Britons hoping to explore the continent by rail are set to receive a boost with increased services. New operators connecting London to Europe via the Channel Tunnel could see high-speed trains departing as often as every 15 minutes.
It comes after Virgin Trains’ plans to run new services between London St Pancras and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam took a major step forward last week. Italy’s state railway company has also announced plans to run services through the Channel Tunnel in 2029.
Daily services set to more than double
New analysis shows the number of daily services between St Pancras and stations on the continent is set to more than double by the end of the decade. The calculations by POLITICO show the 25 round trips currently operated by Eurostar each day are expected to climb to 55 during the period.
This represents around four departures each hour, the outlet reports. The Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994, is thought to be only running at 50% capacity.
New operators preparing to launch
Eurostar has dominated the rail route since its inception, but more operators are now preparing to launch high-speed trains on the network. UK rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has granted approval for Virgin Trains to run up to 20 new daily return services along the route from 2030.
However, Sir Richard Branson’s company still requires approval to access tracks through the Channel Tunnel and mainland Europe.
Italian plans and Scottish sleeper assessment
The FS Italiane Group, the Italian state-owned railway company, is planning to run trains between London and Paris in 2029. It is spending £1.7billion (2 billion euros) on 19 new high-speed trains which will also be used to expand services across France and Italy.
The trains are expected to be run by its subsidiary Trenitalia France. Earlier this month, Transport Scotland announced it was assessing the possibility of a Caledonian Sleeper service from Glasgow or Edinburgh to mainland Europe.
