Cuts in charges on train firms open way to new cross-Channel routes

Cross-Channel train services serving new destinations will be cheaper to run under a scheme to expand international rail travel from the UK.

- Gwyn Topham

London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns and operates the railway and stations from the capital to the Channel tunnel, said it will reduce charges for operators planning new routes. Eurostar is the sole existing operator between Britain and Europe, with regular direct trains currently only reaching Paris and Brussels, as engineering work affects the Amsterdam route until May.

London St Pancras Highspeed (LSPH), formerly known as HS1 Ltd, said the "significant financial incentives" would lower costs for any and all additional international services, but with particular benefits for those calling at different stations or introducing new trains.

It said that the track between the tunnel and St Pancras International is in effect half-empty, with only 50% of potential train paths used.