How Getlink wants to clear a hurdle for new operators to run trains through the Channel Tunnel
Source: GetLink
Eurostar has been the single passenger railway operator in the Channel Tunnel since the opening in 1994, but the tracks are significantly underused. That to the dismay of tunnel manager and operator Getlink. To make it easier for railway operators, the company could become a rolling stock leaser in the future.
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What has been and is still severely Missing from the Channel Tunnel is Local Calling Services.
Where are the trains from SE England and SE and East London to destinations in NW France and West Belgium?
Gatwick, Bromley, Dartford, Stratford, Canterbury, Maidstone, Ashford, Hastings, Brighton, etc
to destination of:
Bruges, Dunkirk, Calais, Lens, Arras, Amiens, Abbeville, Rouen, Le Harve, etc…
There is a massive untapped market for the coastal communities on both sides of the channel.
I think one can expand the market potential to NW Germany and the Netherlands
Night trains from London have a large potential as well. Dedicated rolling stocks suitable for the tunnel and the French LGV would be to be developed for that purpose as well, so that the considerations of Getlink about high entry costs would be quite adequate. It must be said that track access charges and conditions in France also are a reason of concern.
There also used to be direct trains from London to French ski resorts, going one direction at daytime and the other at night (in seats).