Channel Tunnel owner wants new train services to Germany and Switzerland

Direct international train services between London and destinations such as Germany and Switzerland could be launched amid plans to boost the capacity of St Pancras station.

London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns the station and the high-speed tracks to the Channel Tunnel, said it wants to encourage “new and existing train operators” to open new routes.

It set out its ambition to increase the capacity for cross-Channel travel at St Pancras from 1,800 passengers per hour to nearly 5,000 passengers per hour.

Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger services through the tunnel, which opened in 1994.

The operator serves Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, as well as running seasonal ski trains to the French Alps.

It dropped direct services between London and Disneyland Paris in June 2023, and no longer operates trains between London and the south of France.

Spanish start-up company Evolyn and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group are developing proposals to launch rival services.

Getlink – the French owner of the Channel Tunnel – believes there is the potential for services between London and locations such as Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille and Zurich.

London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink have signed a memorandum of understanding to commit to expanding rail connectivity.

Robert Sinclair, the former’s chief executive, said the companies will “actively work together to encourage new and existing train operators to expand capacity and launch new destinations unlocking the potential of a fully connected Europe”.

He added that he wants rail to be “the preferred option for travelling to Europe”.

Getlink chief executive Yann Leriche said: “We are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon mobility with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France.

“This partnership with London St Pancras Highspeed is an essential catalyst for accelerating this growth momentum.”