Eurostar has unveiled the first of its new fleet of trains that will reduce journey times for thousands of passengers from London to Paris.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary at an event at London’s St Pancras, the Channel Tunnel high-speed train company announced that the new trains would go into service in 2015.
The e320 trains, so-called because they can reach speeds of up to 320km/h (200mph), are capable of carrying 900 passengers and will offer free WiFi throughout the journey beneath the English Channel.
The trains are also “inter-operable”, which means that they have the ability to operate across diverse European signalling systems, opening up the potential for a whole range of new direct services between the UK and numerous new European cities in the future.
The company announced that a new year-round direct service would begin in May 2015 to Provence, France, stopping off at Lyon, Avignon and Marseille. That will be followed at the end of 2016 by the launch of a direct route to Amsterdam with stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport along the way.
Eurostar Chief Executive Nicolas Petrovic said:
“Having had ten consecutive years of growth, we are seeing a record demand for our services and the addition of new trains to our fleet will be key to our growth ambitions. With just one year to go until our new e320 train comes into service, our passengers will soon see a complete transformation of our service. The combination of bold design, chic interiors and WiFi connectivity will raise the bar, providing an unprecedented level of style and comfort for our customers.”
The company also revealed that it was ordering an additional seven trains, beyond the ten already ordered from German firm Siemens in a £550 million deal.
