22. In 1991 seven Regional Eurostar train sets for daytime international services were ordered at a cost of £180 million by European Passenger Services Limited. Although the necessary train paths along the East and West Coast Main Lines have been secured, the Regional train sets have never been used for that purpose.
23. Regional Eurostar feeder services began operation in May 1995 with a daily service from Manchester at 07.37 and one from Edinburgh at 08.30. These services were available only to international passengers connecting at Waterloo. Although the fares added only £10-£20 to the cost of the inter-capital fare, the services were not well patronised, attracting only 30-40 passengers each way daily and were withdrawn in 1997.
24. In 1998, ICRR was appointed to take over day to day management of Eurostar UK and to report on the viability of Regional Eurostar services. Its report, delivered in November 1998, supported Eurostar UK's view that such services were not commercially viable. In 2000, the British Railways Board reviewed its plan for international regional services as it was obliged under Section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987 to keep the plan up to date. This review concluded that Regional Eurostar services would be heavily loss making and that there were no economic, environmental or social grounds for providing a public subsidy.
25. The Government gave permission for Eurostar UK to lease three Regional Eurostar train sets to Great North Eastern Railway for use on the East Coast Main Line. This makes use of currently unused assets and provides much needed extra capacity on the East Coast Main Line, thereby benefiting regional passengers wishing to travel to London and beyond. The deal is short-term and therefore does not prevent the introduction of a Regional Eurostar service in the future. In the meantime, the remaining four train sets are housed in a depot in west London.