What's going on with the service? It depends which trains and what times you are looking at - Eurostar is very expensive in times of high demand because the cheap tickets get snapped up but can be relatively affordable if you choose less popular times.

The high cost of Eurostar tickets between London and Paris is driven by a lack of competition and extremely high track access charges. Eurostar is currently the only high-speed operator using the Channel Tunnel, giving it a de facto monopoly on the route. Furthermore, the fees paid to Getlink (the tunnel operator) and the various national rail infrastructures (HS1 in the UK and SNCF in France) are among the highest in the world; a single train can pay over £15,000 just to pass through the tunnel. Additionally, the requirement for juxtaposed border controls—where passengers must clear both UK and French immigration before boarding—limits the number of passengers the stations can process per hour, keeping supply low while demand for the "3-hour city-to-city" link remains sky-high. In 2026, while new competitors like Evolyn have announced plans to enter the market, the infrastructure costs remain a massive barrier to "budget" pricing on this specific corridor.