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Gemini Trains has revealed intentions to operate routes connecting London and Cologne as soon as 2030.

A British startup, supported by a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, appears poised to concludeEurostar’s monopoly of cross-channel rail travel.

Gemini Trains has also expressed its intention to operate routes to Paris (including stops at Disneyland and Charles de Gaulle Airport) and Brussels, with plans to extend services to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in the future.

The company states that the trip from London to Cologne will take approximately four hours. Currently, the same journey can last up to six hours and requires at least one transfer.

Instead of locating itself at St Pancras station, which is alreadyhaving difficulty controlling the flow of passengers, Gemini plans to establish Stratford International as its primary London base.

Trains will also stop at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in the UK, locations where Eurostar last made a halt in 2020.

The company intends to rent eight electric trains, each capable of carrying over 550 passengers, starting with approximately 11 services daily by 2030.

Eurostar provides approximately 26 daily trips departing from London, while Gemini has mentioned “quick growth” once its fleet becomes operational.

Tickets will feature variable pricing, with initial one-way tickets to Paris starting at approximately £59 (€69).

Standard class will feature “more comfortable seating, reliable wifi, and ambient lighting,” while business class will include meals and a privacy screen, as reported by Business Matters magazine.

Rail operators preparing to challenge Eurostar

Adrian Quine, the head of Gemini Trains, has referred to the company as “a disruptive operator that consistently questions the existing order.”

“We will bring changes by introducing new routes, new stations, new trains, updated interiors, more affordable prices, and promoting the switch from air travel to train journeys,” he added.

Eurostar has served as the only passenger service through the Channel Tunnel for over three decades, yet it currently utilizes approximately half of the available track slots.

Now, Gemini is not the onlyrail company moving inVirgin Trains intends to introduce its services in 2030, starting with routes from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, while having future plans to expand deeper into France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Italy’s Trenitalia and the Spanish startup Evolyn are also entering the competition, aiming to provide services on the London to Paris route.

Eurostar is not complacent, however. The company has stated its intention to link the UK capital withcities in Germanyby the early 2030s, in collaboration with the German state railway Deutsche Bahn.