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Getlink (formerly Eurotunnel) prepares to host an offer of low-cost trains to link Paris to the English capital, says Journal du Dimanche . Ticket prices could drop by more than 20%.
Getting to London by train may soon be cheaper. According to Sunday Diary Getlink (formerly Eurotunnel), the Channel tunnel concessionaire, is currently working on the opening of the Franco-British railway. His project: to push for the implementation of a low cost offer that would be added to the more premium of Eurostar. According to research firm Roland Berger, consulted by Getlink, these low-cost trains will connect Paris to London, with an operating cost 25% to 30% lower than the Eurostar. This suggests a decline in the same proportion of the ticket price.
To arrive at this result, it will be necessary to apply the method used by the SNCF for its low cost trains Ouigo: "plan departures and arrivals in peripheral stations and use the tracks of the old lines, less rapid but where the tolls are cheaper, "says Jacques Gounon, CEO of Getlink, in the columns of JDD . According to the tracks evoked at this stage, these low-cost trains could leave from the station of Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle to join that of Stratford in London. Roissy station seems to be the best able to accommodate the low cost offer due to the presence of customs officers in the airport while that of Startford in London is connected to the public transport network since the Olympics. 2012, allowing quick access to the city center. The choice of these stations will have the consequence of lengthening the travel time: to count a little more than 3 hours for a Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle-Stratford against 2h20 with the Eurostar between the station of North and that of Saint-Pancras , right in the center of London.
A profitable operation
Despite this inconvenience, this offer could increase the Channel Tunnel traffic, which last year amounted to 21 million pbadengers, including 10.3 million pbadengers with Eurostar. According to the firm Roland Berger, 2 million pbadengers a year could be seduced. The operation promises to be profitable with a turnover of 285 million euros per year and an operating margin of 10%. The operator who agrees to embark on the adventure will also benefit from start-up financial badistance, "from two to three years," says Jacques Gounon. This aid would take the form of lower tolls.
According to Getlink, several companies are able to position themselves: the SNCF, which would launch a new low cost offer after Ouigo and Izy, but also Thalys, Italo or Virgin. But we will have to be patient before seeing the project materialize. "The implementation of railway projects is always extremely long. If a new company embarks on the low cost Paris-London, it will take at least 18 months before it is operational, "warns Getlink. Unless Eurostar itself is going into this niche, explains the Channel Tunnel Manager. Thanks to his experience on this journey, the offer could then be born in just six months.
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