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eurostar has announced its plans to operate double-decker trains in the UK for the first time.
The rail operator will buy 50 double-decker trains to use to connect its entire network london st pancras with Paris, brussels And amsterdam Through the Channel Tunnel.
A two billion euro (£1.7 billion) deal has been signed with French manufacturer Alstom to build the trains at the factories. FranceWhere the manufacturer is headquartered.
eurostar has placed an initial order for 30 trains and has an option for an additional 20 trains.
Fully electric fleet to be named eurostar Celestia, which is derived from the Latin word celestis, meaning “heavenly”.
Compared to the operator’s existing fleet of 17 single-decker Siemens-built E320s, the new trains will have 20 percent more seats, a lower floor and are 16 cm higher.
Double-decker trains do not have twice as many seats as single-deckers because of the space required for internal stairs.
The format of the new trains has not been decided.
They will be operated by an addition of e320s, meaning Eurostar will have 67 trains.
Eurostar has announced plans to add services from St Pancras to both Frankfurt and Geneva in the coming years.
It is scheduled to receive Celestia trains in January 2031, with commercial services starting the following May.
These trains will be the first major fleet of double-deckers on UK railways.
Limited testing of two double-decker SR Class 4DD trains was conducted for the services. London between Dartford and Charing Cross in the 1950s and 1960s, but they were withdrawn in 1971 because they were considered too cramped and expensive to maintain.
Double-decker trains are a common sight on the continent, but much of Britain’s rail network is unable to accommodate them, due to problems such as bridges not being high enough and the distance between rail tracks.
But the high-speed line between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel was built to European standards, enabling it to be used by higher trains.
Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency that the company awarded the contract to Alstom because it wanted to get the special trains “as quickly as possible”, ensuring it is “leading the race” to meet the growing demand for international train travel.
The “milestone order” is part of Eurostar’s “ambitious growth strategy” to reach 30 million passengers a year, up from 19.5 million in 2024, he said.
Ms Cazenaway said passengers would enjoy a “special experience”, which would include enhancements such as more legroom and additional areas for bike and wheelchair users.
He said it would also feature “surprise locations”, about which he did not provide further details.
Passengers in all classes of travel will be able to choose between a seat on the upper deck or lower deck, with no difference in price.
Alstom Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the announcement reflects Eurostar’s desire to “combine technical performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort”.
He added: “This new generation train, designed to meet the demands of international high-speed traffic, embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility.”
Eurostar plans to maintain the fleet and its existing trains at its Temple Mills depot in the east. LondonWhich will be developed at a cost of approximately 80 million euros (£70 million).
The operator is expected to face competition in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel for the first time in its history.
Rail and Road Office It is expected that a decision will be announced in the coming weeks as to which company should be given access to the Temple Mills depot, which is vital to running services.
Companies developing plans to launch rival cross-Channel services include billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Italy’s state-owned railway company FS Italiano Group and Gemini Trains, which is chaired by Labor peer Lord Berkeley.
Eurostar is majority owned by the French state railway company SNCF,
The UK sold its stake in the operator to private companies in 2015 for £757 million.