Eurostar to run new double-decker trains in Channel Tunnel
Eurostar Celestia train arriving in London St Pancras. CGI picture. Colours and livery not final. ©ALSTOM SA ©SPEEDINNOV SAS 2025. Advanced & Creative Design | Avelia Horizon™
Eurostar has announced that it will run double-decker trains through the Channel Tunnel starting in 2031. Each train will be able to carry 1.000 passengers.
Eurostar to launch double-decker trains in Channel Tunnel from 2031
In an announcement, Eurostar has revealed that it signed a 2-billion-euro deal to buy at least 30, and up to 50, new double-decker trains from manufacturer Alstom.
The rail company, which operates in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, and has a monopoly on Channel Tunnel services, will run double-decker trains in the tunnel starting in 2031.
The Celestia double-decker trains will have a capacity for 1.000 passengers, 20 percent more than the largest trains which Eurostar currently operates. Seats will have additional legroom, and there will be space for wheelchairs and bicycles.
“Customers can expect a very special new train with Eurostar Celestia, which will offer exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed,” Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said in a press release.
Double-decker trains part of wider Eurostar expansion
“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,” Cazenave continued. “We’re particularly proud to bring double-decker trains to the UK for the very first time.”
In June 2025, Eurostar also announced plans to operate direct train services between the UK, Germany and Switzerland. The first new route set to take to the tracks will be between London and Frankfurt, with the journey lasting five hours.
Another service connecting London and Geneva will then be added, with the journey expected to take five hours and 20 minutes. To begin running both of these routes, the rail operator plans to buy 50 additional high-speed trains.
Alongside its vow to run direct services between the UK, Germany and Switzerland, Eurostar confirmed plans to run more frequent services on its existing route connecting the UK and the Netherlands.
Since September 9, 2025, an additional, fourth daily return service has been running between London and Amsterdam, with a fifth to be added from mid-December.