EUROPE: Italian national railway FS Group has announced plans to launch a high speed train service connecting Paris and London through the Channel Tunnel by 2029.
It said it aims to enhance rail’s competitiveness on the route, providing an alternative to air travel and contributing to ’a more environmentally friendly, customer-centric mobility sector’.
‘Competitive advantage’
Revealing its plan on April 8, FS Group said it would use Frecciarossa-branded trainsets offering ’top-tier energy efficiency, comfort and service quality’.
In the UK market, FS Group’s passenger business Trenitalia currently operates c2c commuter services and, in partnership with FirstGroup, Avanti West Coast inter-city services. Trenitalia France has been operating open access high speed train services in France since 2021.
It said this presence in both countries offers ‘an important competitive advantage to enter this strategic corridor’ between London and Paris. This would enable it to offer travellers ’a greater range of products, an increasingly high-quality service and simplified ticketing, taking advantage of an already well-known brand’.
Work is ongoing with stakeholders to meet the regulatory requirements for the planned service, plan additional capacity at London St Pancras station and to explore funding options.
FS Group has signed a memorandum of understanding to work with Spanish company Evolyn, which had announced plans for a Paris – London service in October 2023. Evolyn is led by the Cosmen family, which has a stake in coach, bus and train operator Mobico (previously National Express Group) and brings experience in the management and expansion of transport projects.
‘Decisive step forward’
FS Group CEO Stefano Donnarumma said ’this investment is a decisive step forward in FS Group’s vision of building a more integrated, competitive and sustainable European rail network, in line with the objectives of the 2025-29 Strategic Plan, which places an increasing focus on passenger transport abroad to accelerate FS Group’s international development’.
FS Group is to expand its French operations this year, and is planning to launch services from Italy to München via Austria in 2026, and possibly also to Berlin. It operates high speed trains in Spain through the ILSA joint venture with airline Air Nostrum (25%) and investment fund Globalvia (24%), has the national rail concession in Greece, and operates local services in Germany and the Netherlands through Netinera and Qbuzz.
‘High speed rail networks are the backbone of efficient and environmentally friendly mobility, and by expanding our presence on key corridors, we are not just investing in infrastructure and innovation, but also in the future of European transport’, said Donnarumma. ‘More competition will help to create a more efficient and customer-oriented industry, offering a real alternative to air travel.’
Presenting FS Group’s financial results on April 3, Donnarumma said ‘Europe is not just a market, but a great strategic opportunity. Our goal is to build integrated, intermodal and sustainable mobility, with the railway at the centre of the transport system. Intermodality will be the fulcrum of a European network capable of reducing CO₂ emissions and improving quality of life.’
A growing field of candidates
FS Group is the latest operator to announce a proposal to compete with Eurostar on the route through the Channel Tunnel, with plans also being actively developed by Gemini Trains and Virgin Group.
A report recently published by UK regulator the Office of Rail & Road looked at depot capacity in London, and High Speed 1 infrastructure concessionaire London St Pancras Highspeed has identified opportunities to increase passenger capacity at St Pancras station. The company has also announced a International Growth Incentive Scheme designed to encourage new services and increase passenger volumes.
