There’s a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes to make travelling to mainland Europe by train a whole lot cheaper, easier and more convenient.
Several companies such as Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, Spain’s Evolyn and the UK’s Virgin are reportedly looking to compete with Eurostar, and now Eurotunnel (the people in charge of the Channel Tunnel) are working on making it easier for new services to be set in motion.
Eurotunnel wants to cut the time it takes to launch new rail services in half. Right now the process takes 10 years – it wants to reduce it to five by 2034.
To make that happen it’ll be undertaking research the identify the most in-demand destinations, standardising Channel Tunnel regulations across each country it serves and collaborating with stations and network operators.
The scheme is part of Eurotunnel’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote high-speed rail as a viable, greener alternative to air travel.
Yann Leriche, chief exec of Getlink, which owns Eurotunnel, said: ‘The Channel Tunnel is the catalyst for the acceleration of high-speed passenger traffic between London and Europe’s major cities. The attractiveness of the Open Access model and the impetus driven by Eurotunnel as infrastructure manager to develop new destinations are key factors in the growth of low-carbon mobility between the UK and continental Europe.’
More from the Channel Tunnel
In even more positive news for green travel, Eurostar has relaunched its affordable ‘Snap’ tickets for spontaneous travellers, the Amsterdam-London Eurostar is finally back (with 200 more seats) and Eurotunnel’s new travel system could soon mean no more queues.
ICYMI: Three UK cities have been crowned the best in the world for 2025.
Plus: easyJet is launching its longest ever flight from England.
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