Not the Eurostar

In late 1994, the first direct rail service between London (Waterloo Station) and Paris (Gare du Nord) and Brussels (Midi/Zuid) commenced. Named Eurostar, the train travelled under the English Channel through the newly built Channel Tunnel.

Since, then the Eurostar service has had a monopoly in the use of rail services through the tunnel with the London terminus switching to St Pancras Sation.

New EU legislation has opened up the route to competition with Germany's Deutsche Bahn (DB) rail operator pushing to compete with Eurostar.

An ICE (Inter City Express) train arrived at St Pancras Station today on a test run.

ICE alongside Eurostar at Waterloo (photo from dpa via Der Speigel)

DB hopes to offer services in time for the London Olympics in 2012, with regular services from 2013. A journey from London to Frankfurt would take five hours.

See
- Deutsche Welle
- Daily Mail

Having travelled on Eurostar from London to Brussels, I am looking forward to the London-Frankfurt route on ICE.