After a three-decade reign as the Channel Tunnel’s one and only passenger rail operator, Eurostar could finally be getting some competition. Following Spanish company Evolyn announcing plans to become a direct cross-Channel rival and rumours that Richard Branson is making moves with Virgin Trains, now Germany railway company Deutsche Bahn has also revealed its intentions to launch services between the UK and Europe.
DB has been looking at launching a cross-Channel service for ages – and drew up a plan for a train passing through Cologne, Brussels and Lille way back in 2013. But years of safety disputes stopped it from ever actually happening.
A spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn told German press agency dpa: ‘Transport between London and the mainland through the Eurotunnel remains of fundamental interest to Deutsche Bahn.’
As demand for more climate-friendly travel increases, Getlink – the company that operates the Eurotunnel – said last month that it is aiming to double the number of high-speed rail services from London over the next decade.
It has specifically mentioned ambitions to create new routes from London to Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva and Zurich. Getlink has also said in the past that it would ‘welcome growth in traffic through the Channel Tunnel whether from the current incumbent, Eurostar, or from new entrants to the market’.
Hopefully, the potential new additions will mean cheaper prices and smoother-running services. Elsewhere in cross-Channel railway news Eurostar’s Amsterdam to London trains will are set to be cancelled for six months and last year the operator introduced swanky new technology that lets customers skip passport checks.
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