Eurostar plans to operate direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva, and an Amsterdam/Brussels to Geneva service will also be introduced. The services will be aboard a fleet of up to 50 new trains coming into service in the 2030s.
In the shorter term, a fourth daily service will be added this year between London St Pancras and Rotterdam from September 9. A fifth will come into operation from mid-December.
The strongest-performing Eurostar routes in 2024 included London–Paris, which saw a 280,000 year-on-year increase in passengers, and London–Brussels, which recorded a 250,000 increase in passengers.
Eurostar’s year-end results show continued growth in demand for international rail travel across Europe. Growing for the third year running, passenger numbers rose to over 19.5 million – a 5% year-on-year increase.
That and focused cost management were key factors in Eurostar achieving an EBITDA of €346 million in 2024.
To support continued growth towards its goal of carrying 30 million passengers a year, Eurostar will invest approximately €2 billion in up to 50 new trains. They will operate alongside Eurostar’s current fleet of 17 e320s, bringing the total fleet to 67 trains – a 30% increase.
Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO, said: “We’re seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide.”
“Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here,” she continued.
Alain Krakovitch, President of the Eurostar Group, Director of TGV-INTERCITÉS at SNCF Voyageurs, said: “2024 is an exceptional year, crowned by the successes of the Olympic Games. Eurostar is in good shape to serve 30 million passengers and the ambition to develop our European services remains strong.”
Heidi Alexander, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, said: “I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.”
