[category]
[title]
In just a few years Eurostar’s three-decade monopoly over the Channel Tunnel will come to an end. Several rail operators across Europe, from Evolyn in Spain to Virgin Trains in the UK, have been part of a battle to be the first to compete with the cross-Channel service.
And at the moment, it looks as though Italy’s state-owned railway Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) will win the race. First, it found a way around having to use train storage facilities in the UK and now, it’s put in a €2 billion (£1.7 billion) order for vehicles.
FS Group, through its subsidiary Trenitalia France, has now signed an agreement with Hitachi Rail for the supply of 19 new high-speed trains. Those trains will be the core fleet for the group’s London to Paris route, scheduled to launch in 2029 (Virgin Trains is aiming to launch its own service in 2030).
Each vehicle promises ‘next-generation’ wi-fi connectivity, an on-board bistro and interiors designed to ‘provide an even more comfortable travel experience across all classes of service’.
The group is currently building an €80 million facility at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour (just outside of Paris) to store the vehicles. It says that the fleet will also strengthen Trenitalia France’s existing routes from the French capital to Lyon, Milan and Marseille.
Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO of FS Italiane Group, said that the new trains and the maintenance hub are ‘fundamental elements for the launch of the Paris–London connection, a project that is central to our vision of the “Metro of Europe”, the integrated high-speed network that will increasingly connect Europe’s major cities’.
ICYMI: A new direct sleeper train is set to go from Scotland to Europe.
Plus: A brand-new ferry route connecting England and France is launching in just a few weeks.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.