Eurostar resumes Brussels service

The service to Brussels will resume once the tunnel is at full capacity

Eurostar has confirmed it will resume daily direct services between Ashford International in Kent, and Brussels.

The high-speed passenger train operator said it would reinstate the route from 12 March.

The service was due to have been reintroduced in December, but problems caused a fire in the Channel Tunnel on 11 September postponing the change.

Ashford lost all its services to Brussels when Ebbsfleet International station opened in November 2007.

A 14,000-signature petition against the decision was handed to the government amid complaints from commuters and MPs.

A spokesperson for Eurostar said: "We are re-introducing the service because we feel it is viable to do so and we are going to have sufficient number of passengers."

In July Eurostar announced its decision to reintroduce the service when the winter timetable began on 14 December, saying the move followed a review of traveller demand.

However, the disruption to services following the tunnel fire meant the re-introduction was delayed.