Yet one German train operator is hoping to forge a direct link between London and the Rhineland. Deutsche Bahn are contemplating running their 186mph InterCityExpress service from St Pancras to Cologne, and the company hopes to have them operational before 2012.
The move will only come about if safety czars drop current requirements that state trains must be able to split in the event of an in-tunnel "incident". Should it go ahead, the new service would provide some much-needed competition for Eurostar, and would hopefully entice other companies to bring their cross-continental services all the way into the protective shell of William Barlow's train shed.
Until then, anybody planning a trip to the mainland could do worse than visiting international train travel expert (and former Londonist interviewee) The Man In Seat 61.
