2025 has been full steam ahead for rail transport with a roster of new train routes and destinations announced.
It’s positive news for the future of travel and its carbon footprint, and for the increasing number of travellers hoping to ditch more flights in favour of trains.
In particular, things are looking up for the UK with more frequent and potentially cheaper connections to continental Europe.
Here’s everything we know about what’s planned for the Channel Tunnel in the next decade.
Italy's state railway to launch Paris-UK trains
Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) has revealed plans to develop high-speed rail services in France and other European countries.
FS said that the project, with an earmarked €1 billion, would be carried out in partnership with US investment firm Certares.
Part of the expansion will include supporting Trenitalia France's bid to launch services between Paris and London through the Channel Tunnel by 2029.
Trenitalia France currently runs high-speed connections between Paris and Lyon and Paris and Marseille, as well as the Paris-Milan service.
The new joint venture between FS and Certares will also see increased frequency on existing routes, including providing up to 28 daily trips on the Paris-Lyon line.
New Eurostar rivals could increase services and cut costs for travellers
Trenitalia France is not the only company planning to end Eurostar's monopoly of the cross-Channel route.
In late 2023, new rail operator Evolyn announced plans to purchase a fleet of 12 trains to serve the London to Paris line.
The Spanish-owned firm said it aimed to launch in 2025, but it appears to still be in development.
In addition, the Virgin Group, founded by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, could also challenge Eurostar’s dominance.
Although the project is still in its early stages, it reportedly aims to serve routes from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, starting in 2029.
Also throwing its hat in the ring is a start-up called Gemini Trains, led by Lord Tony Berkeley, a British aristocrat and former Eurotunnel engineer.
Gemini has applied for an operator's license to service Paris, Strasbourg, Cologne, and Geneva with a fleet of 10 trains by 2029.
In 2023, newly established rail operator Heuro said it planned to add another alternative to Eurostar between Amsterdam, Paris and London by 2028.
“We just want lower prices and [to get] more people off planes and on trains,” founder of the Dutch company Roemer van den Biggelaar told RailTech.
For Amsterdam to Paris, Heuro is planning 16 services per day, while Amsterdam to London will see 15 a day.
Eurotunnel promises train connection from the UK to Cologne and Geneva
New destinations could be coming to departure boards in London in the coming decade.
By 2030, the UK capital will be connected to Cologne, Frankfurt and Geneva, the boss of Eurotunnel - the infrastructure operator between Folkestone and Calais - has vowed.
Yann Leriche, chief executive of the tunnel firm’s parent Getlink, is promising to ‘double’ the number of connections between London and the continent within 10 years.
He says the tunnel has capacity for more operators and the company has set aside €50 million of financial assistance for new entrants between 2025 and 2030.
It is prioritising cities that are popular flight destinations from the UK but could be reached by direct trains from London in as little as four hours.
Recently, it was announced that Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway company, has joined forces with Eurostar to help remove “complex framework conditions” that risk stalling progress.
In a Memorandum of Understanding signed in the first few days of December, both companies announced their intention to explore options to jointly offer long-distance services between London and Frankfurt.
In addition to Cologne (4h), Frankfurt (5h) and Geneva (5h30), connections to Basel and Zurich are also under discussion.
Swiss national railways (SBB) has announced it is working on a new five-hour service between St Pancras and Basel.
Currently, the journey involves three trains and takes up to seven hours.