The UK government announced on the 4th that Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn have jointly signed a memorandum of understanding, finalizing a cooperation plan to launch direct high-speed rail service between London and major German cities. This marks a key step forward in the direct rail project between the UK and Germany.
According to China News Service, the UK government stated that the line is expected to begin operation in the early 2030s. By then, travel time from London to Cologne will be shortened to about 4 hours, and reaching Frankfurt will take just over 5 hours.
The UK government said the new line will use Eurostar’s new double-decker trains, which offer 20% more capacity compared to existing models and can reduce energy consumption by 50%. This will not only improve passenger transport efficiency but also aligns with the concept of green travel.
However, several obstacles still need to be overcome for the project to be implemented. Currently, some stations in Germany lack the required border control facilities for cross-border travel, and there are also issues such as coordination of the use of the Channel Tunnel and track access rights that need further negotiation. Previously, the UK and Germany had promoted relevant preparations through the signing of cooperation treaties and the establishment of dedicated working groups. This latest agreement at the enterprise level lays a foundation for further cooperation to resolve these issues.