Eurostar to launch direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva
Eurostar has announced plans to launch direct services from London to Germany and Switzerland for the first time.
The cross-channel operator is looking to purchase 50 new trains at a cost of £1.7bn to service the routes, which are expected to run from the “early 2030s”.
Journey times are expected to last around five hours between London and Frankfurt and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva.
Eurostar’s services currently include Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, with London-Paris its most popular route.
The operator also intends to add two additional daily return services between its St Pancras hub and Amsterdam, with the first introduced in September.
Eurostar claimed a “new golden age of international sustainable travel” had arrived as it made the announcement on Tuesday.
It comes after UK ministers struck a deal with the Swiss government last month aimed at introducing a new direct rail connection to the country.
Eurostar boss Gwendoline Cazenave said: “We’re seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide.
“Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future.
“Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time.”
She told the PA News agency she expects there to be strong demand from business travellers for the “big financial hubs” of routes to Frankfurt and Geneva
Eurostar competitors line up
An expansion of Eurostar’s offering comes as it faces competition on its long-held cross-channel monopoly for the first time.
A number of companies, which include Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, are plotting to introduce a rival service pending regulatory approval.
The UK regulator said last week there was room for “at most” one more operator, largely due to capacity constraints at Temple Mills depot in east London.