EUROPE: Aspiring Channel Tunnel high speed train operator Gemini Trains has selected Siemens Mobility Velaro Novo trainsets for its proposed services from London Stratford International and Ebbsfleet to Paris, Brussels and Köln.
Gemini said its decision announced on October 9 follows ‘many months of investigation’ into the best rolling stock to support its plans. It said the Velaro Novo is the latest generation of the Velaro e320 trainsets currently used by Eurostar on services between the UK and continental Europe, meaning Siemens Mobility is ‘ideally placed to deliver a reliable and high-quality product’.
Gemini CEO Adrian Quine told Railway Gazette International that the planned order would cover 10 trainsets 200 m long.
Siemens Mobility unveiled its Velaro Novo concept in 2018, saying the trains designed for speeds between 250 and 360 km/h would be 15% lighter than previous Velaros and use 30% less energy. So far none have been ordered, but the American Pioneer 220 variant has been selected for the Brightline West project to connect Las Vegas with southern California.
Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, said Gemini’s plans ‘could see our state-of-the-art Velaro Novo trains transform rail travel for people travelling between the UK and Europe’.
Rock Rail financing
The trainsets would be financed by Rock Rail, which specialises in bringing institutional equity and debt providers to fund rolling stock.
Gemini said Rock Rail brings ‘deep expertise, innovative financing structure and strong support for our clear and distinctive service proposition’, as well as a ‘strong relationship’ with Siemens Mobility.
Rock Group CEO Mark Swindell said partnering with Siemens Mobility and Gemini on the ’prestigious and innovative project’ follows on from Rock’s extensive experience in bespoke rolling stock, delivering 10 fleets across the UK and Germany.
Access decision expected this month
Gemini’s services would by co-branded with ridesharing app company Uber, which currently sells train tickets for the UK and Spain. Quine said ’our collaboration with Uber, Siemens and Rock Rail creates a powerful partnership as we move towards our goal of running regular high quality and competitively priced trains connecting the UK to France, Belgium and for the first time ever, Germany. This is great news for UK jobs, the economy and of course passengers.’
Potential Eurostar competitors Gemini, Virgin and a partnership of Evolyn and Trenitalia France are currently awaiting a decision from regulator the Office of Road & Rail on their applications for access to Temple Mills depot in London. This is the only UK facility suitable for maintaining trains with a larger continental profile, and it is operated by incumbent Eurostar which is also planning to expand its fleet.
While there is capacity available to run more trains on the HS1 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.
ORR is expected to announce its decision on depot access rights by the end of October.
