The British rail network may be set for a significant overhaul with the introduction of direct trains from London to Cologne by 2030. Start-up operator Gemini Trains plans to challenge Eurostar's 32-year grip on the Channel Tunnel with new routes and stations, as well as introductory Paris fares of around £59.
The company, backed by a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, aims to run rival services to Paris, including Disneyland Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport, alongside the Cologne route. It then plans to expand to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, providing direct rail access to three of Germany's largest commercial centres from London for the first time.
Gemini's proposed London to Cologne service is expected to take around four hours, similar to Eurostar's London to Amsterdam service. In contrast, the current journey can take up to six hours with at least one change, making it a more attractive option for business travellers.
Gemini plans to establish Stratford International as its main London hub, with trains also calling at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. This move would restore a direct continental link for Kent's business community after more than a decade of lobbying.
The company has also signed a ticketing and co-branding partnership with Uber, building on its order for a fleet of Siemens high-speed trains. Gemini will lease eight electric trains, each carrying over 550 passengers, and run around 11 services a day by 2030.
Tickets will be dynamically priced, with standard class offering 'more comfortable seats, good wifi and mood lighting', and business class providing food and a privacy screen. Eurostar currently operates around 26 daily services from London, and the new entrant aims to shake up the market with its more competitive fares and routes.
The Channel Tunnel, which has been Eurostar's sole passenger operator for over 30 years, runs at around 50 per cent capacity. With the ground shifting, other companies such as Virgin Trains, Trenitalia, and Evolyn are also circling, having secured access to Temple Mills, the east London depot that is the only site in Britain able to house and maintain cross-Channel trains.
Gemini missed out on Temple Mills but is speaking to the Department for Transport about a potential new depot at Ashford, and would consider sites in Belgium or Germany. The company's chief executive, Adrian Quine, said: 'The forecast growth through the Channel Tunnel is enormous, yet only 50 per cent of the slots on the track are currently used.'
Eurostar, a monopoly operator, is not standing still, however, and is preparing to invest £1.7 billion in a fleet of 50 double-decker trains, enabling direct services to Geneva and to Frankfurt via Cologne by 2031. The company's chief executive, Gwendoline Cazenave, said: 'The UK now needs a bold vision to match the private investment on the table.'
For SMEs weary of pricey Paris fares and awkward connections to Germany, competition in the tunnel cannot come soon enough, and the introduction of Gemini Trains is set to bring a welcome change to the rail network.
