Overview
- Eurostar signed a framework with Alstom for 30 Avelia Horizon trains with options for 20 more, branded Eurostar Celestia and to be built in France.
- The double-deck fleet will be the first to run on the UK mainland and through the Channel Tunnel, offering about 20% more seats, a lower floor and a height increase of 16cm.
- Initial units are due to arrive in January 2031, with passenger services launching in May 2031 and full fleet deliveries continuing into the mid‑2030s.
- Eurostar plans an €80m redevelopment of its Temple Mills depot in London to maintain the new trains and create roughly 350 jobs, with the ORR expected to rule on rival access by the end of October.
- The order supports planned routes to Frankfurt and Geneva and would lift the fleet to 67 trains for roughly a 30% capacity increase, as competitors including Virgin, FS Italiane and Gemini seek entry to cross‑Channel services.