New potential Eurostar rival emerges
A co-owner of Avanti West Coast has emerged as another potential rival to Eurostar in running passenger trains between London and Paris.
FS Italiane Group said it plans to launch services through the Channel Tunnel by 2029.
It is proposing to use trains inspired by its Frecciarossa high-speed rolling stock.
FS Italiane Group has committed to investing one billion euro (£857 million) to support its ambition of expanding its European network.
It has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spanish company Evolyn to potentially develop a partnership.
Evolyn previously announced it was bidding to launch services rivalling Eurostar, as was billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Gemini, chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley.
FS Italiane Group chief executive Stefano Antonio Donnarumma said: 'High-speed rail networks are the backbone of efficient and environmentally friendly mobility, and by expanding our presence on key corridors, we are not just investing in infrastructure and innovation, but also in the future of European transport.
'More competition will help to create a more efficient and customer-oriented industry, offering a real alternative to air travel.'
Any new Channel Tunnel operator will need to obtain regulator approval.
FS Italiane Group said it is 'studying further opportunities' for London to Paris services to call at Ashford, Kent.
Eurostar stopped calling at the station in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said last month that some capacity at Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot in north-east London could be made available to other operators.
Access to a suitable depot for maintaining and storing trains has been cited by the industry as a critical requirement for operators to compete with Eurostar.
Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994.
FS Italiane Group's subsidiary Trenitalia owns 30% of Avanti West Coast, and runs c2c, which operates between the City of London and south Essex.
Earlier this moth, London St Pancras Highspeed – which owns the station in the capital and the high-speed tracks to the tunnel – announced it will offer reduced charges to operators running additional international services.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
British holidaymakers vow to 'never return' to Spain after 'bullying' by protesters
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Millions of UK holidaymakers could be rethinking their Spanish getaways amid growing concerns over overtourism. Despite a 10% year-on-year surge in foreign tourist arrivals in April, reaching 8.6 million visitors, and a 7% increase so far this year, with a total of 26 million, the protests have led some Brits to reconsider their summer jaunts, as reported by Birmingham Live. Brits remain a significant chunk of Spain's tourism, clocking in at over 4.7 million visits, marking a 6.7% uptick. Yet, the unrest has prompted some to alter their plans, with one holidaymaker saying: "I see their point, but I don't rent a property, I use hotels. But I'm not going to stay in a hotel in Spain after this year, I'm taking my accommodation with me so they can't whinge about that." Another traveller showed empathy towards the local sentiment: "I agree with them to a certain extent. It's the people who buy up residential houses like they do here and in Cornwall and Wales so locals have nowhere to live. Holiday makers who stay in hotels are providing a living for locals and they know that." READ MORE - World's richest royals have higher net worth than Bill Gates and Elon Musk combined READ MORE - Noughties playboy who dated Katie Price and married Jodie Marsh unrecognisable now A different tourist pointed out that the real change needs to come from higher up: "Their own governments and councils like those here need to stop the buying up of residential properties by greedy developers and stop the stag and hen parties." Outcry over the treatment of holidaymakers has led to sharp remarks, with one disgruntled visitor declaring, "There is no need to target all tourists, that's just bullying and aggression encouraged by the TikTok mob.", reports Yorkshire Live. Furthermore, a vexed tourist stated: "Spent a fortune in Tenerife over the years. Not anymore." These comments come as activist groups across Spain and southern Europe ready themselves for what's being dubbed as "an unprecedented mobilisation" scheduled for June 15. The upcoming protests are expected to disrupt holiday hotspots such as the Canary Islands, including Lanzarote and Tenerife, along with Barcelona and Majorca in the Balearic Islands. Representing the Madrid tenants' union, Valeria Racu has urged for rent strikes echoing recent actions in some coastal towns in Catalonia. Racu delivered an impassioned stance, asserting: "This is the beginning of the end of the housing business," before elaborating, "The beginning of a better society, without landlordism and this parasitical system that devours our salaries and our resources." Figures released by the union reveal that there are currently 1.4 million Spanish households spending over 30% of their earnings on housing costs, a significant jump of 200,000 families from ten years ago.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
European waterpark based on Ancient Greece that has the world's biggest wave pool music festival
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BIGGEST wave pool music festival in the world is taking place this summer at a waterpark in Europe. WaterWorld Themed Waterpark Ayia Napa in Cyprus, is a huge water complex based on Ancient Greece. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The water park is themed on Ancient Greece Credit: WaterWorld 5 There is a lazy river and kid's play areas Credit: Waterworld 5 The Wave Fest will run from June 29 to August 31 Credit: Waterworld Taking place every Sunday from June 29 to August 31, Wave Fest runs from 1pm to 6pm. The event includes guest appearances and a "unique" stage where the music is synchronised with the water, according to the festival's website. In addition, the festival has the biggest sound system in the Mediterranean with international artists on rotation and a full line-up of DJ's. Tickets cost €50 (£42.08), which includes entry to both the waterpark and Wave Fest. For an additional fee, visitors can also book a cabana. WaterWorld Ayia Napa is one of Europe's largest waterparks. The whole attraction has an Ancient Greek theme with over 25 rides, suitable for all ages. The park opened back in 1996 and since has been Cyprus's top tourist attraction. The rides include slides, a lazy river, kid's play areas and multiple dining options. For little ones, there is the Pegasus Pool, with sprays, buckets and fountains. There are also rolling logs in the activity pool. Huge AquaCity waterpark in Poprad The park is known for boasting great views at the top of the slides too. The park also won a Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Award in 2024. One recent visitor said: "Very good water park with lots of different water slides for both children and adults. Another added: "The music was right on spot and it was making everyone feel a bit happier." There is also a new indoor waterpark with 500-room hotel and restaurants moves closer to opening in UK after success in US. Plus, a massive European waterpark with 14 themed lands opens new outdoor pool and 150-seat swim up bar. 5 The park is known for boasting great views at the top of the slides too Credit: Waterworld
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Eurostar needs as much competition as possible
At least it didn't decide that the wrong type of snow made it impossible to run any more trains, or that too many leaves on the line made it far too risky to have an extra operator. Even so, the oddly named Office of Rail and Road, or ORR, last week decided that there is only enough depot space for one extra competitor to Eurostar to run trains from Britain to the rest of the Continent. The other companies queuing up to offer a service will have to be turned away. That is crazy. The rail service needs more competition not less – and anything that gets in the way of that should be fixed before the service gets any worse. Few of us were probably aware of the ORR until last week, although the regulator has more than 350 staff doing something or other, and a budget of more than £40m a year to spend. Last week, however, it made a significant decision that will have an impact on anyone who travels between Britain and the rest of Europe by train. A whole series of rival companies had been preparing to offer rival services to Eurostar running trains through the Channel Tunnel. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains was pitching to run a service on the route, and so were Gemini Trains, chaired by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, as well as Trenitalia, the main operating arm of the Italian state rail operator. If the tunnel was genuinely opened up, plenty of other companies might have come into the market, such as Germany's Deutsche Bhan, which has expressed an interest in the past; one of the other rail companies; or indeed an airline company such as Air France KLM, which could use the train route to feed long-haul passengers into its Paris hub. St Pancras International could have been humming with new competitors pitching different possibilities. But the ORR has decided that there is only enough space at the depot for one extra competitor on the route. 'The assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator, or for Eurostar, to grow,' it concluded. At a stroke, the vision of lots of new players has been dashed. Of course in fairness, the ORR is just doing its job, and no one would want to question its decision about the capacity at the depot. It is important that all the trains are properly maintained, and if there is not enough space for more than one extra operator at the moment, then clearly that is a problem. And yet, looking at the bigger picture, it is also completely ridiculous. If we need more depot space, then surely we should just build it. Likewise, if we need another platform, or an extra stop along the route through Kent, or even just space for another Pret so the passengers can pick up a sandwich before they hop on a train to the Continent, then we should build that as well. It would hardly be impossible.
