EUROPE: Eurostar has announced a €1·4bn order for 30 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck high speed trainsets, with options for 20 more which would take the total value to €2bn.
They have been branded Eurostar Celestia, derived from the Latin word caelestis meaning ‘heavenly’. Eurostar explained that this ‘evokes the stars and the essence of travel, perfectly capturing the spirit of a company that links a constellation of cities across Europe.’
Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave. said ‘customers can expect a very special new train’, offering ‘exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed. This is a golden age for international sustainable travel.’
SNCF Voyageurs framework order
The order announced on October 22 has been placed as the third optional tranche of a framework agreement between Alstom and SNCF Voyageurs. The French national operator and Eurostar’s largest shareholder has ordered 100 similar TGV Inoui (prevously known as TGV M) trainsets for operation in France and 15 for international services.
Similar trainsets have been ordered by Morocco’s national railway ONCF and by French open access start-up Proxima, which is to launch under the Velvet brand. Alstom announced in in April that it would invest €150m to increase production capacity at its French sites to meet demand.
Eurostar said production slots are guaranteed for all 50 sets, and the order enables the creation of a ‘bespoke offer’ to ‘capture the unique, premium experience Eurostar customers expect’.
Eurostar Celestia trainsets
The four-voltage 1·5 kV DC, 3 kV DC, 15 kV 16·7 Hz and 25 kV 50 Hz trainsets will be suitable for use on Eurostar’s routes in the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. They would also enable Eurostar to launch proposed services from London to Frankfurt and from London and Amsterdam to Genève in Switzerland.
Eurostar told Railway Gazette International that their maximum operating speed will be 300 km/h.
Each 200 m long trainset will have two compact power cars and nine articulated double-deck coaches giving a total of around 540 seats.
They could operate through the Channel Tunnel in pairs to give trains of equivalent length to the current fleet.
Harmonisation of European rolling stock safety standards means TSI-compliant high speed trains are suitable for use through the Channel Tunnel, and a previous rule which required trainsets to be longer than the 375 m spacing of the tunnel’s emergency cross-passages no longer applies.
Eurostar said the trainsets would offer a 20% to 50% energy saving compared to its current fleet. Unlike many previous TGV designs, the latest generation has regenerative braking, and Alstom said the advanced aerodynamic design and optimised traction would achieve a 20% energy saving. They will be designed to withstand the impact of climate change to provide long-term resilience.
Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said ‘by choosing Avelia Horizon to renew its fleet, Eurostar is confirming its desire to combine technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort. This new-generation train, designed to meet the demands of international very high speed traffic, embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility.’
Entry into service
An initial six sets are scheduled to enter services in May 2031, with 15 to be delivered in the first year .
Delivery of the new trains will enable the withdrawal of the 17 PBKA and nine PBA trainsets that Eurostar acquired through its merger with Thalys, as well as the eight remaining original Class 373 cross-Channel sets. This would give Eurostar a fleet of 17 Siemens Mobility Velaro e320 sets plus the new Alstom trains, with 67 trainsets potentially offering an overall increase in fleet capacity of up to 30%.
Cazenave said ‘placing this milestone order marks the concrete realisation of Eurostar’s ambitious growth strategy — to reach 30 million passengers by investing in a brand new fleet’.
Fleet maintenance plans
Alstom said maintenance costs for the Avelia Horizon are 30% lower compared to its previous generation of high speed train, with components redesigned to simplify maintenance operations and extend intervals. Predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics were integrated into the design from the outset.
Eurostar said it plans to maintain the ‘entire fleet’ at the Temple Mills depot in London, which would be developed to accommodate the new trains at a cost of around €80m.
Temple Mills is the only UK depot with the ability to handle trains to the larger Continental profiles. It is owned by High Speed 1 concessionaire London St Pancras Highspeed and currently only by Eurostar, but aspiring Eurostar competitors Gemini, Virgin and a partnership of Evolyn and Trenitalia France have applied to regulator the Office of Rail & Road seeking access.
While there is capacity available to run more trains on the high speed line and through the Channel Tunnel, ORR has concluded that there is room for at most one new operator to share the depot. It is expected to announce a decision on access during October.
Commenting on Eurostar’s announcement, a spokesperson for Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel told Railway Gazette International ‘Eurostar’s new fleet order is very good news for the expansion of low-carbon transport between London and major cities across Europe. Eurotunnel welcomes and fully supports all efforts to expand high speed services through the Channel Tunnel. We are committed to actively enabling and accompanying all initiatives that drive growth and connectivity.’
- Read Railway Gazette International’s report from the unveiling of the SNCF Voyageurs high speed trainsets which are to enter service from 2026.
