Letter: Eurostar should fit platforms

Eurostar should

fit platforms

Sir: If I understand correctly, Eurostar is unable to run services north of Euston as originally planned because its trains damage overhead lines (report, 28 April).

Eurostar also had the problem of its trains being bigger than normal British trains and so various platforms were shaved - at public expense - to fit them. It now sounds as though the public (whether fare- or tax- paying makes little difference) have to meet the cost of adaptations to overhead lines and signalling on every major route where Eurostar wishes to run.

Surely when Eurostar bought the trains, it would have been simple enough to specify that the trains should run in Britain. Changing everything else to suit the trains rather than changing the trains to suit existing infrastructure sounds a bit like putting the private cart before the public horse.

DAVID H McLEAN

London N4