Train Trouble

EU: Lower Eurostar Prices, or Else

Threatens France and Britain with fines.

Want to pay next to nothing for your blazing fast trip under the English Channel? The European Commission is going to bat for you. The Commission on Thursday threatened to fine France and Great Britain, the two main end points of the Eurostar, if they don’t deal with the illegally high track-access fees through the Channel Tunnel that are jacking up prices on the high-speed line. Under European law, track fees are only allowed to cover track wear caused by trains, and prices are currently about twice as high as they should be. The Commission said only 43 percent of the tunnel’s train capacity is used because of the illegal fees, and that its operators could make up the cost with more freight traffic.