Is Eurostar's long monopoly about to end (and is this good news for travelers?)

Plus, more reasons to eschew flights, and new Edith Piaf biopic to (creepily?) exploit AI

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I humbly apologize for what’s turned out to be a rather long lag between exclusive posts. I plan to make it up to you this coming month with some juicy extra features and reviews. Stay tuned.

But cutting straight to the point: As much as I’ve been a vocal cheerleader for the Eurostar over the years (here are a few reasons why), I was excited to learn this week that their nearly-30-year monopoly over train transport in the Eurotunnel— connecting London and Paris beneath the English channel— is finally about to end.

Not one, but two separate companies are plotting high-speed rail services connecting Paris, London and Amsterdam, which should hopefully make it easier than ever to choose trains over flights for these routes.

Spanish company Evolyn is slated to open a Paris-London service as early as 2025, having purchased 12 high-speed trains from transport giant Alstom. The trains will run between London St. Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord stations, as the current Eurostar service does.