Holidaymakers issued exciting Eurostar update over direct line to sunny country

The popular train service could transport passengers to the sunny European country as ambitious expansion plans have been mooted

UK passengers could get a new Eurostar location

A new direct train service to a sunny European destination has been mooted for St Pancras International as part of its expansion.

New expansion proposals for St Pancras International are set to triple capacity, as the owner seeks to attract more train operators that will compete with Eurostar, reports MirrorOnline.

As part of the expansion plans, a new route to Milan could be brought in as the station aims to increase its capacity from 1,800 passengers an hour, to 5,000.

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The plans to expand the station could open up new cross-Channel routes to different destinations in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, according to reports.

London St Pancras Highspeed, the company responsible for the station and the high-speed track to Folkestone, formerly known as HS1, is hoping the redesigned terminal will attract new railway operators to compete with Eurostar.

London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink, the French operator of the Channel Tunnel, have also agreed to work with each other to “grow international rail connectivity between the UK and Europe”.

Two rival operators that are seeking to compete on the cross-Channel route are Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Evolyn — a new company set up by investors in National Express. Virgin is currently preparing to order around a dozen high-speed trains to run through the tunnel.

Getlink commented that direct services could soon serve Frankfurt, Cologne, Geneva and Zurich. Eventually services could also reach as far as Milan. However, the new services are not set to be introduced soon, with the earliest date being after 2030 to allow enough time for both potential operators to acquire trains and permissions to operate on both sides of the channel.

Currently, Eurostar only offers direct trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. There is also a season ski service to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the French Alps. The operator claims that they axed its services to Disneyland Paris due to post-Brexit red tape.

The redesign of St Pancras is essential if new international routes are going to be opened. At present, the departure area is constrained and often experiences long queues. Under the expansion plans, there will be increased infrastructure and “enhanced border security processes”, which will help to grow passenger numbers to about 2,400 per hour in the next three to four years.

There is also due to be a redesigned layout of the “international zone”, which could lead to 5,000 passengers per hour in the long term.

A memorandum of understanding between London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink has been signed, and includes a commitment to shorten journey times, better co-ordinate timetables and run an increased amount of trains each hour, for international services in both directions.

Yann Leriche, the chief executive of Getlink, said: “We are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon [travel] with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France. This partnership with London St Pancras Highspeed is essential for accelerating this momentum.”

Robert Sinclair, the chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed, added: “Joining forces with Eurotunnel is another exciting step on our journey to realise a future where high-speed rail is the preferred option for travelling to Europe.

“As we see demand for international rail travel grow we 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.”