Train journeys between London and Paris could be slashed to under two hours by airlines setting up rival services to compete with the Eurostar.

Firms including Air France are desperate to break into the increasingly lucrative market and believe they can make the journey time even shorter. Fares could also fall.

A new generation of trains is being introduced which are capable of carrying 900 passengers at an average speed of 224mph, 38mph faster than the current TGVs.