Eurostar orders first double-decker trains

Eurostar, the cross-channel rail operator, has placed a €2bn order from manufacturer Alstom, with plans to run double-decker high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel for the first time

Artist’s impression of Eurostar “Celestia”

Order: 30 trains, with option for 20 more, eventually increasing size of Eurostar’s fleet by nearly one third

CELESTIA
Family name: Avelia Horizon
Length: 200m
Max speed: 320km/h
Capacity: 540 seats or 1,080 in two-train formation – 20% more than biggest existing trains
First services: 2031
Height: 4.33 metres – just 16cm higher than current E320 model

EUROSTAR ROUTES
Eurostar recently announced expansion plan that includes new routes to Geneva and Frankfurt from London

COMPETITION
Emerging competitors to Eurostar on cross-channel high-speed routes include Spanish start-up Evolyn, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, and new partnership between Gemini Trains and Uber

Paris
London
Lille
Geneva
Frankfurt
Brussels
Cologne
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Current
Proposed

Sources: Eurostar, Alstom, Railway Gazette, BBC
Picture: Eurostar
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