MPs call for extension of Elizabeth line into Kent

Commuters from Kent should be able to catch the Elizabeth line to London and Heathrow Airport, two Labour MPs have said.

Jim Dickson, the Dartford MP, and Daniel Francis, his counterpart in Bexleyheath and Crayford, called on ministers to consider extending the cross-London railway to Ebbsfleet where it could link up with high-speed services to Dover, Margate, Paris and Brussels.

The pair spoke on Tuesday during a Westminster Hall debate about the railway, formerly known as Crossrail, which opened in May 2022 and recorded 210 million passenger journeys in 2023/24.

Transport for London says the line has had a direct impact on the development of 55,000 new homes along its existing route between Berkshire, London and Essex.

Abbey Wood is currently the line's terminus south of the Thames.

Mr Francis said: “There remains a strong case to extend the Elizabeth line to Ebbsfleet in order to serve residents in the thousands of new homes built there, in order to interchange with high-speed services and hopefully in the future with reinstated services to mainland Europe.”

Eurostar stopped using Ebbsfleet International in March 2020 as passenger numbers fell during the pandemic.

Mr Dickson urged the Government to “look at how we can get on and finish the Elizabeth line as it was originally intended, growing the economy, boosting productivity and improving lives across our region”.

Early plans for Crossrail dating back to 2003 had stops on the line at Dartford and Ebbsfleet in Kent.

According to transport minister Simon Lightwood, land along the route remains protected for any development of the proposal.

He vowed to continue “to call for this extension to be delivered in the years ahead”.

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