Double decker trains could run to London, according to rolling stock builder Alstom, which has supplied two-deck TGVs to countries like France for many years.

The British structure gauge is smaller than on continental Europe and could not accommodate such trains, but HS1 and the international platforms at London St Pancras were built to the more generous UIC GB+ profile. Larger single deck trains are already being run to London by Eurostar, because since HS1 opened in full in 2007 they no longer need to use any part of the British domestic network.

Alstom’s CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge told the Financial Times that double decked trains would increase traffic on routes between London and the continent, although they would need regulatory approval, which might take ‘some years’.

He continued: ‘The double-decker train has a lot of advantages. It’s a very high-speed train with the lowest cost per seat and the highest capacity.

‘We can propose through the tunnel. Whether it’s Eurostar or other competitors, we’ll see.’

There have been proposals in the past to convert parts of the British network to a larger structure gauge, but they have all foundered on objections about costs and practicality.

A plan to enlarge the commuter routes from London Waterloo was rejected because of the scale of work which would have been needed, while there were also doubts about the effects on station dwell times of more passengers using the same number of doors. Instead, it was decided to improve capacity by running more conventional 10- and 12-car trains.

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