EUROPE: High speed line concessionaire London St Pancras Highspeed and Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel have announced a ‘landmark’ partnership which aims to grow high speed rail services between the UK and continental Europe.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed outlining measures to co-operate to reduce journey times, improve timetable co-ordination and align growth strategies to incentivise the operation of more trains and creation of new routes. The companies will ‘actively’ collaborate with governments to emphasise the environmental advantages of rail journeys under 6 h.
‘Joining forces with Eurotunnel is another exciting step on our journey to realise a future where high speed rail is the preferred option for travelling to Europe’, said Robert Sinclair, CEO of London St Pancras Highspeed, on February 20. ’As we see demand for international rail travel grow, London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel have an important role to play as key infrastructure managers to actively work together to encourage new and existing train operators to expand capacity and launch new destinations unlocking the potential of a fully connected Europe.’
Yann Leriche, CEO of Eurotunnel’s parent company Getlink, said ‘we are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon mobility with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France.’
