Channel Tunnel news – Page 4
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Rail Business UKEurostar to make cash refund option clearer
UK: International high speed train operator Eurostar has agreed to make it clearer that passengers have a right to cash refunds for cancelled services, following an intervention by the Office of Rail & Road. ORR said Eurostar’s service cancellation e-mails to passengers had provided prominent information about ...
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NewsTemporary rules to keep the Channel Tunnel open
EUROPE: The European Parliament has approved temporary measures designed to ensure that rail operations through the Channel Tunnel can continue once the Brexit transition period ends on January 1 2021. The European Parliament approved the temporary rules under an urgent procedure on December 17 with 684 votes ...
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NewsSNCF veteran Damas to lead Eurostar as restructuring looms
EUROPE: On September 4 the management board of Voyages SNCF announced the selection of Jacques Damas to succeed Mike Cooper as Chief Executive of Eurostar, in which the French national operator holds a 55% majority stake. Damas is an SNCF veteran whose career with the state railway ...
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NewsEurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper to lead Arriva
EUROPE: Eurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper has been appointed as the next Arriva Group CEO with effect from early October, succeeding Dr Manfred Rudhart who is stepping down after almost five years. Cooper’s previous roles have included Managing Director of the direct sales business of the Thomson ...
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NewsLighting improved at high speed train depot
UK: Two maintenance tracks at Eurostar’s high speed train depot in east London have been equipped with LED lighting supplied by J Brand Ltd. This has replaced fluorescent lighting, providing a better a quality of light to help improve working conditions and staff safety. ‘The benefits will ...
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NewsEurostar looks to cut costs with reduced hours and part-time working
EUROPE: Eurostar is looking to reduce its payroll costs through the introduction of reduced hours and more part-time working ‘wherever possible throughout 2021’, in a move which the cross-Channel high speed operator said was intended to protect jobs at a time when ‘the impact of Covid-19 has ...
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NewsAgreements signed to allow direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Eurostar is set to launch direct services between Amsterdam and London later this year, following the signing on July 7 of four-country agreements covering the legal and security arrangements. A date for the start of through services has not yet been finalised, the high speed train ...
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NewsEurostar to test facial biometrics for ‘walk-through’ check-in
EUROPE: A walk-through facial biometric verification system is to be tested which would enable Eurostar passengers to complete ticket checks and border exit processes at London’s St Pancras International station without contact with people or hardware. Passengers opting the use the accelerated pre-boarding option would use ...
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In depthHigh speed: Reaping the economic benefits of HS1
The high speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel generates annual benefits estimated at £427m, but there is still potential for another £100m if spare capacity is taken up.
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NewsDirect London – Bordeaux trains could start in 2022, suggests SNCF
A direct London – Bordeaux service could be launched in 2022, President of SNCF International Diego Diaz suggested when commemorative boards were unveiled at London’s St Pancras station to mark a twinning agreement with Bordeaux Saint-Jean.
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NewsEurostar confirms start date for Amsterdam – London through services
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced the start dates for through services between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and London. This follows an agreement between the governments of the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands enabling the operation of juxtaposed border controls at the Dutch departure stations, ...
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Rail Business UKORR publishes final determination of High Speed 1 costs
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has published its periodic review of Channel Tunnel Rail Link concessionaire HS1 Ltd’s charges and maintenance plans for the five years starting on April 1 2020. HS1 Ltd has a 30-year concession to manage the 108 km high speed line ...
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NewsRATP and Getlink target French regional market
Photo: Christophe Masse FRANCE: RATP Dev has signed an agreement with Channel Tunnel operator Getlink to establish a joint venture to bid for tendered operating contracts in the forthcoming opening up of the French regional rail market. RATP would have a 55% stake in the joint venture, ...
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NewsLondon St Pancras twins with Bordeaux Saint-Jean to promote direct service
Twinning EUROPE: Channel Tunnel rail link concessionaire HS1 Ltd announced a twinning agreement between its London St Pancras International station and SNCF’s Bordeaux Saint-Jean station on October 18, saying this would help to progress the development of proposals for a through passenger service between the cities. ...
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Rail Business UKEurotunnel signed up for Brexit freight framework
UK: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel is among the eight companies which have been appointed to a government procurement framework enabling them to bid to bring critical goods including medicines into the UK after its departure from the European Union. The framework is intended to speed up procurement ...
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NewsThalys-Eurostar merger planned under Green Speed initiative
EUROPE: SNCF, SNCB and the Patina Rail investment vehicle announced on September 27 their intention to combine the Eurostar and Thalys high speed rail operations, reporting that outline proposals were being presented to their respective boards. The proposed merger is being taken forward under a project ...
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NewsAmsterdam – London through train agreement to be signed shortly
EUROPE: The international agreement which would permit the operation of through passenger services between the Netherlands and the UK is expected to be signed in October, State Secretary for Justice & Security Ankie Broekers-Knol told the Dutch parliament’s lower house on September 25. Eurostar told Railway Gazette ...
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Rail Business UKChannel Tunnel ‘ready for Brexit’
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel is prepared for the UK’s scheduled departure from the European Union on October 31 ‘no matter the outcome’, it said on September 2. The company said there would no change to immigration formalities for the 22 million passengers/year who use ...
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Organisations
Getlink
Getlink is holder of the concession, granted by the UK and French governments, to operate the Channel Tunnel originally until 2052, and later extended by 34 years. At 49·6 km, it is Europe’s second longest conventional tunnel (after the Gotthard Base Tunnel, with the Brenner and Mont Cenis base tunnels ...