London St. Pancras Highspeed (HS1) and Eurotunnel have unveiled a landmark strategic partnership to drive the expansion of cross-Channel high-speed rail services, marking a significant advancement in sustainable and efficient international travel between the UK and continental Europe.
London St. Pancras Highspeed, the UK’s sole operator of high-speed rail infrastructure, and Eurotunnel, a subsidiary of Paris-based Getlink, have committed to deepening their collaboration to enhance rail connectivity across the English Channel. Under this growth-focused partnership, the two entities will work more closely to establish the groundwork for increased cross-Channel rail traffic, with objectives including the development of new routes and destinations.
The partnership has been formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which outlines key initiatives to strengthen cooperation on innovation and engineering. These include investigating opportunities to reduce journey times, improve timetable coordination, align growth strategies, and increase the frequency of international train services in both directions, with the goal of making rail travel faster, more efficient, and more accessible as the preferred transport option to Europe.
This collaboration follows London St. Pancras Highspeed’s recent study, which identified the potential to nearly double current international passenger capacity at St. Pancras station to up to 5,000 passengers per hour, unlocking the untapped potential of this iconic London hub and its high-speed line.
As advocates for sustainable transport, London St. Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel are dedicated to promoting “rail-first” public policies. They will collaborate with governments to highlight the environmental benefits of rail journeys lasting under six hours, reinforcing the case for greener travel options.
“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,” Robert Sinclair, CEO of London St. Pancras Highspeed, said.
“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,” Yann Leriche, CEO of Getlink added.
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