Eurostar to introduce new routes

Eurostar plans to operate direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva, and an Amsterdam/Brussels to Geneva service will also be introduced. The services will be aboard a fleet of up to 50 new trains coming into service in the 2030s.

In the shorter term, a fourth daily service will be added this year between London St Pancras and Rotterdam from September 9. A fifth will come into operation from mid-December.

The strongest-performing Eurostar routes in 2024 included London–Paris, which saw a 280,000 year-on-year increase in passengers, and London–Brussels, which recorded a 250,000 increase in passengers.

Eurostar’s year-end results show continued growth in demand for international rail travel across Europe. Growing for the third year running, passenger numbers rose to over 19.5 million – a 5% year-on-year increase.

That and focused cost management were key factors in Eurostar achieving an EBITDA of €346 million in 2024.

To support continued growth towards its goal of carrying 30 million passengers a year, Eurostar will invest approximately €2 billion in up to 50 new trains. They will operate alongside Eurostar’s current fleet of 17 e320s, bringing the total fleet to 67 trains – a 30% increase.

Tony McDaid, Head of Client Success at Meon Travel said: “We are seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before.”

Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO, said: “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,” she continued.

Heidi Alexander, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, 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.”