Europe’s Trains Could Start Stopping Somewhere New in East London

Sadiq Khan is backing plans to run international trains from Stratford International, a station that has never handled cross-Channel passengers. London Travel News, citing BBC London, says up to one in three trains to France could stop there. The project is estimated at £20 million, and Rail Business Daily reports a funding decision is expected in Wednesday’s Budget, which falls on October 28.

Paris services have run from St Pancras International for two decades. Khan wants European trains to call at Stratford too, saying the station should live up to its name and calling the surrounding area one of Europe’s largest and most successful regeneration projects. Some residents have raised concerns about traffic and congestion.

Stratford was built in 2006 and opened in 2009 for domestic high-speed services. Making it work for international trains would require border and security facilities first. Finwire.io, crediting the Guardian, lists a border post, security checks, a check-in zone and passenger facilities as the missing pieces, and says the Financial Times reported a business-rate retention zone could help fund redevelopment.

The timing matters because new competition is coming. Reports say Virgin plans cross-Channel services in 2030 and is exploring Stratford as a stop, and one account citing the Evening Standard says international stops could arrive within four years, adding five to eight minutes to journeys. Nothing is confirmed until the Budget, so travelers should treat Stratford as a possibility rather than a plan.

Sources: London Travel News, Rail Business Daily