Overview
- This week Gemini published detailed plans to run cross‑Channel services from London to Paris and Cologne using Stratford International as its London hub with stops at Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
- The company says it will lease eight 200‑metre electric trains carrying about 550 passengers each and aims for roughly 11 daily services by 2030.
- Gemini projects a London–Cologne journey of about four hours and hopes to use dynamic pricing to offer one‑way fares to Paris from roughly £59.
- Eurostar and other bidders are responding: Eurostar has announced a large investment in 50 double‑decker trains for new direct routes by about 2031 while rivals including Trenitalia, Evolyn and investor proposals are also advancing.
- Practical hurdles remain because Gemini must secure train leases, depot access, Channel Tunnel paths and regulatory approval and recent heatwave cancellations have highlighted the service‑resilience issues operators must solve before services can start.