logo
Trains to Paris could soon get cheaper. Here's why

Trains to Paris could soon get cheaper. Here's why

Independent16-05-2025

Double-decker trains are being considered for the London-Paris route through the Channel Tunnel.
Alstom, the manufacturer of the Avelia Horizon, the world's only high-speed double-decker train, has confirmed discussions with several operators, including Eurostar and potentially Virgin Group.
The move could significantly increase passenger capacity on the route.
The Avelia Horizon can reach speeds of up to 200mph and would have a lower cost per seat than single-decker models, former Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said.
While the trains would need regulatory approval, which could take years, they are compatible with the Channel Tunnel's infrastructure.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event
Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event

Leader Live

timean hour ago

  • Leader Live

Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event

Train manufacturer Alstom announced that the locomotive will be part of the Greatest Gathering event at its factory in Derby. Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs from August 1-3. An additional 2,500 tickets for each day will be available from 9am on Friday. Flying Scotsman was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in Doncaster. Its achievements include hauling the inaugural non-stop London to Edinburgh train service in 1928, and becoming the UK's first locomotive to reach 100mph six years later. Rob Whyte, managing director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said: 'Flying Scotsman's attendance is a powerful tribute to Britain's steam legacy and a moment of railway history not to be missed. 'While we proudly honour icons of the past, like Flying Scotsman, we also hope the Greatest Gathering will ignite the imagination of tomorrow's engineers, as we showcase the latest sustainable and digital rail innovations across our Derby site.' Craig Bentley, director of the National Railway Museum, which owns Flying Scotsman, said: 'Flying Scotsman has captured the public's imagination for over a century. 'We are proud to be able to share this icon of the track, along with other historically significant locomotives from the national collection, at this landmark event.' More than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways will be on display, featuring a combination of those powered by steam, diesel and electricity. This includes the 200-year-old Locomotion No.1, which was the first locomotive to run on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) line in north-east England. The Greatest Gathering forms part of Britain's wider Railway 200 festivities. The industry is engaging in a year-long celebration to mark the opening of the S&DR on September 27 1825, which is credited as being the birth of the modern railway.

Reform will ensure non-doms contribute to Britain
Reform will ensure non-doms contribute to Britain

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Reform will ensure non-doms contribute to Britain

It should come as no surprise that, over the past few decades, many of the UK's most successful and influential business minds have left the country in droves – a clear and troubling sign of national decline. Over the past 10 years, UK policy toward non-domiciled taxpayers ('non-doms') has lurched from piecemeal tightening under successive Conservative chancellors to outright abolition under the current Labour Government. The result? A record-breaking and alarming exodus of high-spending, high-tax-paying residents, leaving an estimated £7 billion yearly hole in public finances and inflicting huge collateral damage on London's position as Europe's financial centre. The social contract between the rich and the poor is at an all-time low. Public trust in the tax system has been eroded by perceptions that elites play by a different set of rules. In the past, your average Briton saw little to no benefit from the wealthy in their midst. If anything, it created greater division and hostility. Reform UK is determined to change this. We are the party of working people – the party of those with alarm clocks who get up in the morning and work hard, whether they're at the higher end of the financial scale or the lower end. Our approach is different, transparent, and designed to directly benefit the hard-working backbone of this nation. Unlike the opaque financial mechanisms of the past, where wealth seemed to vanish into hidden pots of money that ordinary people could not see, Reform UK is committed to doing things differently. We will rebuild the social contract by ensuring that every wealthy individual who wishes to move here makes a tangible contribution to Britain's lowest earners. Our policy is simple: Britain must be a place where success is celebrated, not punished with excessive taxes, crippling energy costs, or punitive inheritance levies. We will actively encourage the return of wealth and talent to the United Kingdom – on the clear condition that those who come here deliver immediate, visible benefits to our workers. Here's how it works: every high-net-worth newcomer (or returning leaver) will pay a £250,000 one-off entry contribution in return for a stable, indefinite remittance-style regime on offshore income and a 20-year inheritance-tax shield. Crucially, 100 per cent of this contribution is hypothecated to Britain's lowest-paid full-time workers, delivered automatically by HMRC as a tax-free cash dividend. This means roughly 2.5 million hard-working Britons – the grafters who keep this country running – will receive an annual cash bonus, sent directly to their bank accounts at the end of the financial year. Thanks to this policy, in a low-uptake scenario with 6,000 cards issued annually, we'll generate a £1.5 billion fund, resulting in a tax-free annual dividend of £600 per worker. In a high-uptake scenario with 10,000 cards, this could deliver a £2.5 billion fund, providing £1,000 per worker. This isn't just a number. It's money in the pockets of those who need it most, from cleaners to nurses to small-business owners. Our policy is not a 'golden visa' or a backdoor to citizenship. It is a one-time flat tax paid by newcomers in exchange for the certainty of a favourable tax status. Individuals will still be liable for all standard UK taxes on UK-sourced income, property, and spending. But they won't be taxed on offshore income and gains for the duration of their agreed status. Pay your quarter million pounds upfront, and enjoy UK residency without worldwide taxation hassles. After all, this is still the best country in the world, and many of the world's wealthy want to move here but are deterred by the economic downsides. Unlike the old, indefinite non-dom arrangement under the Tories, which lacked transparency and failed to benefit ordinary people, our solution is immediate, visible, and mutually beneficial for both newcomers and the hard-working British worker struggling to make ends meet. Unlike Labour's punitive approach, which drives wealth away, we incentivise the rich to return to Britain. Over the past decade, the number of non-dom taxpayers has plummeted from over 120,000 to fewer than 80,000. The failed approaches of both Labour and the Conservatives have cost this country billions annually. Reform UK's plan will reverse this trend, capturing revenue from global wealth, channelling funds to support the working class, and restoring London as a global powerhouse for business, finance, and investment. The driving ambition of Reform UK is to put the lives of everyday British citizens first – and this policy does exactly that. We are the party of working people, and we are building a Britain where wealth and opportunity are shared, not hoarded. By ensuring that every pound contributed by the wealthy goes directly to those who get up early and work hard, we are creating a fairer, stronger, and more prosperous nation for all.

Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event
Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event

North Wales Chronicle

time2 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event

Train manufacturer Alstom announced that the locomotive will be part of the Greatest Gathering event at its factory in Derby. Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs from August 1-3. An additional 2,500 tickets for each day will be available from 9am on Friday. Flying Scotsman was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in Doncaster. Its achievements include hauling the inaugural non-stop London to Edinburgh train service in 1928, and becoming the UK's first locomotive to reach 100mph six years later. Rob Whyte, managing director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said: 'Flying Scotsman's attendance is a powerful tribute to Britain's steam legacy and a moment of railway history not to be missed. 'While we proudly honour icons of the past, like Flying Scotsman, we also hope the Greatest Gathering will ignite the imagination of tomorrow's engineers, as we showcase the latest sustainable and digital rail innovations across our Derby site.' Craig Bentley, director of the National Railway Museum, which owns Flying Scotsman, said: 'Flying Scotsman has captured the public's imagination for over a century. 'We are proud to be able to share this icon of the track, along with other historically significant locomotives from the national collection, at this landmark event.' More than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways will be on display, featuring a combination of those powered by steam, diesel and electricity. This includes the 200-year-old Locomotion No.1, which was the first locomotive to run on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) line in north-east England. The Greatest Gathering forms part of Britain's wider Railway 200 festivities. The industry is engaging in a year-long celebration to mark the opening of the S&DR on September 27 1825, which is credited as being the birth of the modern railway.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store