EUROSTAR announced on October 22 that it will invest €2bn to order up to 50 double-deck Avelia Horizon high-speed trains from Alstom. Under the framework agreement between Alstom and Eurostar’s parent SNCF Passenger, Eurostar has confirmed an order for 30 trains with an option for 20 more.
The high-speed operator says that production slots have been guaranteed by Alstom for all 50 trains. The first trains are due to be delivered in January 2031, with six entering service in May of that year.
Once all 50 are delivered, the new Alstom fleet will operate alongside 17 e320 Siemens Velaro high-speed trains, with the total fleet of 67 cross-Channel trains representing “a 30% uplift overall versus today,” according to Eurostar. On services to and from London, Eurostar also currently operates eight e300 high-speed trains supplied by Alstom for the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994.
Eurostar says the new 200m-long trains will be a bespoke design derived from Alstom’s Avelia Horizon platform. As well as on High Speed 1 in Britain, they will be capable of operating in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, to be deployed on new Eurostar services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva.
Subject to final design, each 200m double-deck train is expected to have around 540 seats, representing a 20% increase in capacity per train compared with the existing fleet. Two trains operating in multiple would provide 1080 seats for a total length of 400m, matching the length of Eurostar’s current cross-Channel fleet.
Eurostar says that the new fleet has been designed with sustainability and accessibility at its core, with input from passenger and accessibility groups as well as 100 Eurostar employees. The new trains will be the most sustainable ever operated by Eurostar, according to the company, featuring 97% recyclable components with 25% made from recycled materials.
The new trains are expected to reduce energy consumption by between 20% and 50%, and have been designed to withstand the impact of climate change in order to ensure long-term resilience, according to Eurostar.
The new fleet will be known as Eurostar Celestia, a name selected by Eurostar employees and derived from the Latin word caelestis, meaning heavenly. “It evokes the stars and the essence of travel,” Eurostar says, “perfectly capturing the spirit of a company that links a constellation of cities across Europe.”
Eurostar plans to maintain the entire fleet at its Temple Mills International (TMI) depot in east London, which would be upgraded to accommodate the new trains at a cost of €80m. Eurostar says that this will create 350 new highly-skilled jobs at the depot, which already employs 450 people.
Seeking to compete with Eurostar in the cross-Channel market, prospective new entrants Evolyn, Gemini Trains, Trenitalia France and Virgin have all applied for access to TMI as the only depot capable of maintaining high-speed trains operating to London. In its representations to regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which is expected to announce its decision by October 31, Eurostar has rejected an assessment commissioned by ORR that says there is sufficient capacity at TMI to accommodate another operator.
“Customers can expect a very special new train with Eurostar Celestia, which will offer exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed,” says Eurostar CEO, Gwendoline Cazenave.
“We’re particularly proud to bring double-deck trains to the UK for the very first time.”
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