News: Germans plan Eurostar rival

Flights > News > # 1556 (02/11/2007)

German trains could rival Eurostar services between Europe and London.
The Germany national train company, Deutsche Bahn, has lodged a formal application to use the Channel Tunnel and high-speed rail line into St Pancras International.
The service would run at 186mph via Brussels to Cologne, the western hub of the German high-speed network. From there, ICE expresses operate to destinations including Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
Connections at Brussels would also allow changes on to a new high-speed line being built to Amsterdam. The move is being backed by Channel Tunnel owners Eurotunnel to generate desperately needed traffic and income to meet its crippling debts.
There is track space for Deutsche Bahn services on the high-speed link which has been built to accommodate trains from across Europe. The 70-mile line has capacity for 20 trains an hour in each direction. It is currently used by only three an hour, although this is expected to increase.