Double-decker trains will operate on a major UK rail route for the first time in history after Eurostar announced a landmark £1.7 billion order for up to 50 two-storey trains.
The revolutionary Eurostar Celestia fleet will carry passengers between London St Pancras and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam via the Channel Tunnel, with 20 per cent more seats than current single-deck trains.
Set to enter service from May 2031, the fully electric trains represent Eurostar’s ambitious growth strategy to boost passenger numbers from 19.5 million to 30 million annually – whilst facing the prospect of competition for the first time in its history.
£1.7bn Alstom Contract
Eurostar has reached agreement with French manufacturer Alstom to build the trains at factories in France, where the company has its headquarters.
The operator confirmed an initial firm order for 30 trains, with options for a further 20 should demand justify expansion.
The deal represents one of the largest single orders for passenger trains in recent European rail history and secures French manufacturing jobs for years to come.
“Heavenly” Celestia Name
The new fleet will be christened Eurostar Celestia, derived from the Latin word “caelestis” meaning “heavenly.”
The aspirational name suggests Eurostar wants the trains associated with premium, elevated travel experiences befitting international journeys.
However, the livery design hasn’t yet been determined, leaving questions about whether Celestia trains will sport distinctive new branding or maintain current colour schemes.
20% More Seats, 16cm Taller
Compared with Eurostar’s existing fleet of 17 single-decker Siemens-built e320 trains, the Celestia models will accommodate 20 per cent more passengers.
The new trains will feature a lower floor and stand 16 centimetres taller overall to accommodate the double-deck configuration.
However, double-decker trains don’t offer twice the capacity of single-deckers because significant space is consumed by interior staircases connecting the levels.
Addition, Not Replacement
Crucially, the Celestia trains will operate alongside rather than replacing the existing e320 fleet.
This means Eurostar will eventually command up to 67 trains total – a massive expansion from its current 17-strong fleet.
The capacity boost reflects surging demand for international rail travel as passengers increasingly choose trains over short-haul flights for environmental and practical reasons.
New Frankfurt and Geneva Routes
Eurostar has announced plans to launch services from St Pancras to both Frankfurt and Geneva in coming years.
These new routes would significantly expand the operator’s network beyond its current London-Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam core.
The additional destinations make the extra capacity provided by Celestia trains essential rather than merely desirable.
First Deliveries January 2031
Eurostar is scheduled to receive the first Celestia trains in January 2031, with commercial passenger services launching the following May.
The six-year lead time reflects the complexity of designing, building and testing trains for international high-speed service.
Passengers won’t experience the new double-deckers for more than half a decade, meaning today’s announcement represents long-term planning rather than imminent change.
UK’s Railway Double-Decker History
The Celestia fleet will mark the first major deployment of double-decker trains on UK railways.
A limited trial of two double-decker SR Class 4DD trains ran between Dartford and Charing Cross in London during the 1950s and 1960s, but they were withdrawn in 1971.
The experimental trains proved too cramped for passengers and too expensive to maintain, ending Britain’s brief flirtation with two-storey rolling stock.
Why UK Railways Can’t Use Double-Deckers
Double-decker trains are commonplace across Continental Europe but remain impossible on the vast majority of Britain’s rail network.
Issues including bridges built too low and narrow track spacing between rails prevent higher trains from safely operating.
Britain’s Victorian-era railway infrastructure was designed for smaller trains and retrofitting to accommodate double-deckers would cost billions.
HS1 Built to European Standards
However, the high-speed line between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel – known as HS1 – was constructed to European specifications.
This modern infrastructure enables it to accommodate taller trains that couldn’t fit elsewhere on the UK network.
The continental compatibility proved essential for Eurostar’s original launch and now facilitates this double-decker expansion.
“Leading the Race”
Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency the company awarded Alstom the contract to receive “bespoke trains as soon as possible.
She said this ensures Eurostar is “leading the race” to meet growing demand for international train travel.
The “milestone order” forms part of the operator’s “ambitious growth strategy” to reach 30 million passengers annually.
Enhanced Passenger Experience
Cazenave promised passengers will enjoy a “special experience” aboard Celestia trains, with improvements including more legroom and additional space for bicycles and wheelchair users.
Intriguingly, she mentioned “surprise spaces” without providing further details – suggesting novel amenities designed to differentiate Celestia from competitors.
All passengers regardless of ticket class can choose between upper or lower deck seating with no price difference, democratizing the double-decker experience.
Sustainability and Efficiency
Alstom chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the announcement demonstrates Eurostar’s commitment to “combine technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort.”
The fully electric trains align with broader European efforts to shift passengers from carbon-intensive short-haul flights to cleaner rail alternatives.
Poupart-Lafarge described Celestia as embodying “our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility.”
£70m Temple Mills Depot Upgrade
Eurostar plans to maintain the new fleet alongside existing trains at its Temple Mills depot in east London.
The facility would require development costing approximately 80 million euros (£70 million) to accommodate the larger double-decker trains.
This substantial investment demonstrates Eurostar’s long-term commitment to UK-based operations despite being French-owned.
Competition Looming
The operator faces potential competition in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel for the first time in its history.
Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road is expected to announce within weeks which company should receive access to the Temple Mills depot – critical infrastructure for operating cross-Channel services.
Multiple companies are developing rival plans including Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Italy’s state-owned FS Italiane Group, and Gemini Trains chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley.
French Ownership
Eurostar is majority-owned by French state railway company SNCF.
The UK sold its stake in the operator to private companies for £757 million in 2015 – a decision some now question given Eurostar’s profitability and strategic importance.
The French ownership means profits from UK-originating journeys flow to Paris rather than London, though the Temple Mills investment demonstrates continued British infrastructure commitment.
Breaking Aviation’s Monopoly
The Celestia order represents Eurostar’s ambition to capture greater market share from short-haul aviation on key European routes.
With city-centre to city-centre journey times often competitive with flying once airport transit time is considered, high-speed rail increasingly challenges airlines.
The 20 per cent capacity boost provided by double-decker trains will enable Eurostar to offer more frequent departures and accommodate growing passenger numbers without requiring additional train paths.
As Britain’s railways mostly remain constrained to single-deck trains by Victorian infrastructure, the Eurostar Celestia fleet will offer UK passengers a tantalizing glimpse of the double-decker future that continental Europe already enjoys.
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Image Credit:
Pescara Stazione Centrale – photo by Ra Boe, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
