Back to Category: BBET Campaign

Petition surges past 70,000 ahead of Grow In Kent event

Published: 25 September, 2025 | Tags:

In the run-up the the Grow In Kent event organised by Kent County Council (KCC), our petition has attracted a big surge in new signatures. Copies of our most recent geographical analysis or signatories will be circulated to the event’s delegates tomorrow.

Press release

Here is the text of a press release published yesterday:

ASHFORD, KENT – 24th September 2025 – A petition to restore international rail services to Kent has surged by another 6,000 signatures in the last week, bringing the total to well over 70,000 as momentum builds ahead of the ‘Grow in Kent: Why International Rail Should Reconnect with the Garden of England’ event this Friday.

Campaign group Bring Back Euro Trains (BBET) says the rapid growth demonstrates the undeniable public demand for the government to end the “act of national economic self-sabotage” that leaves Kent’s international stations dormant.

The group is calling for urgent government leadership to facilitate the new train depot capacity required to allow new operators to enter the market, creating a competitive alternative to the current single operator and unlocking billions in economic growth for the region and the UK.

Alex Bienfait, Acting Chair of Bring Back Euro Trains (BBET), said: “The passion for bringing international rail back to Kent is undeniable, and our petition proves it—surging by more than 6,000 signatures this week to well over 70,000. People across the region are baffled that our iconic stations are sitting idle while the public clamours for the services they were promised. It is time for the government to show leadership and deliver on the original vision for HS1: a thriving international gateway for the Garden of England, not the dramatically underutilised corridor it has become.”

Diccon Spain, Spokesperson and Political Liaison for BBET, added: “We are committing an act of national economic self-sabotage by leaving half our international platforms, including all of Kent’s at Ashford and Ebbsfleet, completely dormant. This isn’t just about empty stations; it’s about over 11 million passengers a year facing inflated fares and strangled choice, all to needlessly prolong a single operator’s monopoly. The primary roadblock is a critical shortage of depot capacity. Forcing new operators to fight over the remaining scraps of space at a single London depot is a half-measure that will not create a competitive market. The government’s role must be to shape a truly open market, not just manage a monopoly. The tracks are ready, the stations are waiting, and the operators are willing. The only thing missing is the political leadership to deliver the new, large-scale depot capacity required to fully unlock this entire opportunity in the shortest time possible.”