A direct train from London to Bordeaux in less than five hours could be a possibility as HS1 targets international expansion.
Rail operators are currently planning high-speed international trains along the route.
At present, rail travellers have to change trains in Paris. The current route takes 5hr 25 minutes with a 1 hour 5 minutes connection in Paris when travelling from London to Bordeaux, the current return connection in Paris is even longer at 1 hour 55 minutes owing to the need of going through border control.
The direct service will cut journey times through a direct route and security controls located in Bordeaux. This will allow a future train operator to take on the low-cost airline operators, which currently takes 1.2m passengers per year to the two destinations. High-speed international trains will reach speeds of up to 200mph between the two cities.
HS1 Ltd, the owner and operator of High Speed 1, is in advanced planning with three other international railway operators along the proposed route.
In a first for the UK, the railway operators are working on a pre-planned and agreed timetable, meaning that a new train operator will be able to get the route up and running in a couple of years.
The proposed route bypasses Paris and takes advantage of a newly completed 302km French high-speed rail line linking Tours with Bordeaux.
The four railway operators – HS1 Ltd, Lisea, Eurotunnel and SNCF Réseau met in Bordeaux on the 25th April 2018 to discuss developing Gare de Bordeaux-Saint-Jean.
What did the officials say?
Dyan Crowther, Chief Executive of HS1 Ltd, said:
“As we’ve seen with the recent introduction of the Eurostar London-Amsterdam service, there’s a real demand for international train services to provide a comfortable and better-connected service, especially for leisure journeys.
“This is the first time that railway operators have collaborated in this way and saves the train operator having to do a lot of legwork. The route is almost ready for a train operator to turn up and turn the key as soon as the UK and French Governments agree on border controls. With the right commitment, we could be looking at new services in the next couple of years. The service will take passengers direct from city centre to city centre, taking the hassle out of travel to South West France.”
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