Striking workers in Belgium have seen virtually all Eurostar services to the country cancelled, as industrial action moves into a second day. Also in the Channel Tunnel, Deutsche Bahn has successfully completed its first safety test, sending an ICE3 train from France to London as it seeks to launch a commercial service.

Train manufacturer Alstom has criticised a Eurostar decision to purchase trains from rival Siemens, suggesting safety in the Channel Tunnel could be jeopardized. Eurostar yesterday confirmed it would invest £700 million in ten new e320 trains, which can carry 900 passengers at speeds of 200 mph.

German railway operator Deutsche Bahn has confirmed it will test its high-speed ICE-3 train in the Channel Tunnel as it considers expanding its European services. Scheduled for October, the test will allow the company to explore the possibility of establishing a link between the financial centres of London and Frankfurt.

Deutsche Bahn is to buy UK train and bus operator Arriva for £1.59bn in a deal that will create one of Europe’s largest transport groups. The move comes as part of the German group’s plans to expand beyond its domestic market, as well as a shift towards consolidation within European transport.

Five years after the collapse of Project Jupiter, another attempt has begun to transform Eurostar from an unincorporated tri-national partnership into a single coherent entity. The operator confirmed last month that negotiations were underway to position the business ready for the introduction of competition in the international passenger sector from January 1 2010.