Eurotunnel


has
signed
a
memorandum
of
understanding
with
the
owners
of
the
concession
to
operate
HS1,
which
has
just
been
renamed
London
St
Pancras
Highspeed.

The
agreement,
which
is
being
described
as
a
‘landmark
partnership’,
is
intended
to
increase
the
growth
of
cross-Channel
traffic
through
the
tunnel
and
also
lead
to
the
introduction
of
new
routes
and
destinations.

There
is
to
be
closer
collaboration
on
innovation
and
engineering
initiatives,
which
include
exploring
opportunities
to
run
more
services,
shorten
journey
times
and
improve
timetable
coordination.

The
MoU
follows
the
announcement
of
a
new
study
by
London
St
Pancras
Highspeed
which
says
current
international
passenger
capacity
in
St.
Pancras
could
go
up
by
almost
5,000
an
hour.

London
St
Pancras
Highspeed
CEO
Robert
Sinclair
said:
‘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,
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.’

Yann
Leriche,
who
is
CEO
of
Eurotunnel’s
owner
Getlink,
added:
‘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.’

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you
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