UK: Lower charges for passenger trains on the high speed line from London to the Channel Tunnel and a halving of charges for freight are proposed in the Office of Rail & Road’s draft determination of the High Speed 1 concessionaire’s next five-year spending plan.
ORR says that HS1 Ltd has produced a good plan for April 1 2025 to March 31 2030 that shows improvement from the plan for 2022-25. It highlights successes in the current period, including improvements to the way the company maintains and renews its track assets using more detailed data. ORR is calling for HS1 Ltd to now take a similar approach to assets including signalling, and station lifts and escalators.
ORR has also reviewed the costs for the four stations on the 109 km line for the first time. Previous reviews had been conducted by the Department for Transport, and ORR has now identified opportunities to reduce costs
High Speed 1 ‘is a vital connection between the UK and Continental Europe, and makes a crucial contribution to the UK economy’, said ORR Director of Planning & Performance Feras Alshaker on September 30. ‘The detailed scrutiny and challenge we’ve applied to HS1 Ltd’s plans should see the costs of operating on the line reduce significantly, giving savings for both international and domestic operators over the next five years, with benefits for passengers and freight users.’
Responding to the draft determination, HS1 Ltd’s Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer Mattias Bjornfors said ’our plan for 2025-30 included several proposals to reduce charges for freight and transport operators which have been accepted. HS1 has already driven down costs and improved performance by investing in innovative technologies and working with partners to make multi-million pound savings and reduce train delays.
‘We are now embarking on an exciting period of growth both domestically and internationally. Demand for sustainable travel to and from the Continent is increasing combined with an expected increase in competition and passenger services in future. We anticipate further services on the HS1 route will lead to lower charges for operators.’
Asked whether freight trains are currently using HS1, a spokesperson told Rail Business UK that ‘HS1 is predominantly a passenger use railway’ but has carried ‘up to 200 freight trains per year’.
