Eurostar and southeastern announce deal to provide free rail travel to and from international stations in kent.
--Deal will encourage use of public transport to connect with Eurostar
Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train operator that links the UK with the Continent, and Southeastern, provider of rail passenger services in Kent, East Sussex and south east London, today jointly announced a deal to provide international travellers with free connections to and from Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International stations from Monday 19th November 2007.
The deal means that Eurostar passengers will be able to travel free on Southeastern train services to Ashford International or to local rail stations near Ebbsfleet International - simply by showing confirmation of their ticket and a passport. Passengers will also be offered free travel on the Fastrack bus service that connects Dartford, Gravesend and Greenhithe stations to Ebbsfleet, as well as Bluewater shopping centre.
Eurostar also revealed today that the current daily parking charge at Ashford International will be matched at Ebbsfleet International, at £11.50/day. From November, travellers in Business Premier and holders of Eurostar's frequent traveller card, Carte Blanche, will enjoy free parking for trips of up to four days at both stations. At Ebbsfleet International, Eurostar will provide up to 2,500 parking spaces within five minutes’ walk of the check-in gates.
Eurostar's Director of Communications, Simon Montague, said:
"We want to help Eurostar travellers cut their environmental impact, so we've made sure they can reach either of our international stations in Kent at no extra cost to themselves – making rail and bus connections significantly more attractive alternatives to the car.
“For people who want to drive, we’ve also made sure that our parking charges remain significantly lower than at any major airport in the South East, encouraging people to switch from plane to train and thus greatly reducing the overall environmental impact of their journeys.”
Southeastern’s Managing Director, Charles Horton, said:
“This is a great deal for international travellers and means that they can use our trains to connect with Eurostar services, simply by showing their travel documents. We will provide Eurostar passengers with easy access to and from a wide geographical area including Kent, East Sussex and parts of south east London.”
Together, Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International will significantly increase the number of Eurostar trains stopping in Kent, providing more connections with the Continent and boosting regeneration in two parts of the county. Eurostar will continue to provide direct services that meet the needs of more than 80% of international travellers currently using Ashford International.
In December 2009, Southeastern will introduce high-speed services that will connect Ashford and other areas of Kent with Ebbsfleet International station and London.
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Editor’s Notes:
1. Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking London, Ebbsfleet (from 19th November 2007), Ashford, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps.
2. Eurostar will launch services from Ebbsfleet International on Monday 19th November 2007, five days after the opening of St Pancras International. Journey times on the UK’s first high-speed line, High Speed 1, will be Ebbsfleet – Paris 2h 05min; Ebbsfleet – Brussels 1h 41min; and Ebbsfleet - Lille 1h 10min. Journey times from St Pancras International will be 10 minutes longer.
3. Eurostar has set a target of reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per passenger journey by 2012. Independent research has already shown that a Eurostar journey generates ten times less carbon dioxide than flying.
4. Eurostar and Eurotunnel are separate companies, under different management and ownership
5. To book tickets for Eurostar, or to find out more information, go to www.eurostar.com , call 08705 186 186 or contact your travel agent.
For more information:
Eurostar Press Office
+44 (0)20 7922 4494
press.office@eurostar.co.uk
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