Stratford International: government backs Channel Tunnel train stops

By the TrainsNews newsroom · 30 October 2026

The UK government has backed plans to let international trains stop at Stratford International, the east London station on the Channel Tunnel high-speed line that has never had a service to mainland Europe. The announcement came with the Budget on 28 October 2026. No date and no dedicated funding for the station have been set.

What was announced

According to Newham Council, the local authority for Stratford, the government announced its support on 28 October. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the government "will help us to bring cross-channel rail services to Stratford International". The council says trains to Europe could run "as early as 2030", and Newham's mayor, Forhad Hussain, puts the journey from Stratford to central Paris at about two and a half hours.

In its regional Budget fact sheet, HM Treasury lists Stratford among the areas that could benefit from a Business Rates Retention Zone, which lets part of the local business rates income be kept locally to fund projects.

What is still needed

According to Rail Business UK, Stratford still needs border and security controls and facilities for international passengers. Cross-Channel services are commercial, so the government cannot require any operator to stop there.

Rail Business UK also reports that Eurostar has no plans for Stratford and remains focused on St Pancras, but does not object to another operator using it. Virgin, which plans services to Europe from St Pancras from 2030, says it is open to a Stratford stop. Start-up Gemini Trains wants Stratford as its London terminal for Paris, Brussels and later Cologne, but the regulator has allocated the limited space at Temple Mills depot, where Channel Tunnel trains are maintained, to Virgin.

Our expert view

For a train through the Channel Tunnel, a stop is about more than a platform. For trains leaving London, French passport checks and security screening take place before boarding, in a closed-off area of the station. Without that kind of facility at Stratford, an international train cannot pick up passengers there. The real test is who pays for those facilities, and whether an operator commits to stopping.

Sources: Newham Council, 28 October 2026; HM Treasury, Budget 2026 regional fact sheet; Rail Business UK, 29 October 2026.

Read next: our London to Paris by Eurostar guide.