Direct train routes from London to Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille and Zurich are under consideration as part of a bid to boost the passenger numbers leaving St. Pancras train station.
The scheme is being discussed by London St. Pancras Highspeed, who own the iconic London train station and currently operate the track to the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone. “Many European cities could be reached directly by train in under six hours which we believe is really competitive with short-haul air travel," said a spokesperson for the company.
Currently, flights from London to Cologne take one hour and 20 minutes, but that doesn't take into account the time to get to the airport, and waiting at the airport - plus, the sustainability benefits of such a route could be enormous.
A London-Cologne flight emits around 97.6 tons of carbon dioxide, according to figures from Eurostar, whereas a train on the same route would generate around 6.6 tons, a fraction of the CO2.
London St. Pancras Highspeed have gone as far with the plan as signing an agreement with Getlink, who own the Eurotunnel. The plan commits the involved parties to expanding rail connectivity between the UK and Europe, though no timeline has currently been confirmed or suggested for the project.
Iit’s currently possible to hop on a train in the heart of London and reach Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in a matter of hours on the Eurostar.
By connecting in Paris, Lille or Brussels, of course, you can then reach the rest of Europe. Cologne, for example, is less than two hours on a direct train from Brussels, and Dusseldorf and Dortmund are not far beyond that.
Likewise, to the south, Paris offers connections to the likes of Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon and further south yet, you can connect to Marseille and Nice. Both Paris and Lille offer the chance to connect to Zurich or Geneva in Switzerland, and in winter only (Dec-March), there is currently a useful connection available from Lille, taking skiers and snowboarders on to Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-Les-Bains, Aime-la-Plagne or Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
These new routes, however, would provide direct routes to southern France, Germany and Switzerland - cutting down on the time, logistics and price.
Yann Leriche, chief executive of Getlink, said: "We are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon mobility with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France."
The companies being touted to run the services, which would rival Eurostar, include Virgin Group and Evolyn, with demand for European rail travel high.
Inspired? Check out our Adventures by Train collection!