St Pancras may provide better access to travellers from the East of England and the Midlands, but it does not help those from the West Midlands and the West Country.

Eurostar has announced that its preferred international station south of the Thames is Ebbsfleet rather than Ashford, although the latter has much better rail links than the former, including Hastings and Brighton. International services from Ebbsfleet would put additional traffic on to the overloaded M25.

It is understandable that Eurostar wishes to withdraw from Waterloo, but the present service should be replaced by a rapid service from Waterloo to Ashford with two or three convenient stops on the way.

I still await plans from the Government as to how it intends to improve access to the tunnel for freight trains, having failed to support a scheme proposed by a private organisation. Rail freight is much more carbon-efficient than road.

DAVID TUFNELL
Lewes, E Sussex

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