High-speed train to launch from London to Germany, breaking Eurostar's monopoly on travel to the Continent
Normally the most convenient way to holiday in Germany is to fly.
But all that could change in 2013 after the announcement by a German train company that it is to start a high-speed to route from London using the Channel Tunnel.
The new train route would cut travel time between London's iconic St Pancras station and Cologne to just under four hours and another route to Frankfurt would take five hours.
Direct to Germany: The new route will avoid a train change in Brussels
The rail operator Deutsche Bahn is behind the plan and has already had successful test runs from Germany to England.
It said it is 'optimistic' the deal will be approved by the Intergovernmental Commission this year in time for trains to start the service in December 2013.
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Currently, only Eurostar has the use of the Channel Tunnel, giving it a total monopoly on trains to Eur! ope, wit h passengers changing at Brussels to reach other destinations.
But the new route will see German trains travel from London to Brussels, where they will split, with one half going on to Rotterdam and Amsterdam and the other to Germany, without the passengers having to disembark.
The new route would also reduce the journey time from London to Amsterdam to less than four hours.
Dr Rutiger Grube, chairman of the Deutsche Bahn management board, told Travelmole: 'By making full use of the opportunities afforded by the liberalisation of the European rail transport market we are able to offer our customers genuine alternatives to air travel.'
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