Eurostar


is
planning
three
new
routes,
two
of
them
from
London.
The
British
services
will
connect
the
UK
capital
with
Frankfurt
and
Geneva,
while
the
third
will
link
Amsterdam
and
Brussels
with
Geneva.

Their
introduction
depends
on
a
new
fleet
of
up
to
50
trains
by
the
early
2030s,
which
will
need
an
investment
of
around
€2
billion.

The
news
of
Eurostar’s
expansion
comes
as
other
operators
compete
for
paths
on
HS1
from
London,
although
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
says
the
capacity
of
Temple
Mills
depot
is
limited.
Unless
it
is
enlarged
or
there
is
a
new
depot,
only
one
further
operator
can
be
accommodated.

Eurostar
says
its
passenger
numbers
rose
to
more
than
19.5
million
in
2024,
which
was
an
increase
of
5
per
cent.
Revenue
was
up
by
2
per
cent,
to
€2.0
billion
(£1.7
billion),
although
its
bank
debt
was
€650
million
at
the
end
of
last
year.

Its
busiest
route
is
still
London-Paris,
which
carried
more
than
280,000
passengers
last
year.

Eurostar
CEO
Gwendoline
Cazenave
said:
‘We’re
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.’

Alain
Krakovitch
is
president
of
the
Eurostar
Groupand
director
of
TGV-INTERCITÉS
at
Eurostar’s
major
shareholder,
SNCF
Voyageurs.
He
added:
‘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.’

British
transport
secretary
Heidi
Alexander
has
welcomed
the
development,
saying:
‘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
countries
across
Europe,
creating
more
opportunities
to
travel,
work,
and
socialise.’

Do
you
have
a
comment?
Please
click here  to
send
an
email
to
Platform
at
Railnews.

Moderated
comments
will
be
published
on
this
site,
and
may
also
be
used
in
the
next
print
edition.