The days of expensive rail tickets may soon be over as Channel Tunnel fares are set to drop by up to 30%.
As passenger demand for international rail travel continues to grow – and new companies are set to give Eurostar competition – experts predict that travellers could see a significant reduction in fares.
Ticket prices are set by individual train operators and London St Pancras have made no official comment. However, according to Eurostar’s website, a standard one-way ticket from London to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lille or Rotterdam starts from £39 – a 30% reduction would bring that fare down to around £27 (£11.70 less).
For Eurostar Plus, where tickets start from around £70, a 30% discount would reduce the price by £21 for £49 tickets.
Meanwhile, the highest standard fare found within the next month is £235 for travel on Friday, April 11. A 30% reduction would bring the total price down to £165.
The report, by infrastructure consultancy Steer, suggests that the annual passenger numbers on the high-speed line connecting London to the Channel Tunnel could more than triple – rising from 11 million to 35 million by 2040.
Findings also indicate that increased demand could see up to 18 additional daily services on existing routes, as well as the launch of new trains to as many as five destinations across Western Europe.
The report was commissioned by London St Pancras High Speed, which owns both the station and high-speed tracks leading to the tunnel.
There are already plans to more than double the international passenger capacity at St Pancras station to nearly 5,000 passengers per hour to accommodate the expected growth in the next decade.
Robert Sinclair, CEO of London St. Pancras Highspeed, said: ‘This report points to the biggest transformation in international high-speed rail travel in a generation.
‘Passengers are increasingly choosing rail over air for climate reasons and because they like the convenience and comfort of direct city centre to city centre travel.’
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Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger trains in the Channel Tunnel since it opened in 1994. However, that may soon change as several companies are developing plans to launch rival services.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has said there are ‘no more major hurdles’ to overcome before it can begin operating trains through the tunnel.
The positive claim was made after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirmed that Eurostar’s Temple Mills maintenance depot could be used by other train operators.
The depot, where trains can maintained and stored, is crucial for other operators to be able to compete. The ORR confirmed that ‘operational and maintenance arrangements’ could be made to make this possible.
Another competitor is Italy’s state-owned rail company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) which has announced plans to launch a high-speed rail service between London and Paris by 2029.
The group, which is a co-owner of Avanti West Coast, could extend the route to Marseilles, Lyon and Milan, and is also looking at a possible reopening of Ashford International in Kent.
London St Pancras Highspeed recently announced it would offer ‘financial incentives’ to new and existing operators to increase services on the line, which is currently operating at 50% capacity.
This simple hack will get you free Eurostar tickets
Fancy a quick Paris getaway without paying the steep train fare? One woman claims she managed to spend 24 hours in the French capital without paying a single penny for her Eurostar ticket – and it’s thanks to a little-known hack.
Lucy Josephs, a 25 year-old influencer from southeast London, revealed in a TikTok video how she bagged a free business class seat on the Eurostar by working as a mystery shopper.
In a video titled ‘how to travel on the Eurostar for free’, Lucy explains that she secretly reviews services on behalf of companies, all while posing as a regular customer.
This can take anywhere from shops and restaurants to public transport, with mystery shoppers like Lucy jotting down feedback on things like staff helpfulness, what the food was like, and overall quality of service.
‘You have over 100 questions to fill in, and it takes around half an hour to complete an assignment,’ Lucy explains.
There are a few strings attached, however. Lucy said she had to be free to travel mid-week, stay overnight in Paris and be flexible with the dates. She also had to take photos of ‘quite literally everything’ and act out different scenarios to see how staff responded to issues. All of this got her not only a free Eurostar ticket but a business class one.
Want to try it for yourself? Read more about Lucy’s travel hack here.
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