UBER-BRANDED trains could soon be heading to Europe, rivalling Eurostar, from an alternative station to London St Pancras.
Operating under the start-up Gemini Trains, the global taxi app is looking to join the competition against the Eurostar to provide new train services across the channel to several European destinations.
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However, unlike the Eurostar – which is currently the only provider that heads though the Channel Tunnel from the UK – Uber is looking to launch trains to and from Stratford International, in East London, as opposed to London St Pancras.
There would be 10 trains heading to Paris and Brussels initially.
Services could also operate to Lille and eventually Cologne, reports The Times.
Adrian Quine, CEO at Gemini, said: “The centre of gravity of London has moved eastwards making Stratford, which has become a city within the city, the perfect location for us.
“It has, with some alterations, the infrastructure in place and it means that we avoid St Pancras, which is becoming increasingly and unpleasantly crowded in the international departures area at peak times.
“Our plan is not to follow convention or the status quo,” reports The Times.
Stratford International Station was originally opened back in 2009 and was due to have international services running through it.
The station was even equipped with everything you would need for this, including Border Force facilities, but they were never completed or used.
Today, only Southeastern and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) use the station.
But in recent years Stratford has become more of a hub, with the Elizabeth Line allowing commuters to get to central London in 10minutes and Paddington in 20minutes.
Adrian added that Gemini will also use Ebbsfleet International Station in Kent as a “parkway” for its services.
Ebbsfleet did previously serve international routes, but these were suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and never returned.
Currently, only Southeastern use the station for high-speed trains on HS1.
The operator’s decision to locate its terminus in East London would also capture around 18 million people from nearby areas.
Ultimately, Gemini Trains, created by Tony Berkeley, a Labour peer in the House of Lords, claims it will have “competitive fares on comfortable high-quality and frequent train services between the UK and continental Europe “.
Uber would then handle the ticketing for their trains via its app and each train would have Uber branding, similar to the Thames Clipper boats in London.
If Gemini wins the license, services could start as early as 2029.
Uber is also not new to the train industry, launching the ability for its app users to book inter-city train services in the UK two years ago.
A number of other companies have also joined the race to launch cross-channel services that will rival Eurostar.
For example, Richard Branson ‘s Virgin Trains recently signed a deal with Alstom, a French train manufacturer, for 12 high-speed trains to be used for a cross-channel service.
Virgin already has funding for the services, which it plans to launch by 2030 and would run from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Another company, Trenitalia, is planning to launch high-speed trains through the channel as well, by 2029, in partnership with Spanish startup Evolyn.
Andrew Brem, Uber UK’s general manager said back in May; “We’ve seen amazing momentum since we began launching new modes of transport in the UK, and this collaboration with Gemini Trains is our latest step in how we’re helping people get where they want to go.”
Adrian Quine, CEO of Gemini, added: “Innovation and value are at the very heart of what we do so it’s really exciting to be teaming up with Uber, an instantly recognisable global brand which has revolutionised the travel industry.
“Now passengers will be able to enjoy the same value and comfort on brand new ‘cutting edge’ trains at the touch of a button.”
Eurostar also recently announced it will launch direct trains to two new European countries with a huge £1.7billion new fleet.
Plus, the operator re-launched a popular route, but only for one month.
