Ashford proposal could move from public ambition to credible delivery.
The ruling also makes Virgin a central part of the Kent story, even though Virgin has not yet committed to stopping at Ashford. With Temple Mills access approved, it has the clearest regulatory route towards becoming Eurostar’s first major cross-Channel competitor. For Ashford, the return of international trains now depends less on nostalgia for the former Eurostar service and more on whether competition can create enough capacity, pressure and commercial incentive to put Kent back on the map.
What Ashford has lost
Ashford’s case is not only emotional or civic. The town has a physical international terminal, a high-speed connection to HS1, and a location close to the Channel Tunnel. Those assets have been underused for more than six years.
The local impact is easy to understand. Passengers who once travelled directly from Ashford to continental Europe now have to route via London St Pancras, drive to Folkestone for the Channel Tunnel shuttle, or use Dover ferry services. That adds time, cost and complexity to journeys from east Kent. The station also represents sunk public and local investment. Ashford Borough Council continues to support the Bring Back Eurostar campaign, arguing that international rail access matters for residents, businesses and tourism.
Virgin may now be the more important name
The focus around Ashford has often fallen on Gemini because its reported network plans include Kent stops. But after the ORR decision, Virgin may be the operator to watch more closely. Virgin has been cleared for access to Temple Mills, while its rival applicants have not. Financial Times reporting described the decision as a major step towards breaking Eurostar’s long-standing monopoly on passenger services through the Channel Tunnel. That does not mean Virgin will necessarily serve Ashford. It means the competitive market that could eventually restore Kent stops is beginning to move from political pressure into regulatory reality.
Ashford International is not close to a confirmed return of European passenger trains. Eurostar remains absent, Gemini’s ambitions are still conditional, and Virgin has secured the key depot ruling without yet publishing a Kent service pattern.
The most realistic conclusion is that Ashford’s prospects depend on competition succeeding somewhere on the Channel Tunnel route first. If new operators prove that there is money in additional cross-Channel services, Kent stations will have a stronger case. If depot capacity, border processing and commercial risk continue to constrain the market, Ashford may remain an international station in name rather than function.
Questions and answers
Does Eurostar currently stop at Ashford International?
No. Ashford International has had no scheduled Eurostar passenger services since March 2020.
Is Eurostar planning to return to Ashford?
There is no confirmed Eurostar plan to restore services at Ashford or Ebbsfleet.
Could Gemini Trains bring international services back?
Gemini has been linked with plans that include Ashford, but it has not secured all the permissions and infrastructure needed to launch services.
Why is Temple Mills important?
Temple Mills International is the specialist depot used for cross-Channel high-speed trains. Access to maintenance capacity is one of the main barriers for new operators.
Who has been granted access to Temple Mills?
The Office of Rail and Road approved Virgin Trains’ application in October 2025 and rejected applications from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia.
What is the most likely route back for Ashford?
Competition is now the strongest route. A new operator would need to prove a viable business case and include Ashford in a confirmed timetable.
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Used materials: Ashford Borough Council Bring Back Eurostar Campaign, Kent County Council Putting Kent Back on the International Rail Map, Office of Rail and Road Temple Mills International depot decision letter,
