Latest news with #highspeedrail
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Eurostar calls for ‘credible' Channel rail strategy as monopoly decision looms
Eurostar has urged the UK government to choose a 'credible long-term strategy' for international rail or risk 'falling behind' the rest of Europe, before a crucial decision by the regulator that could end its cross-Channel monopoly. The high-speed train operator warned that a 'premature' ruling from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to allow competitors to squeeze trains into existing facilities could jeopardise its planned investment and expansion. Instead it called for 'big-picture thinking' from the government to enable more capacity for overseas rail – which it said could produce more high-skilled jobs and growth. Eurostar is on the verge of finalising an order for 50 more high-speed trains to upgrade and expand its fleet, and has pledged new direct routes to Frankfurt and Geneva. A number of potential competitors are, however, hoping to break its 30-year exclusive hold on passenger train services through the Channel tunnel. Virgin Group, the British startup Gemini trains and a partnership between the Italian state rail operator, FS Italiane, and the Spanish company Evolyn are among those vying for space. While the owners of the rail infrastructure – the Eurotunnel parent, Getlink, and London St Pancras High Speed (formerly HS1) – are keen to drive more business, rivals have been unable to secure space to house and maintain high-speed trains in Great Britain. Capacity for more services has been focused on one functioning depot at Temple Mills, in east London, which Eurostar insists is full and can only accommodate its own growth plans with a €80m (£70m) investment. However, the ORR has said it believes there is space at the depot and invited applicants to submit proposals before a ruling. Eurostar's own response to the regulator, seen by the Guardian, sets out plans for expansion on the back of recent passenger growth, up 5% last year to 19.5 million, and agreements between the UK and Germany and Switzerland to facilitate direct routes. However, it also starkly sets out what it says would be the risk of a new operator sharing the depot, including a 'significant impact on the ability to operate' and disruption to customers. Eurostar suggested that the ORR should find 'that it would be premature to make any determination' and that it 'cannot assume the capacity … is actually deliverable'. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Instead it said the ORR and government should outline its support and strategy for new depots, to be used by any company, including repurposing existing alternatives or building brand-new facilities. Gareth Williams, the general secretary at Eurostar, said: 'We believe there is an incredible opportunity to grow international rail … With demand for sustainable travel at an all-time high and growth being a key challenge for the country, the UK cannot afford to fall behind.' He said Eurostar's plans were financed and already under way, adding: 'Temple Mills is an important foundation of that future. We want to be a leading centre for European high-speed maintenance, bringing skilled jobs and industrial investment. The regulator, UK government and private investors have a unique moment now to make bold decisions to unlock the huge potential of international rail and encourage more European links for tourism, trade and education.' The decision by the ORR on whether Eurostar has to give up depot space to a competitor is expected in October.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China unveils next-gen high-speed rail tech as US puts brakes on bullet train funding
China has pulled the wraps off its next-generation high-speed rail technology as the United States revokes federal funding for California's high-speed rail project. Advertisement China's latest bullet train, the CR450 , is undergoing final performance tests to prepare it for commercial operation trials at 400km/h (250mph), the official Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday. The team surpassed the previous upper speed of 350km/h, at which high aerodynamic resistance and energy consumption levels had for decades been a technological barrier. 01:13 China unveils maglev marvel, redefining the future of high-speed rail transport China unveils maglev marvel, redefining the future of high-speed rail transport An increase in speed of 50km/h would lead to a 30 per cent rise in resistance, and greater energy consumption, a researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences, Shao Jun, told the newspaper. High-speed trains face 95 per cent of their resistance from air. To boost speed and save energy, the scientists adjusted the head shape of the train to reduce drag, drawing inspiration from nature to create a design based on fast-flying birds and cutting resistance by about 2.6 per cent. They then looked at the train's undercarriage, a previously overlooked area that had potential to reduce drag. Advertisement A team member had proposed an idea for a cover structure to shield the exposed areas of the bogie, creating a more complete aerodynamic shape to lower resistance, Shao said. After repeated optimisation of the cladding structure, resistance was reduced by 22 per cent. This means that even with a 50km/h increase in speed, the energy consumption of the new train remains comparable to that of the CR400 Fuxing trains operating at 350km/h.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong high-speed rail services disrupted by equipment malfunction
Four high-speed rail services between Hong Kong and Guangzhou were cancelled on Tuesday due to equipment malfunctions on the mainland section, according to the transport authorities. The Transport Department said on Tuesday that the cancelled train services to Guangzhoudong included the G6568, which was scheduled to depart at 11.42am, and the G6556, scheduled for 12.22pm on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. Services to Hong Kong's West Kowloon terminus that were affected included the G6565, which was due to arrive at 11.19am, and the G6553, due in at 11.54am. The department advised residents to check the latest train schedules on the official ticketing platform – the 12306 website and its app – as well as the MTR Corporation's high-speed rail website. 'Passengers may also consider taking the [MTR's] East Rail line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau or using other transport to enter the mainland,' it said. A check by the Post on the 12306 app showed that high-speed rail tickets from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhoudong were available for booking, with seven trains departing between 2.14pm and 8.50pm.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China confirms exit ban on US exec; high-speed rail to get upgrade: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing China has confirmed that it barred a senior Wells Fargo executive from leaving the country, saying it banned her exit because of a 'criminal case' investigation. The US-China Business Council president says even in a fraught trade environment, companies cannot ignore the value of the Chinese market. A volunteer holds leaflets as he stands near a 600km High Speed Maglev model showcasing at the National Railway Test Center during a tour by delegates to the World Congress on High-Speed Rail held in Beijing on July 9, 2025. Photo: AP After record levels of expansion over the past few years, China's high-speed rail network – already the world's largest – is set for further upgrades as Beijing pledges to improve services and lower logistics costs.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Original high-speed rail plan should be resurrected, say manufacturers
Manufacturing companies have called for plans for a high-speed rail line reaching Leeds and Manchester to be resurrected in a major strategic investment in the rail for the northern leg of HS2 were scrapped by the Conservative government in October 2023, with then prime minister Rishi Sunak saying this would save £36bn to invest in other transport projects.A poll of 200 manufacturing firms by Make UK and Barclays Corporate Banking found nine in 10 believed the original high-speed line should still go ahead to increase passenger numbers and free up capacity for rail freight on existing lines.A similar number said there should be greater investment in faster connections between Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle. The government cancelled plans for high-speed services to Sheffield and Leeds in 2021, with Birmingham to Manchester proposals axed in said at the time the decision was due to huge costs and long and business leaders in Yorkshire condemned the Brabin, West Yorkshire's Mayor, said limiting HS2 to a London-Birmingham service was "yet another blow to northern transport" and would "derail our efforts to boost the economy and level up opportunities".South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said it was "not just a broken promise to the North, it's a catastrophe for the whole of the UK".Make UK warned current levels of rail capacity were "not suitable for the levels of freight traffic the government is predicting in the future".Director of policy Verity Davidge said: "As a result, if industry is to make greater use of rail then we need the extra capacity which a high-speed link for passenger traffic would free up."This would provide a valuable opportunity to invest in multi-mode hubs which would improve connectivity between our major ports and better integrate road and rail routes through the spine of the country."Lee Collinson, head of manufacturing, transport and logistics at Barclays UK Corporate Bank, said: "Upgrading and integrating our road, rail and port systems is crucial for boosting productivity, decarbonising transport and supporting long-term competitiveness." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
