The European Commission took action today to break a monopoly on a high-speed rail network between France, Belgium and Britain, as it won a pledge from existing market incumbents to drop barriers to outside competitors, according to dpa. The European Union's executive arm, the bloc's highest competition authority, had been asked to approve the creation of "New Eurostar" - a joint venture between the French, Belgian and British state railway companies, which also control the Eurostar service between London, Paris and Brussels. The commission gave the project a green light, but only after the three companies committed themselves to facilitating "the entry of new rail operators on the London-Brussels and London-Paris routes," a statement said. A spokeswoman for Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the action was taken in light of the EU's decision to liberalise international rail services as of January 1, 2010. "In the future, we expect more diversification of services, more choice for consumers, more innovation and lower prices as a result of greater competition," Amelia Torres said. As an example, she raised the prospect of "passengers being able to travel from Frankfurt to London or from Madrid to London without changing trains." The commission specifically insisted that potential newcomers to the Eurostar rail network should be able to use station infrastructure and access passenger information currently in the hands of the "New Eurostar" joint venture. The incumbent companies also pledged to be ready to make space for rivals in their Eurostar timetables.
