Overview
- Alstom confirmed an initial order for 30 Avelia Horizon trains with options for 20 more under a €2bn agreement.
- First deliveries are scheduled for January 2031 with commercial services starting in May 2031, and each 200‑metre set will seat about 540 passengers.
- In 400‑metre formations the double‑deck Celestia trains will offer roughly 1,080 seats per service, about a 20% capacity increase versus today’s largest sets.
- The trains will form the first major double‑deck passenger fleet to operate on UK rails, enabled by HS1 and the Channel Tunnel’s continental loading gauge.
- Eurostar will redevelop London’s Temple Mills depot with an €80m investment creating about 350 jobs, as the UK regulator prepares a decision on depot access sought by Virgin, FS Italiane and Gemini for future cross‑Channel services including planned links to Frankfurt and Geneva.