The transport ministers of the UK and Germany agreed to launch a joint taskforce focused at getting trains operating between the 2 international locations.
Assembly in Hamburg on Wednesday, UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and her German counterpart Patrick Schnieder agreed to deal with the quite a few operational, regulatory, and financial challenges which have derailed previous makes an attempt to launch direct passenger companies between the 2 international locations – a dream rail fans feared was a prepare lengthy departed, hopes having risen and fallen repeatedly over the previous 15 years.
Through the assembly, Schnieder mentioned each London and Berlin “are dedicated” to enabling trains to cross the Channel within the coming years. “A steady connection would significantly simplify journey and considerably improve the attraction of prepare journeys,” he mentioned.
Previous efforts to get direct trains between London and Frankfurt have collapsed due to numerous challenges – from security guidelines round entry to the Channel Tunnel, to issues with passport controls on inbound companies into the UK and hassle constructing safety zones at main prepare stations throughout continental Europe.
In 2010, Deutsche Bahn showcased its white-red ICE prepare at London St Pancras, aiming to start out a London–Cologne–Frankfurt companies by 2013. The state railway secured a Channel Tunnel working certificates however shelved the plan in 2018, citing financial hassle.
At present, no direct Germany–UK passenger trains function. Eurostar – a subsidiary of France’s SNCF and the Channel Tunnel’s passenger monopoly – desires to introduce companies from Frankfurt and Geneva by the early 2030s.
The corporate intends to purchase as much as 50 new trains and develop annual passenger numbers from 19.5 million in 2024 to 30 million.
(jp)
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