Eurostar looks to Frankfurt and Geneva for new International Routes

Eurostar is looking at two new destinations for its TransManche (Channel Tunnel) services, with the company unveiling its latest plans.

Enter Geneva and Frankfurt.

…and power by new Eurostar trains too – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.

The new fleet of up to 50 trains will be in service from the early 2030s, and Eurostar plans to operate three new direct routes, which will require cooperation with partners. They include:

• London St Pancras – Frankfurt
• London St Pancras – Geneva
• Amsterdam Centraal/Brussels Midi-Zuid – Geneva

The new Eurostar map in the 2030s – Image, Eurostar

Eurostar is investing in a new fleet, worth around  €2 billion, in up to 50 new trains which will be able to operate across its whole network. The new trains will operate alongside Eurostar’s current fleet of 17 e320s (Class 374 Velaro), bringing its total fleet to 67 trains – a 30% increase on today.

This will allow the displacement of the classic e300 (Class 373 TMST) used on Channel Tunnel services, as well as the existing PBA (TVG Réseau – Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam)  and PBKA (Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam) sets, which are used in Western Europe.

This would leave a combined fleet of 67 train sets.

Eurostar has reported passenger numbers of 19.5 million, up 5% from 18.6 million in 2023. The train company currently operates in five countries: the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. The strongest-performing routes in 2024 included:

• London–Paris (+280,000 passengers)
• London–Brussels (+250,000 passengers)
• Paris–Brussels (+160,000 passengers)
• Paris–Netherlands (+140,000 passengers)

More routes to Amsterdam

In the shorter term, the successful re-instatement of direct services between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in February 2025 will see a fourth daily service added from 9 September and a fifth from mid-December.

Alas, international stops at Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International and Calais-Fréthun have yet to be restored.

In Quotes

Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO, said:

“We’re seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here.” 

Alain Krakovitch, President of the Eurostar Group, Director of TGV-INTERCITÉS at SNCF Voyageurs, said:

 “2024 is an exceptional year, crowned by the successes of the Olympic Games.  Eurostar is in good shape to serve 30 million passengers and the ambition to develop our European services remains strong.” 

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:

 “I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.”

“Last month, I signed a landmark agreement to deliver a direct rail link between London and Switzerland, paving the way for direct commercial services. Today’s announcement by Eurostar shows that the government’s plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise.”

But competition is afoot…

We’ve seen announcements from various companies that fancy breaking the Eurostar monopoly on the Channel Tunnel route – and there is a chance that could happen.

The Office of Rail and Road has concluded there is space for one more operator at Temple Mills Depot – the only depot in the UK which can handle continental-sized trains (given that the majority of the trains, track and everything else operate to a much smaller gauge in the United Kingdom).

This would allow for a competitor to start up services and operate them through the Channel Tunnel.

This could get interesting, fast, depending on who can get access to Temple Mills International Depot.

For now, there’s going to be a little patience needed, as it’s more than a few years to 2030.