Spanish operator Renfe to operate Paris – London service to rival Eurostar
Spanish rail operator Renfe is reportedly seeking to operate a new service between Paris and London, initiating talks with the Spanish ministry of Finance to be granted permission, el Pais reported.
The company is expected to take advantage of the slots in the tunnel under the Channel, capitalising on the high passenger demand for the route.
“Renfe wants to operate on the Paris-London high-speed line through the Eurotunnel, and has already started initial contacts to compete with Eurostar,” Renfe told AFP.
Starting with seven trains of its own trains, the Spanish operator expects to see returns from the fourth year of operations, sources told the Madrid paper.
The move is part of the operator’s internationalisation plans, which aim to see in the next 10 years 10 per cent of the company’s total income come from abroad operations.
After being heavily impacted by the pandemic, in the first nine months of 2021 Renfe’s losses amounted to €277m, a 16 per cent improvement compared to 2020. The company also registered a positive EBITDA of €19.8m, the first positive one since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.