The owner of London's St Pancras station says it is hopeful of having international train services to more European countries, including Germany and Switzerland. In a bid to get more passengers to use the station, London St Pancras Highspeed says it wants to encourage "new and existing train operators" to open new routes.
![[EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY MAY 6 File photo dated 21/01/21 of a Eurostar e320 high-speed train heading towards France through Ashford in Kent. An international rail travel expert has called for Eurostar to face direct competition, as the Channel Tunnel turns 30 years old on Monday. Mark Smith, founder of international train travel website Seat61.com, said having a second company operating passenger train services to the continent could lead to lower fares and new destinations.Issue date: Monday Ma]](https://e3.365dm.com/25/02/768x432/skynews-eurostar-train-rail_6824697.jpg?20250210130754)
It is aiming to increase the capacity for travel across the Channel from 1,800 passengers per hour to nearly 5,000 passengers per hour. London St Pancras Highspeed and their French counterparts, Getlink, have signed a memorandum of understanding to commit to expanding rail connectivity.
Getlink believes there is the potential for services to open up between London and locations such as Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille, and Zurich. The potential new routes would end the need for passengers to change trains. No timeline for such expansions has been revealed.
Eurostar currently holds a monopoly in running passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994. Passengers are able to use Eurostar services to get to Pairs and Brussels as well as seasonal ski trains to the French Alps. Earlier this month, the company also resumed direct services from London to Amsterdam after an eight-month hold-up while a new terminal was built in the Netherlands.
Be the first to get Breaking News. Install the Sky News app for free. But Spanish start-up company Evolyn and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group are developing proposals to launch rival services. Robert Sinclair, chief executive of Highspeed, said the company will actively work with Getlink 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". Follow our channel and never miss an update. 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.
