Plans are in motion to enhance train travel options for passengers at St Pancras station in London, with new direct routes to Germany, Switzerland, and France being considered. London St Pancras Highspeed, the company that owns the station and manages the track to the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, is looking to increase the capacity for international train travel from 1,800 passengers per hour to nearly 5,000. This initiative aims to attract various train operators to provide a variety of services throughout Europe, breaking Eurostar’s current monopoly on trains through the Channel Tunnel with routes to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam.
London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink have recently reached an agreement to expand rail connectivity between the UK and Europe, with a focus on creating direct train connections to several European cities within six hours travel time. Yann Leriche, the CEO of Getlink, expressed a commitment to promoting low-carbon mobility by introducing new destinations in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Possibilities for new train services to destinations like Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille, and Zurich are being explored, although no specific timeline has been disclosed yet.
Following Eurostar’s discontinuation of services to Disneyland Paris in June 2023 and the south of France, other companies like Virgin Group and Evolyn are developing plans for competitive services that could take travelers to the proposed new destinations. Virgin Group acknowledged the challenges of establishing a new cross-Channel operator but sees ample opportunity for growth and competition at St Pancras and through the Tunnel. The potential for increased competition among various companies on these routes is expected to benefit customers by offering more options and potentially lower prices for international train travel.
Robert Sinclair, the CEO of London St Pancras Highspeed, highlighted the growing demand for international train travel and emphasized the company’s commitment to collaborating with Getlink to encourage both new and existing train operators to expand their capacity and introduce new destinations. The goal is to fully unlock the potential of a connected Europe through enhanced rail connectivity between the UK and various European cities
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