A MAJOR UK train station could get new routes to Europe again – five years after they were scrapped.
Ebbsfleet International in Kent used to be a stopping station for .
This included six trains a day to Paris and Brussels as well as four trains a week to .
However, these were suspended back in 2020 due to the pandemic, with them yet to be restored.
The station is now only currently used by HS1 between London and Kent.
But Eurostar rival Gemini – who recently – has revealed plans to stop at the station when they launch their new routes.
Gemini CEO Adrian Quine told the BBC: “It’s very important because Eurostar no longer stop in Kent and there’s eight million people who live in the south-east of England, outside the M25, for whom having a direct service to the continent is extremely important.
“Ebbsfleet is a perfect station. It’s designed for international traffic, it’s got a massive car park, it’s very well connected via the road network and it’s connected to the rest of Kent via the HS1 service.
“We’re proposing every train stops there.”;;
The new European route is likely to start from 2029, nearly a decade after the station stopped having international train services.
And Gemini also revealed plans to operate from rather than London St Pancras.
If this goes ahead, it would be the first time the station ever has trains to Europe, despite being an “international”;; station.
This also means it would have to undergo huge infrastructure improvements to be able to handle passport and security control.
Until then, Brits can only hop on a train to Europe from St Pancras, with Eurostar also suspending routes via Ashford International during the pandemic.
International routes from the K with a Eurostar spokesperson saying they would “look into it”;; again in 2026.
And it’s not just Gemini wanting to take on Eurostar.
announced plans for trains between London and Paris back in 2023.
Earlier this year, to launch a new train service between London and Paris by 2029.
And Virgin also wants to launch UK-Europe routes, with plans to buy 12 trains, costing £500million.
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