Eurostar has placed a firm order for 30 new double-decker high-speed trains from Alstom, with options for a further 20 units, representing a total investment of approximately €2 billion. The order marks a significant milestone in the operator’s strategy to grow annual passenger numbers to 30 million.
The new fleet, which Eurostar has branded “Celestia”, will be based on Alstom’s Avelia Horizon platform and represents the first time double-decker high-speed trains will operate through the Channel Tunnel and on the UK rail network. First deliveries are scheduled for January 2031, with commercial services commencing in May of that year.
Each 200-metre trainset is expected to accommodate around 540 passengers, representing a 20 per cent increase in capacity compared with Eurostar’s current rolling stock. When operated in the 400-metre formations typically used through the Channel Tunnel, capacity would reach approximately 1,080 seats per service.
The four-voltage trains will be interoperable across all five countries currently served by Eurostar – France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom – as well as planned new destinations including Geneva and Frankfurt. The fleet will operate alongside Eurostar’s existing 17 e320 trainsets, bringing total fleet size to 67 units, a 30 per cent increase on current capacity.
The entire fleet will be maintained at Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot in east London, which will undergo development costing approximately €80 million to accommodate the new trains. The expansion is expected to create around 350 highly skilled engineering and maintenance positions, adding to the 450 staff already based at the facility. More than half of Eurostar’s workforce is UK-based.
Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar’s chief executive, described the order as “the concrete realisation of Eurostar’s ambitious growth strategy” and emphasised the significance of bringing double-decker trains to UK operations for the first time.
The Avelia Horizon platform features two compact power cars and nine articulated double-deck carriages, capable of speeds exceeding 320 km/h. Alstom claims the design delivers 20 per cent energy savings compared with the previous generation through improved aerodynamics and optimised traction systems. The trains will comprise 97 per cent recyclable components, with 25 per cent manufactured from recycled materials.
Maintenance costs are projected to be 30 per cent lower than previous-generation trains, achieved through redesigned components that extend service intervals and reduce downtime. Predictive maintenance capabilities have been integrated from the design stage, with remote diagnostics systems to anticipate maintenance requirements.
Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Alstom’s chief executive officer, said the order confirmed Eurostar’s commitment to combining “technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort” whilst embodying the manufacturer’s vision of sustainable European mobility.
The order forms part of the framework contract between SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom, which now totals 145 trains including 100 for domestic French services and 45 for European operations. Alstom values the Eurostar tranche at close to €1.4 billion.
Ten of Alstom’s 14 French sites will participate in manufacturing, including Belfort for power cars, La Rochelle for passenger cars and project management, and Villeurbanne for control systems. The company has previously announced €150 million of investment to increase production capacity at French facilities to meet growing demand for its Avelia platform.
The design process has involved input from passenger and accessibility groups, alongside 100 Eurostar team members, with accessibility and universal access principles forming core elements of the specification.
More than 1,000 Avelia-platform trains currently operate across 25 countries, with Alstom positioning the range as the broadest high-speed offering on the market, covering maximum speeds from 200 km/h to 350 km/h in various configurations.
