The ‘wine-themed’ European train route set to launch from London in 2026
A NEW train route set to take Brits directly to some of Europe's best vineyards could be on the tracks within two years.
Currently, Eurostar only links the UK with Paris and Lille in France, but other destinations are being considered.
One of those is Bordeaux, with a direct route potentially on the cards.
It would be operated by HS1, which operates the Channel Tunnel railway line.
The route would prevent the need to change at Paris, as is currently required and would shave an hour off the journey.
reported last year: "The UK's High Speed 1 (HS1), which operates the Channel Tunnel railway line, is gearing up to launch a new route from London to Bordeaux.
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"Currently, passengers must pass through Paris to reach the French wine region, with a journey time of almost six hours.
"The new line will bypass the capital and slash the travel time to around five hours."
Brits would go from the hustle and bustle of central London into south west France without the need for a flight.
Once in Bordeaux, they can take in sites like La Cite du Vin - an immersive exhibition dedicated to the region's most famous attraction, wine.
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Vineyard and wine tasting tours are also very popular, with the area the largest wine-producing region in the country.
Elsewhere, the train has even been described as "the wine train" by some, further highlighting the clearest reason for people to head to Bordeaux.
Getting the line up and running wouldn't pose too much of a problem, with reporting that it would make use of an already-existing high speed rail line from Paris to the south west.
Everything you need to know about visiting France
- Brits need to have a passport with at least three months left on it.
- No visas are needed for anyone staying up to 90 days within an 180-day period but you need to make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- You may also need to show proof of accommodation and funds, around €120 a day.
- The country uses the euro with with around €10 working out to £8.55.
- France is one hour ahead of the UK
- Direct flights to France from the UK take between 1-4 hours depending on the destination
- Or you can travel by train with Eurostar, with destinations including Paris or Lille.
It's estimated that the Channel Tunnel line is currently only being used at around 50 per cent of its full capacity and HS1 CEO Dyan Crowther is keen to make better use of its potential.
She previously said she wanted to “get more destinations on the departure board”.
The aim is that the direct route will be up and running by 2026.
According to the "wine-themed" route isn't the only one being planned.
They reported that Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille and Toulouse could all be accessed by direct trains from London - some by as soon as 2030.
In the meantime, there are other exciting train routes being launched around Europe, further reducing the need to fly to reach holiday destinations.
Switzerland
As well as a possible new service to Geneva, the Swiss National Railways (SBB) has also proposed one linking London St Pancras to Basel.
The route would take around five hours to complete would also run through the Channel tunnel and use Eurostar trains
The plans were confirmed by SBB's head of international passenger transport, Philipp Mader, at the Swiss Travel Association conference at the end of last year.
According to , He said: "As a long-distance destination, we are looking into a direct train from Switzerland to London, the most frequently flown city in Europe.
"Basel to London in around five hours, that's possible."
Edinburgh
A new faster route could soon link London with the Scottish capital Edinburgh, according to the .
The journey would take just over four hours to complete along the new route, shaving half an hour off the current trip.
Some say the proposed route could even be quicker than flying between the two cities, when factoring time spent at the airport.
Germany
The owner of Eurotunnel, Getlink, has also discussed the possibility of launching new routes from the UK within five years.
Yann Leriche, the company's CEO, said last year that flights could be replaced by new routes to Cologne and Frankfurt.
Geneva and Zurich were also mentioned as possibilities.
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Meanwhile, this is one of the most beautiful train routes in the UK and it only costs £3.
And this train journey in the UK has also been described as one of the best in the world.
