Eurostar is eyeing new services to Europe, its Chief Executive has said, amid high demand and a race to bring new routes and connections to market across the continent. But rail users will have to wait until the cross-channel rail operator has renewed and expanded its fleet.
Fleet to increase by 30%
Reported by the Financial Times, Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said fleet expansion would precede any new routes which would probably not be announced before next year. But to that end the company will be ordering 50 new trains as part of a bid to increase annual passenger numbers from 18.6m in 2023 to 30m by 2030. Taking into account retired trains, the fleet overall would increase by 30% by then.
With a new fleet we will study new routes, new European routes. I think by the end of the year or early 2025 we will be able to say more.
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar
Among the routes under consideration, according to the FT, are London to Europe connections in addition to the current services between London, Lille, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Race to market for rail firms
With only 400 trains a day using the Channel Tunnel, despite a capacity of 1,000, a flurry of other train operators have intentions on pan-European rail development. That includes Dutch firm, Heuro, which is aiming for 15 daily return services between London and Amsterdam, to compete with Eurostar’s four direct services. Evolyn is working towards a London – Paris route. Virgin is also said to be interested in the European sector.
Cazenave acknowledged the competition: “It’s a race. The sooner the better,” she said, noting again that everything hangs on the delivery of new stock. “The market is pushing so hard, that we really need to see which manufacturer is going to be able to be ready as quick as possible.”
Prioritising customer experience and comfort
While a manufacturer has not yet been confirmed, the new trains would need to “set the standards for customer experience and comfort” a spokesperson said, adding that the firm is set to “explore whether the new fleet can be interoperable across the entire Eurostar network”.
UK Eurostar users will be disappointed however that, according to Cazenave, there are no plans to reinstate stops at Ashford or Ebbsfleet, which were eliminated during the financial stresses of the Covid-19 crisis. The operator’s 2023 annual revenue was made public this month, with revenue at €2 billion (£1.72bn), a 26% increase on 2022.
