Eurostar to Introduce New and Refurbished Trains by 2015

Eurostar, the high speed train that directly links the United Kingdom to France and Belgium, is to put ten new trains into operation by 2015.

By 2015, Eurostar’s entire fleet will total 24 trains, including 14 renovated e300 trains and ten new e320 trains.

Eurostar’s significant investment of £700 million, will begin in 2014 with the re-design and refurbishment of 14 ‘e300’ trains at the hands of world-famous Italian design house Pininfarina, renowned for its iconic car designs.

Complementing fleet upgrades, Eurostar has purchasing orders for ten new ‘e320’ trains, to be delivered in 2015.

With a capacity to carry more than 900 passengers including their luggage, the new Eurostar e320s will have 20% more seats than the existing Eurostar trains, which currently carry 750 travellers.

Darren Williams, Head of Global Sales, Eurostar, said, “Through the collaboration with Rail Europe, we have seen enormous growth in both leisure and business bookings on the Eurostar over the last couple of years. As such, we felt it necessary to invest in refurbishing our existing trains as well as add 10 new trains to our total in order to provide the best possible service to our customers. We believe that people will be very excited to experience our new design as well as our wi-fi and infotainment capabilities.”

The entire fleet of Eurostar will be upgraded to meet the needs of the modern traveller, and will feature on board wi-fi connectivity, as well as a new infotainment system. Entertainment channels, music and news-feeds, and interactive services providing passengers with real-time travel and destination information will also be available.