Direct Trains From London To Germany Planned

By · February 4, 2010 at 11:15 am · No comments · Latest News · Report an error ·

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By tezzer57

The Channel tunnel was supposed to bring quick, easy, and direct connections to all parts of the European mainland, yet right now you’re sh*t out of luck if your holiday destinations don’t include Paris, Lille, or Brussels.

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.

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  • http://undefined M@

    Forget Germany. From 2016, you’ll be able to get a direct train from King’s Cross to Grimsby. Marvellous.

  • http://undefined cobo04

    What the Olympics in Grimsby? Never….

    With Eurostar and SouthEastern Torpedo trains already completing for space on High Speed 1. How would Deutsche Bahn squeeze in to run their trains over the same lines?
    Although of Eurostar were to add another line from Lille onto Germany, more for Eurostar.

  • http://undefined jamesu

    The mixed use design of HS1 (it’s not a true HS line as it is adapted for use for freight) grants it a fair ammount of redundancy.

    With the same signaling as other LGVs HS1 should be able to handle 20 trains per hour, not all can use the tunnel because of le shuttle, but there would seem to be a fair ammount of capacity avalible, especialy off peak, for other services.

    Southeastern only use four paths per hour at the moment, ES uses two or three. You’ve also got the option of two 200 meter units splitting after the tunnel and heading off to different places after.

    You’re more likely to have problems at St Pancras than on HS1.

    Now, I want high speed night trains to the Med. Go to sleep after dinner and wake up in Barcelona or Rome…

  • Jonathan

    Oh god, yes please. I was on an ICE train not long ago, and they are so sweet. Not only are they luxurious (even in standard class) and fast, they even have little displays near the doors to tell you exactly how fast you’re whooshing along.

    Little displays, people. It’s like living in the future.

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