The prospect of being able to catch a train from London to Europe within 15 minutes of arriving at St Pancras has been raised by the station’s boss. Robert Sinclair said the international rail market was on the “cusp” of major expansion due to the wish of younger travellers to avoid more polluting air travel and the popularity of the TV show Race Across The World. “Our plans are to have a turn-up-and-go experience, so you can arrive 15 minutes before departure and get on your train,” he told a media briefing. The BBC1 hit show, which is due to return in April, showcases how contestants can travel vast distances by bus or rail for a fraction of the cost of the equivalent plane ticket. Mr Sinclair, chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed, formerly known as HS1, made his comments as the firm – which owns the station and the HS1 high-speed route to the Channel Tunnel - announced a series of incentives to encourage the growth of cross-channel services. Asked by The Standard whether Race Across The World was behind the growing popularity of international rail travel, Mr Sinclair said: “It’s part of it – the ‘don’t get on a plane’ [stance]. “I genuinely believe that younger people are the future. More and more of them are going to want to travel in a responsible way. We are just starting to really tap into that market. “This is not just my view. It’s the view of the [rail] operators we speak to. It’s the view of Eurostar.” He said forthcoming capacity increases at St Pancras that will speed-up security and border checks could enable passengers to board a train, whether operated by Eurostar or a rival operator, 15 minutes after arriving at the station. “That is part of our plan over the next three or four years,” he said. “We have plans for a step change in capacity that will increase the current throughput of 2,000 passengers an hour to around 5,000 an hour by 2029/30.” Three firms have already declared an interest in competing with Eurostar by running new services out of St Pancras through the Channel tunnel. These are Virgin, Evolyn and Gemini. Other firms are said to be making plans in private. Earlier this week the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road said there was spare capacity to allow another operator to share the Government-owned depot at Temple Mills in Leyton that is used by Eurostar – though this was disputed by Eurostar. There is 50 per cent spare capacity on the high-speed link between St Pancras and Folkestone and the possibility of doubling the number of passenger trains using the tunnel from two to four an hour. Eurostar, which already carries 11m passengers a year in and of St Pancras, is already planning to run more trains, and has announced plans for a fourth London-Amsterdam service later this year and a fifth in 2026. It said that the incentives would help it to add more services and could enable greater investment in the “customer experience” at St Pancras - but that any reduction in fares would need further consideration. A Eurostar spokesperson said: “With a new fleet of 50 trains coming for customers and bold ambitions to grow to 30 million passengers, Eurostar welcomes any incentives which enable more sustainable international travel and support our plans to run more services. “Our ambitions are why we’re also investing in key international stations like St Pancras and the Temple Mills depot to create more space. We will now study the draft in detail and take part in HS1’s consultation on growing cross-channel rail.” A Virgin Group spokesperson said: “Full-steam ahead for competition as another barrier is lifted on the cross-Channel route. “London St Pancras Highspeed is working hard to unlock competition on the cross-Channel route and the new International Growth Incentive Scheme is a welcome step in the right direction. It will stimulate choice and encourage both new and established operators to be dynamic and creative. “Today’s announcement means Virgin can further accelerate its plans, which is great news for consumers on both sides of the Channel as they will finally get the choice and breadth of service they deserve. Virgin looks forward to sharing its plans in more detail in due course. Watch this space!” The incentives offered by London St Pancras Highspeed to rail firms would be over a three-year period and be available until 2035 – paving the way for new entrants to receive a financial boost. Discounts would be offered for new services, new trains, new destinations and new intermediate stations – including Stratford International and Ashford and Ebbsfleet stations in Kent. Eurostar trains have never stopped at Stratford International. It stopped using Ebbsfleet and Ashford International at the start of the pandemic and has been reluctant to restart operations at either. But there has been political pressure for greater use of Stratford International. New destinations could potentially include Zurich, Geneva and Marseilles, Mr Sinclair said. The discounts could be worth £40m to £60m over three years and could reduce the £7,600-per-train fee currently paid by Eurostar by about £2,000 to £3,000. The incentive scheme is planned to start on May 30. The discounts would not be available to Southeastern, which operates high-speed domestic services on the HS1 line from St Pancras to the Kent coast. Mr Sinclair, a New Zealander who was previously the chief executive of London City airport for six years, said: “Never before in the history of high speed rail in the UK have we seen this much interest in growth and the potential for competition. “We could see a 50 per cent increase or more in train services in the next few years – more choice for passengers, more destinations, lower ticket prices and lower emissions. “The European high speed network is expanding significantly. Our high-speed line is 50 per cent empty. “Can you imagine Heathrow 50 per cent empty with the only airline being British Airways? That is what we are looking at now, in terms of the opportunity.” However, there remain “significant barriers” to entry into the cross-Channel rail market, not least the time it takes to order new trains able to meet the requirements of running through the tunnel. Such trains cannot be “bought off the shelf” – meaning it will probably be three to four years at the earliest before any rival to Eurostar starts operating from London. Mr Sinclair said: “We want to make high-speed rail the preferred way to get to Europe. “We are seeing clear evidence that people are choosing the train even if it takes longer. That radius of three to four hours [on a train] is moving up to five to six hours, if people can get there on a climate-friendly service.”