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Eurostar could have competition by 2012

Rival high speed passenger trains could be competing with Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel in time for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The prospect was raised by Jacques Gounon, the chairman and chief executive of Eurotunnel, following concerns that the UK and France fixed conditions for trains to use the tunnel, particularly their length, which effectively blocks competitors.

Gounon agreed with criticism of the situation raised by German railway company Deutsche Bahn.

“There is a market for a connection between London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, for example,” Gounon told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

He added that the tunnel’s capacity is only half used at present.

Currently, Eurostar connects London with Paris and Brussels plus seasonal summer services to the south of France and winter ski trains to the Alps.

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