Virgin heads the race to rival Eurostar
Virgin Group have announced that before March this year, it will finalise an order for new rolling stock to run through the Channel Tunnel. It is evaluating rival suppliers for a dozen trains and when they begin running in 2029,… Read More >
HS1 made to lower its charges, saving money for Eurostar!
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has directed HS1 to reduce its charges to train operators between London and the Channel Tunnel, from April 2025. This should result in savings for freight and passengers of some £5m over and… Read More >
Time is right for competitors to Eurostar says Getlink
Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, expressed optimism about the future of international trains at an All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group (APPRG) at the House of Commons on 19th November. Getlink’s CEO Yann Leriche said there was room to expand… Read More >
30 years of cross-Channel service by Eurostar
This month marks 30 years since Eurostar began operating between London and the continent. The BBC have used this anniversary to remind readers that Eurostar services have still not returned to Ashford and Ebbsfleet, and to highlight our petition which… Read More >
Eurostar to serve Amsterdam from February 2025
Some good news at last. Eurostar, which had threatened to pull out of the London-Amsterdam route because of lack of integration with the Dutch railways, is to run direct trains again from February 2025 according to NL Times. The service… Read More >
Eurostar accused of goading Ashford
A tantalising event occurred in late October: a Eurostar train stopped at Ashford, and stayed overnight. After the company confirmed its trains would not stop at Ashford until 2026, the sight of a train pulling in some time after 11pm… Read More >
Eurostar still spurns Kent stations despite evidence of viability
Eurostar are still not stopping at Ashford and Ebbsfleet stations despite evidence that these stops would be financially advantageous to them. They have always maintained that they would resume the services “when it was commercially viable to do so”. Ashford… Read More >
MP revives plan to use Stratford as terminus
The MP for the east London constituency of East Ham, Stephen Timms, is reviving an old proposal to use Stratford International station as an alternative Eurostar terminus. He believes the plan would relieve pressure on St Pancras International and bring… Read More >
Q&A with Normandy Ports Director on EES
The new Entry-Exit System (EES) of Shengen Zone border checks will come into force on November 10. Jérôme Chauvet, development and promotion director at the Ports de Normandie, tells The Connexion magazine how it will be implemented in practice at… Read More >
Greenpeace analyses European train routes
CONNECTION FAILED is the title of a recently published analysis by Greenpeace of 990 city-to-city train routes in 28 European countries or regions, including the UK. They have found that many of these journeys are complicated and expensive by train… Read More >