Eurostar’s plans to impact on French property?

In October this year, Ashford Eurostar station in Kent will lose all of its services to Brussels and more than half its services to Paris. Its trains will stop instead at a new station in Ebbsfleet near the M25 at Gravesend.

It is reported that Eurostar is set to terminate its Brussels services via Ashford after a survey showed many passengers prefer to use Ebbsfleet.

“The closure of Ashford station will be devastating for Kent commuters who are heading for France,” says Jane Dinsdale from JDS Property Liaison. “I have several properties to sell in Picardie. Now with all this talk of air travel pollution, surely we need some green transport links which indeed the trains are.”

However, Peter Wheelton, Manager of the VEF Pas de Calais Partner Office, does not believe that the proposed changes to the Eurostar service in Kent will have a great affect on passengers travelling from the area. “Ashford is only reducing its already limited service to France,” he says. “Ebbsfleet is opening; the trains will stop at Ebbsfleet instead, which is not too far. Ebbsfleet station is there to simply give people the convenience of taking the Eurostar from the edge of the M25 without having to go into central London to take the train.”

Wheelton continues, “If Ashford was to close, it will not put people off as most people are commuting by car, ferry or tunnel to their homes in the Nord Pas de Calais region. Eurostar is not the reason why people are buying in Nord Pas de Calais. People are buying here for a better quality of life and because they get more property for their money. If people want to get back to the UK to work there are still and always have been plenty of options.”

Although people do commute between France and the UK on a daily basis, many French property agents have stated that these are in the minority as the practicality of this option is still limited.

“From my experience, I don’t think many people commute between Northern France and England,” says Laetitia Hodson from French Property Shop. “It was often mentioned before but in reality it’s just not practical what with train fees, etcetera, except if you work for Eurostar itself.”

Hodson continues, “Working in the UK and living in France is not ideal. It’s very hard to find people that are actually doing it. We sell in Pas de Calais for people wanting a holiday house close to here or for permanent move as people still want to have easy access to the UK but commuting is very difficult.”

It remains to be seen if the option of commuting between the two countries will become more realistic with advances in cross-channel transportation.

“There is no official word of a more dedicated commuter rail service from Calais to Kent / London, however there are numerous groups pushing for such a service,” says Wheelton. “Let’s not forget that such a link would also benefit French people who want to work in England. I belong to a pressure group started by a local Frenchman to promote a Calais to Kent/London commuter link. An example of a successful cross-border train link is Annecy to Geneva. Annecy has grown tenfold since the link, and many French people who can’t afford to live in Switzerland now live in Annecy and commute to Geneva to work.”

Despite the worry that French stations could suffer the same fate as Ashford, French property agents are doubtful, especially when it comes to larger stations such as Lille.

“The fact that the Eurostar stops at Lille is because it’s a big city and ideally situated for corresponding trains to Brussels and the south of France,” says Wheelton. “Lille could never close; it was well-established as an international station even before the Eurostar came along.”

Anyone considering the purchase of a French property, no matter where in the country they are looking, needs to weigh up the relevant transport links and whether these services are expected to continue indefinitely.

Posted on: France

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