"After a decade in which ministers sold off Britain's share in Eurostar and left the company teetering on the brink, international rail travel is back on the government's menu du jour. With Alexander announcing a bilateral agreement on rail with Germany last month, after a similar deal with Switzerland in May, long-lapsed ambitions for direct trains across the continent have revived."
"Yet just as in the depths of the cold war, the fate of those vying to reach Checkpoint Charlie depends on the machinations of those working in the shadows in London; then MI6, now the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The rail regulator is set to decide in the autumn how to allocate space in the solitary train depot that holds the key to a successful cross-Channel operation."
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said rail passengers in the UK could soon travel direct by train to continental landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie. The government has signed bilateral rail agreements with Germany and Switzerland, reviving ambitions for direct trains across Europe. The Office of Rail and Road will decide this autumn how to allocate space in the Temple Mills depot, currently occupied by Eurostar, with multiple rival companies seeking access while Eurostar seeks expansion to Germany. Past plans faltered and Eurostar faced pandemic and post-Brexit disruption, but recent growth signals renewed confidence.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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