Trains between Britain and Europe on track to run every 15 minutes
It looks increasingly likely it won’t just be Virgin competing with Eurostar on the route to London.
High-speed trains linking the U.K. to Europe through the Channel Tunnel could soon run every 15 minutes, according to projections by POLITICO. Current daily services between London St Pancras and destinations such as Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam are 25 round trips by Eurostar, but this could increase to 55 by the end of the decade, resulting in around four departures per hour.
The Channel Tunnel has often run under capacity since its opening in 1994, and competition from new operators is expected to improve the situation. Virgin Trains, granted permission by the UK regulator, aims to launch services in 2030, with Virgin wanting to begin the services in 2030. Italian railway company Trenitalia is also set to operate services, with a plan to commence by 2029, placing a €2 billion order for 19 new high-speed trains.
The U.K. regulator has allocated the last space in a depot for Virgin, while Trenitalia's new facility in France will help avoid capacity limits at the London depot where Eurostar keeps its fleet. Despite challenges, the lucrative London route has attracted multiple competitors, with Gemini Trains attempting to operate 11 trains daily by 2030, despite failing to secure space at the London depot.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
