Deutsche Bahn is publicly confident that its application for approval for its ICE trains will be successful and that services to London can begin in late 2013.

However, intense opposition from the French Government in support for Alstom and its failed bid to build the new high-speed fleet for Eurostar has previously threatened to stop this progress.

A series of decisions this summer seems to have all but resolved the deadlock, with Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn now both set to make more use of the Tunnel infrastructure, using Siemens’ ICE trains.

This can only be a good thing for passengers, and for the European rail industry more widely. London to Frankfurt will doubtlessly prove a lucrative route – and, who knows, once HS2 is constructed, maybe Manchester or Glasgow to Frankfurt could too.