Another serious rival operator to Eurostar - in addition to Virgin - is set to outline its future plans this month, as hopes for a revival in international rail services from Kent stations continue to burn bright.

Trenitalia - a subsidiary of the state-owned Italian rail operator FS Italiana - is said to be “not giving up”, despite a recent setback, and is expected to unveil more details of its plans within two weeks.

It has pledged to operate services from the mothballed Ashford International station if it is successful.

Both of Kent’s international stations - at Ashford and Ebbsfleet - have not seen Eurostar services operate since the pandemic, serving only domestic passengers.

It has become an enormous frustration to campaigners who have switched their hopes from Eurostar resuming

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