New budget train line aims to challenge Eurostar with “cheaper” routes from the UK to the most popular European destinations

ANOTHER train operator has revealed plans to take over Eurostar – and it’s great news for Brits.

New Dutch operator Heuro has announced plans for routes in between LondonAmsterdam and Paris.

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Named as a competition between “high speed” and “Europe“The plans call for 15 daily return flights London and Amsterdam compared to EurostarIt’s four.

And 16 daily connections would run between Amsterdam and Paris.

Father and son Roemer and Maarten van Biggelaar, who are also business partners, form the team behind Heuro.

Roemer van Biggelarr told Local media that the number of flights between the holidays Destinations “made no sense” with 55 flights between London and Amsterdam per day.

He added: “These people are much better off taking the train and here we have this wonderful tunnel under the canal which is underused.”

And he said the more frequent services would bring down ticket prices, which can be over £100 at peak times.

They are currently reaching out to companies to raise funding to launch, having already received investment from New York and New York Switzerland.

He said: “We are taking advice from former directors of Dutch Rail – we believe we can do it.”

The routes could start by 2028.

But Heuro is just the latest in a string of train operators challenging Eurostar, which has been forced to abandon a number of popular routes in recent months.

Richard Branson could re-enter the train market with routes between Great Britain and Europe.

The operator’s former boss, Phil Whittingham, is believed to have led Virgin Trains from 1997 to 2019 The challenge against Eurostarthe Telegraph reported.

And start-up operator Evolyn has announced plans to introduce non-stop train services from London to Paris from 2025.

An Evolyn spokesman said it was Eurostar’s “first competitor in 30 years”.

The challenges come as Eurostar has abandoned a number of popular routes.

Although originally serving three UK stations, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations were suspended during the coronavirus crisis and there are no plans to reopen until at least 2025.

Now Brits can only travel via London St Pancras.

Disneyland Paris services, which first launched in 1996, were suspended earlier this year.

And the routes from Great Britain to Amsterdam introduced in 2018 could also be discontinued next Year.

Some new train routes are also being opened elsewhere in Europe.

These include new European sleeper routes between Brussels and Prague next year, while Midnight Trains hopes to launch services from Paris to Milan and Venice.

Brits could use both services from Eurostar, which operates to both Brussels and Paris.

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