Eurostar in talks over double-decker train service on cross-Channel route

Cross-Channel journeys could soon reach dizzying new heights and become cheaper for passengers, as Eurostar eyes an exciting upgrade to its service.

French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom announced plans to begin supplying the company with double-decker trains for routes between London and key Europe destinations including Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.

While no exact details have been confirmed just yet, the proposal promises high-speed trains with the ‘lowest cost per seat and the highest capacity’.

And if all goes ahead as planned, they could be on the rails in just a few years’ time.

It’s great news for travellers, with Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge explaining that the trains will have a top speed of 350km/h — 50km/hr faster than the current Eurostar.

As for seat prices, these are also likely to come down, making plane-free European trips more accessible than ever for Brits.

In an interview with Financial Times, Poupart-Lafarge claimed that although he couldn’t comment on specific business discussions, Alstom has been in talks with a number of operators in regards to these routes.

And while the firm has already teamed up with SNCF, France’s national railway operator and Eurostar’s majority owner, to provide new trains, he said: ‘Whether it’s Eurostar or other competitors, we’ll see.’

In terms of timescales, Poupart-Lafarge added that it could take ‘some years’ before they are up and running.

This is largely due to the fact all London to mainland Europe trains need to be approved by regulators who ensure the trains comply with the Channel Tunnel’s strict safety rules covering dangerous goods, security measures and emergency response.

Poupart-Lafarge noted that further delays could be caused by the sheer demand for Alstom’s twin-deck model, the Avelia Horizon, which is due to launch next year. With more than 100 orders to fill across Europe, it could come down to a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

A Eurostar representative confirmed to The Telegraph that the double-decker design is ‘a possibility’ for the operator’s future, as it looks to purchase 50 new trains by the end of 2025.

It could be in for some stiff competition though.

With talks of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group joining the mix of Channel Tunnel rail providers, it would mark the end of Eurostar’s 30-year reign on the track..

A spokesperson for Virgin Group also said it’s considering double-decker trains, but wouldn’t comment on whether it has committed to any specific model.

Regardless, Eurostar is expecting an increase in passages over the next five years, with a recent report revealing its ambitions of serving 30 million travellers annually by 2030.

This is a marked rise even when compared to the record 19.5 million passengers it carried last year.

It’s an exciting time for rail services, with plans for a cross-channel expansion, driven by London St Pancras High Speed (which recently rebranded from HS1).

The company shared in February that it aims to offer direct rail routes to major cities in Germany, Switzerland, and France.

A spokesperson told Metro: ‘Market research from Eurotunnel demonstrated that customer demand for new destinations is clear and real: for Germany, specifically Köln and Frankfurt, Switzerland, Geneva and Zurich, and the South of France, for Marseille and Bordeaux.’

In April, Italy’s national state-owned railway company, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group), also revealed plans to launch a new high-speed rail service between London and Paris by 2029.

The group, which is a co-owner of Avanti West Coast, could then extend the route to Marseilles, Lyon and Milan.

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