Eurotunnel has signed a memorandum of understanding with the owners of the concession to operate HS1, which has just been renamed London St Pancras Highspeed.

The agreement, which is being described as a ‘landmark partnership’, is intended to increase the growth of cross-Channel traffic through the tunnel and also lead to the introduction of new routes and destinations.

There is to be closer collaboration on innovation and engineering initiatives, which include exploring opportunities to run more services, shorten journey times and improve timetable coordination.

The MoU follows the announcement of a new study by London St Pancras Highspeed which says current international passenger capacity in St. Pancras could go up to almost 5,000 an hour.

London St Pancras Highspeed CEO Robert Sinclair said: ‘Joining forces with Eurotunnel is another exciting step on our journey to realise a future where high-speed rail is the preferred option for travelling to Europe. 

‘As we see demand for international rail travel grow, London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel have an important role to play as key infrastructure managers to actively work together to encourage new and existing train operators to expand capacity and launch new destinations unlocking the potential of a fully connected Europe.’

Yann Leriche, who is CEO of Eurotunnel’s owner Getlink, added: ‘As an open access infrastructure, Eurotunnel is the pioneer in enabling growth of high-speed rail between the UK and Continental Europe. We are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon mobility with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France. This partnership with London St. Pancras Highspeed is an essential catalyst for accelerating this growth momentum.’

The agreement could encourage new operators between London and the Continent. The route has been open access for 15 years, but until now Eurostar has had an effective monopoly, after plans to operate to London by Deutsche Bahn came to nothing. At the moment, the possible contenders include Virgin, Evolyn, which is based in Spain, and Dutch Heuro.

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