Eurostar reveals London to Switzerland plan amid demand for sustainable travel

3 comments

1. Eurostar has unveiled plans to operate rail services connecting the UK with Germany and Switzerland.

   The operator announced a proposal to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva from the “early 2030s”. These routes would be served by a fleet of [up to 50 new trains](https://mediacentre.eurostar.com/mc_view?language=uk-en&article_Id=ka4Rz00000EoUNpIAN) costing approximately €2bn (£1.7bn).

   Journey times would be about five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva.

   The train operator is also planning to run an extra service between Amsterdam and Geneva via Brussels.

   The announcement comes as Eurostar faces the prospect of losing its monopoly grip on cross-channel rail services for the first time.

   The Channel Tunnel has been open to competitors since 2010, but the expense of launching services and buying trains has deterred new rail operators from competing.

   Around 400 trains use the tunnel daily but it has has capacity for more than double that – 1,000 – pitting companies in a race to order trains and establish routes.

   However there is fresh desire to run rail services to and from the continent following regulatory changes as well as financial incentives to spur greater rail competition. Experts say [passengers can look forward to more choices](https://inews.co.uk/news/train-fares-to-europe-could-be-slashed-by-a-third-if-rivals-drive-demand-3633794?ico=in-line_link), better services, and potentially lower fares.

   Richard Branson’s [Virgin Group says it wants to launch cross-channel services](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/new-rail-routes-virgin-launch-eurostar-rival-3478920?ico=in-line_link) by 2029, and negotiations are already taking place for a fleet of trains to operate the service.

2. Should be easy enough right? I can get a train home from Zürich HB to Paris and with a change get to the Eurostar already. A direct one would mean I’d train home a lot more often, can’t wait!

3. In case you don’t know, these guys closed Ashford by stealth. They’ll not keep to any promises.

Comments are closed.