EUROPE: The British and German governments are to establish a joint taskforce to investigate the commercial and technical requirements for the potential launch of direct passenger trains services between the countries within the next 10 years.
The taskforce will bring together transport experts from both governments for formal co-operation to look at matters including safety standards, border and security arrangements and collaboration with operators. The transport and interior ministries will explore setting up juxtaposed border controls.
The agreement signed on July 17 builds on a similar agreement which was signed by the UK and Switzerland in May.
‘We’re pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent’, said UK Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander. ’The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie — in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sights direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin.
‘This landmark agreement has the potential to fundamentally change how millions of people travel between our two countries, offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying.’
The formation of the taskforce was welcomed by Eurostar.
‘We are now focused on investing around €2bn in up to 50 new trains, and on developing direct services from London to Frankfurt and Genève to reach our ambitious target of carrying 30 million passengers annually’, the cross-Channel train operator told Railway Gazette International.
Eurostar is in discussions with Deutsche Bahn, and the formation of the intergovernmental taskforce ‘is a milestone that aligns with our ambition to extend high speed, sustainable travel across Europe’.
