Eurotunnel and London St. Pancras Highspeed accelerate the development of high-speed rail between Great Britain and continental Europe. 

Yann Leriche, CEO of Getlink, and Robert Sinclair, CEO of London St. Pancras Highspeed, in front of the French portal of the Channel Tunnel.

Eurotunnel and London St. Pancras Highspeed have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the growth of high-speed rail services between Great Britain and the major cities of continental Europe.

This partnership will enhance cooperation for the development of new high-speed lines connecting London to major European cities. It will optimise connections between different infrastructure networks to coordinate and develop the rail paths necessary for the opening of new destinations.

The cooperation is based on sharing expertise in innovation and engineering to develop international high-speed rail transport, with the aim of making rail the most accessible and widely used mode of transport in Europe.

In parallel, London St. Pancras Highspeed has conducted a capacity study on the potential growth in passenger numbers for high-speed lines from the British capital. This study shows that the number of passengers could reach 5,000 per hour.

This partnership between Eurotunnel and London St. Pancras Highspeed reflects a shared commitment to increasing low-carbon, smooth, and fast transport options for high-speed journeys between Great Britain and continental Europe.

The cooperation between the two entities is part of Getlink’s growth plan, announced in December 2023, to double the number of destinations accessible directly from or to London via the Channel Tunnel within 10 years. Several market studies conducted by Eurotunnel have highlighted the growth potential of new direct links between London and Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Basel.

To support rail operators wishing to serve these new high-speed destinations, Getlink has revised its financial aid programme, ETICA. For the 2025-2030 period, it has a budget of €50 million.