Overview
- Eurostar’s order totals 50 trains with 30 firm and 20 options worth about €2 billion, with the bespoke Eurostar Celestia entering service in 2031.
- SNCF Voyageurs approved an additional 30 Avelia Horizon very‑high‑speed trains for nearly €1.4 billion to support international operations.
- Eurostar projects a fleet of 67 trains, roughly a 30% increase, with each Celestia carrying more than 540 passengers to underpin growth toward 30 million travelers a year.
- The double‑deck, multi‑voltage trains will be the first of their kind to run through the Channel Tunnel to London St Pancras, with designs targeting about 20% lower energy use and 30% lower maintenance costs versus earlier models.
- Alstom will invest €150 million to expand production across French sites as deliveries ramp to roughly 15 trains per year into the mid‑2030s, while station and tunnel capacity remain pinch points as rivals like Trenitalia and Virgin target 2029 launches.