Eurostar, the rail service linking London with Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and other European cities, has lost 95% of its business since last March, leaving it operating only two round trips a day, down from a peak of more than two dozen.
That’s raised concerns among environmentalists as well as fans and supporters of rail travel; the Eurostar connection are seen as a green alternative to short-haul discount air traffic at a time when countries are working toward the lowered emission standards of the Paris accord. Last year’s extension of full Eurostar service between London and Amsterdam, in particular, is seen as a way of reducing traffic on Europe’s busiest air corridor.
On the British side, there is also concern over the loss of business in the Southeast that relies heavily on the route, and also on the viability of the HS1 High Speed line that carries the trains to London; it is dedicated to the high-speed service, and without a revival of a heavier schedule, some fear it could become a white elephant.
