Thread by @jonworth

As well as it being a story about 🛤 (and I often write about 🚅), the will-Eurostar-go-bankrupt discussion is one about access, privilege, public service and competition, and even how 🇬🇧 sees itself

Beware, this is a bit of a ranty 🧵

First of all, 🇬🇧 has just one genuine high speed rail service: Eurostar

It has one high-ish speed commuter service that uses the same tracks: Southeastern Javelin

That by definition makes 🇬🇧 rather different to 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 etc. where there are domestic high speed services

Then to Eurostar itself...

The service *was* a cooperation between the state railways of 🇫🇷 🇧🇪 🇬🇧, and when 🇬🇧 rail was privatised, the 40% 🇬🇧 share was owned by the British state until they sold it in 2015
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar_…

The essential point however: Eurostar - in terms of its structure - is still run as something akin to a cooperation between state owned railways, although it is a private company

And - importantly - it faces *no competition* from other rail firms

Which then leads us to the problems of access and public service...

As the years have passed, so Eurostar has become a more and more premium service. Service levels have been reduced and prices increased. It is a de luxe product. It's often cheaper to fly instead.

But how would you do anything about that?

You could introduce competition - italo vs. Trenitalia on the Milano-Roma 🇮🇹 route has driven up quality and driven down prices.

Operationally that would be hard - there are few trains in operation cleared to run through the tunnel

Or you go back to the public service ethos - low cost rail for the masses - see how SNCF has offered OUIGO and Thalys IZY to cater to the lower cost market in 🇫🇷

The problem for Eurostar is neither of these is on offer - because of the respective blind spots on the 🇫🇷 and 🇬🇧 sides

🇬🇧 would be fine for there to be competition on the route, but when Deutsche Bahn was rumoured to be considering this, the onerous passport controls...

... were what put them off. 🇬🇧 insists passengers are controlled before they board. There's no viable way to do that in Frankfurt(Main), Köln or Liège

Meanwhile 🇫🇷 doesn't want competition. SNCF still owns 55% of Eurostar, and until COVID hit it was a nice little earner.

Monopoly operator. No debate about public service. Rake in the cash! What's not to like?

In short: 🇬🇧 would like competition, but their border paranoia prevents it
🇫🇷 don't want competition, but are 🤷‍♂️ about the border issue

So Eurostar is essentially stuck

And that then leads to the whining in the British political debate - that there should be no need to bail out Eurostar as it's only used by the privileged anyway

NO! Because if those people are not taking 🚅 they are going to ✈️ instead. It's not as if the trips won't happen!

And yes, Eurostar is too expensive, and yes, Eurostar matters much more to London and the South East than to the rest of the UK - but the infrastructure is there, the trains exist - make the most of it post-COVID!

The whole joyous ethos of the Channel Tunnel's construction was to allow more 🇬🇧🇫🇷 travel, and to open that up for *more* people. Where has that spirit gone in British politics?

The reaction to Eurostar's woes shouldn't be "it's just for the privileged 🤷‍♂️ ditch it!"...

... but "make this high speed rail for everyone!"

It strikes me that the idea that international travel ought to be an aspiration for anyone from the UK - and that they ought to be able to do this by train - has been completely lost.

Whether this can be solved via competition or some more public service orientated offer needs to be debated. But Eurostar cannot be left to fail - it is far too important for that!

/ends