by The prospect of catching a train from London to Europe within 15 minutes of arrival in St. Pancras was brought up by the head of the train station.
Robert Sinclair said that the international rail market was on the “highest defense” of greater expansion, since younger traveling air travel and popularity of the TV show race around the world are avoided.
“Our plans are to get an experience experience so that they can arrive 15 minutes before departure and climb on their train,” he said to a media conference.
The BBC1 hit show, which is due to return in April, shows how candidates can cover large distances by bus or a rail for a fraction of the cost of the equivalent plane ticket.
Mr. Sinclair, managing director of London St. Pancras Highspeed, formerly known as HS1, made his comments as a company and the HS1 high-speed route to the Kanalt tunnel belonging to the growth of cross-channel service.
When asked whether the race around the world is behind the growing popularity of international railway travel, Mr. Sinclair said: “It is part of it – that” does not get on a plane ” [stance].
“I really believe that younger people are the future. More and more of them will want to travel in a responsible way. We are just starting to use this market.
“This is not just my view. It is the view of the [rail] We speak operators. It is the view of Eurostar. “
He said that the upcoming capacity in St. Pancras would be increased, which accelerated security and could enable border controls to increase passengers, to rise, regardless of whether it is operated 15 minutes after arrival at the train station by Eurostar or a rival.
“This is part of our plan in the next three or four years,” he said. “We have plans for a change in capacity that increases the current throughput of 2,000 passengers per hour by 2029/30 to around 5,000 per hour.”
Three companies have already explained an interest in the competition with Eurostar by performing new services from St. Pancras via the Channel tunnel.
These are Jungfrau, Evolyn and Gemini. Other companies should make private plans.
At the beginning of this week, the rail inspection authority, Rail and Road’s office, announced that another operator made it possible to share the state depot in Temple Mills in Leyton, which was used by Eurostar by Eurostar.
The high -speed connection between St Pancras and Folkestone and the possibility of double the number of passenger trains with the tunnel of two to four hours contains 50 percent free capacity.
Eurostar, who already wears 11 million passengers in and of St. Pancras a year, is already planning to operate more trains, and later announced plans for a fourth London Amsterdam service and fifth and 2026.
It is said that the incentives would contribute to adding more services and could enable a larger investment in the “customer experience” at ST Pancras – but that a reduction in tariffs would have to be taken into account.
A Eurostar spokesman said: “With a new fleet of 50 trains for customers and brave ambitions to grow to 30 million passengers, Eurostar welcomes all incentives that enable more sustainable international trips and support our plans to provide more services.
“Our ambitions are the reason why we also invest in important international stations such as St Pancras and The Temple Mills Depot to create more space. We will now examine the draft in detail and take part in advising HS1 on the growing cross-channel rail.”
A Virgin Group spokesman said: “Another barrier is brought forward on the cross-channel route because another barrier is lifted.
“London St. Pancras Highspeed is working hard to unlock the competition on the cross-channel route, and the new international growth incentive program is a welcome step in the right direction. It will stimulate the selection and encourage both new and established operators to be dynamic and creative.
“Today’s announcement means that Virgin can further accelerate its plans. This is a great message for consumers on both sides of the channel, since they finally get the selection and width of the service that they earn. Virgin is looking forward to sharing his plans in more detail. Look at this space!”
The incentives offered by London St. Pancras Highspeed on railway companies would be over a period of three years and will be available until 2035.
Discounts are offered for new services, new trains, new goals and new intermediate stations – including Stratford International and Ashford and Ebbsfleet Stations in Kent.
Eurostar trains have never stopped at Stratford International. At the beginning of the pandemic, Ebbsfleet and Ashford was stopped internationally, and it hesitated to restart the operations for both.
However, there was political pressure for a stronger use of Stratford International.
New goals could possibly be Zurich, Geneva and Marseille, said Sinclair.
The discounts could be a value of 40 million GBP to 60 million GBP over three years and reduce the fee of 7,600 GBP per train fee, which is currently paid by EUROSTAR by around 2,000 to 3,000 GBP. The incentive system is scheduled to begin on May 30th.
The discounts would not be available for Southeasters, which operates high-speed inland services on the HS1 line from St. Pancras to the Kent Coast.
Mr. Sinclair, a New Zealander who previously worked for six years managing director of London City Airport, said: “We have never seen such great interest in growth and potential for competition in the history of high -speed rail in the UK.
“In the next few years we were able to record an increase of 50 percent or more in train services – more selection for passengers, more destinations, lower ticket prices and lower emissions.
“The European high -speed network is growing considerably. Our high -speed line is 50 percent empty.
“Can you imagine that Heathrow is 50 percent empty, with the only airline British Airways?
However, it remains “significant obstacles” for entering the cross-channel Rail market, not least the time it takes to order new trains in order to meet the requirements of going through the tunnel.
Such trains cannot be “bought from the shelf” – which means that it will probably be three to four years before a rival from Eurostar from London is in operation.
Mr. Sinclair said: “We want to make the high -speed rail a preferred way to get to Europe.
“We see clear evidence that people choose the train, even if it takes longer. This radius of three to four hours [on a train] moves up to five to six hours when people can arrive there with an air -conditioned service. “
