Lower fees to be charged to firms using HS1 line

The High Speed 1 line is used by Eurostar, Southeastern and freight trains

Train companies which use a high speed rail line that runs through Kent will be charged less to use the track from April, a regulator has announced.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) announced the amount paid by operators to use the High Speed 1 (HS1) line for five years from April 2025 should be cut by 10.4%.

HS1 is used by Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, domestic Southeastern services between London and Kent and freight trains heading to and from the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar trains currently run straight through Kent but do not stop in the county. They used to serve Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.

The line is owned by a group of private investors.

The ORR ordered it to lower access charges after carrying out a review of the company's latest spending plans.

It stated: "The company is being directed to reduce its charges for renewing its track assets and its stations, including St Pancras.

"ORR was able to identify specific areas in the company's spending plans where further improvements can be made, resulting in savings to passenger and freight train operators.

"ORR's view is that better management of the track and station assets can result in lower charges, ultimately benefiting customers."

Feras Alshaker, the ORR's director for planning and performance, said: "Our review of HS1 Ltd's spending plans has resulted in significantly lower costs for train operators.

"Although HS1's original plans were good, the company must now change specific areas of those plans to account for our decisions."

HS1 Ltd chief strategy and regulation officer, Mattias Bjornfors, said: "We are pleased to see the ORR's positive endorsement for our plan for the next five years.

"Our plan for 2025-2030 includes proposals to enhance efficiency and reduce the cost of operating the high-speed line, incorporating innovations like track deterioration modelling to better target renewal investments."

Additional reporting by PA Media.