Cazenave said Eurostar, which unveiled a brand refresh on Monday (9 October) following its protracted merger with European rail operator Thalys, couldn’t reopen the routes – nor its Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations in Kent – owing to operational and financial challenges.
Relaunching services and reopening regional stations would jeopardise the number of passengers it can process at major terminals such as London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord, said Cazenave.
"We cannot afford to reopen direct services to Disneyland Paris, as well as the stations in Kent because we need so many resources already in the main stations," she said.
Eurostar scrapped direct trains to Disneyland Paris last August, while telling locals in Ebbsfleet and Ashford that services to their stations – on pause since the pandemic – would not run again until at least until 2025.
The group initially cited the impact of the pandemic on its finances and post-Brexit checks, which have increased the time taken to process passengers, as the main reasons for refocusing around its core routes.
These comments were reiterated in September 2023, when a petition calling for the reinstatement of Eurostar services in Kent failed to achieve change.
Cazenave said all these factors played a part in Eurostar’s decision to scrap some direct routes and keep these stations shut. "There are many reasons, from traffic growth to the impact of the current cross-border situation,” she said.
Cazenave also cited Eurostar’s financial situation and the additional security resources needed for its decision to scrap direct services from London to the Alps this winter, offering instead an option to travel via a change at Lille in north-east France.
Launched during winter 2021/22 in partnership with Paris-based operator Travelski, the services ran from London St Pancras to Moutier and Bourg St Maurice, operating from mid-December until early April.
Cazenave said running services via a change at Lille had reduced operational and security costs, allowing Eurostar to restore it promptly ahead of the winter 2023/24 season.
It comes, said Cazenave, as part of a wider evolution of Eurostar’s purpose under a new brand and partnership with European rail operator Thalys, which will see its focus turn to becoming "a connector".
Its aim will be to help travellers transition freely between Europe’s main cities, such as London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne, and connect passengers to countries’ domestic rail networks.
“Eurostar is set to become a connector, with each big city to be connected to other domestic networks," said Cazenave, who added this would place the high-speed operator’s operations on a more sustainable footing.
