30 YEARS OF EUROSTAR – AN ANNIVERSARY TO CELEBRATE ?

Eurostar is 30 years today, since regular train services started to run through the channel tunnel. It was not until 2007 that the full benefits of High-speed rail were realised when HS1 was completed when the London Terminal was moved from Waterloo to St Pancras.

Although, in recent years, a through service from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam has been introduced, other services have been permanently withdrawn or not re-instated since the outbreak of Covid in early 2020. There are no longer any through services from the UK to EuroDisney, the South of France or the Ski resorts in the French Alps. Since Covid, trains no longer serve the intermediate stations of Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Calais Frethun.

WHERE ARE WE NOW ?

The capacity of the infrastructure built at great expense remains seriously underused apart from the overcrowded passenger terminal at London St Pancras. Getlink, the owners of the Channel Tunnel, are keen to have more passenger train services running through the tunnel. HS1, the owners of the high-speed line from London to the Tunnel are keen to have more passenger train services running on their line. Eurostar are only willing to concentrate on their core business between London, Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam. Several open access train operators seem willing to run services from Europe to the UK. Although the terminal at St Pancras may be expanded to cope with more departures, there remains unused terminal capacity at Stratford, Ebbsfleet and Ashford.

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITES ?

The Regulator known as “The Office of Rail and Road” has proposed that HS1 reduce their track access charges by 7.7% for the next 5-year period starting in April 2025. If this is confirmed, we would expect Eurostar to reduce their fares accordingly. For further details see: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/eurostar-fares-southeastern-regulator-orr-hs1-access-charges-b1184975.html

Have a look at Transmanche Metro to see what other services could run if we made better use of the infrastructure. https://transmanchemetro.com/

There are also campaigns to fully open-up Stratford International for services to Europe. For further details see: Eurostar trains would stop at Stratford International in boost to east London under revived proposals | The Standard

And finally, we expect the newly elected Labour Government to be more committed to de-carbonisation of Transport and help facilitate better transport links with Europe.