Eurostar says that the fleet of up to 50 trains will be in service from early 2030s
Faced with rising competition for train services from London to Paris and other European destinations passing through the English Channel, train operator Eurostar has announced plans to renew its fleet and expand network.
In a press statement, the train operator said that it had achieved positive year-end results and growth for the third year running and that now it was adding brand-new destinations to add to its network for which it will deploy new sets of trains that will be added to its fleet.
Eurostar says that the fleet of up to 50 trains will be in service from early 2030s and is planned to operate three new direct routes, which Eurostar will now work with partners on London–Frankfurt, London–Geneva and Amsterdam/Brussels–Geneva routes.
The statement adds that in the shorter term, the successful re-instatement of direct services between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in February 2025 will see a fourth daily service added from September 9 and a fifth from mid-December.
Gwendoline Cazenave
Eurostar says that despite a challenging economic climate, driven by high inflation and increases in fixed costs, Eurostar achieved an Earning Before Interest Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of EUR 346 million due to growth in passengers travelling and focussed cost management.
It says that reflecting the continued demand for international rail travel across Europe, passenger numbers rose to over 19.5 million, marking a 5 pc year-on-year increase. This brings Eurostar closer to its ambitious target or carrying 30 million passengers annually.
It adds that to support this growth, the company will invest approximately EUR 2 billion in up to 50 new trains which will all be able to operate across its whole network. The new trains will operate alongside Eurostar’s current fleet of 17 e320s, bringing its total fleet to 67 trains, reflecting a 30 pc increase on today.
“We are seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality, notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here,” says Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO, Eurostar.
Alain Krakovitch
“2024 is an exceptional year, crowned by the successes of the Olympic Games. Eurostar is in good shape to serve 30 million passengers and the ambition to develop our European services remains strong,” says Alain Krakovitch, President, Eurostar Group, Director, TGV-Intercités at SNCF Voyageurs.
“I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.”
“Last month, I signed a landmark agreement to deliver a direct rail link between London and Switzerland, paving the way for direct commercial services. Today’s announcement by Eurostar shows that the government’s plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise,” says Heidi Alexander, British Transport Secretary.
Eurostar says that it currently operates in five countries, namely the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Germany and its strongest-performing routes in 2024 included London–Paris with an increase of 280,000 passengers in the year, followed by London–Brussels that rose by over 250,000 passengers, its Paris–Brussels traffic rose by over 160,000 passengers and the Paris–Netherlands by over 140,000 passengers in 2024.
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