Eurostar will start running direct services between London and Frankfurt, and London and Geneva.
The international railway company says that continued strong demand for international rail travel across Europe — which has seen its passenger numbers rise to over 19.5 million, a 5% year-on-year increase — signals that now is the time to expand its operations. To wit, the company will invest approximately €2 billion in up to 50 new trains, some of which will ply new, direct London routes — one to Geneva in Switzerland, the other to Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
A third new direct route will operate between Amsterdam/Brussels and Geneva.
Travel times and prices have not been released at this stage, although the Guardian reckons around five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours 20 minutes to Geneva.
Says Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO: "Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here."
This is not, however, the first time that a train company has attempted direct routes between London and Germany; the German operator DB tried and failed in 2013.
This is proving to be an exciting news week for transport: TfL has just announced that the Bakerloop bus service — a rail 'replacement' for the as-yet non-existent Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham will begin operating in the autumn.
