Eurostar announces new train routes to Germany and Switzerland

Eurostar has announced intentions to establish direct train services connecting the UK with Germany and Switzerland, marking a significant expansion in its offerings. Scheduled to launch in the early 2030s, the new routes will link London St Pancras with major cities including Frankfurt and Geneva, which are considered key financial hubs. Eurostar plans to invest approximately two billion euros in a fleet of up to 50 new trains, enhancing their current offerings. The proposed journey times are estimated at five hours to Frankfurt and five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva. Despite facing competition and challenges, Eurostar's leadership, particularly from chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave, believes there is a strong demand for sustainable travel options, encouraging the use of trains over planes. The aim is to facilitate business and leisure travel while promoting environmental consciousness. Cazenave noted that customers increasingly prefer longer train journeys for the sake of sustainability. Eurostar's current fleet consists of 17 e320 trains, and integrating the new vehicles would increase the total fleet by 30%, allowing for enhanced service frequencies. For example, they plan to boost the daily return services between London and Paris from 17 to 20. In the previous year, they successfully transported 19.5 million passengers, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year, demonstrating the rising popularity of train travel across Europe. Competition in this sector is intensifying as other companies, including Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and FS Italiane Group from Italy, have plans to challenge Eurostar's monopoly in the Channel Tunnel. This competition could potentially influence pricing, service frequency, and overall customer satisfaction in the long run. Eurostar remains committed to furthering its growth ambitions despite economic challenges and is positioning itself well for the future of cross-border rail travel across Europe.