Italy’s state rail holding company FS Italiane Group (FS Group), which co-owns Avanti West Coast, has teamed up with Spanish start-up Evolyn – one of several competitors vying to operate cross-Channel services – to launch high-speed services between London and Paris by 2029.
FS Group said the project would cost €1 billion and would revolve around a fleet of new trains made in Italy. As part of the bid, FS would also look to extend London to Paris services all the way to Milan.
"High-speed rail networks are the backbone of efficient and environmentally-friendly mobility," said FS Group chief executive Stefano Antonio Donnarumma. "By expanding our presence on key corridors, we are not just investing in infrastructure and innovation, but also in the future of European transport.
“More competition will help to create a more efficient and customer-oriented industry, offering a real alternative to air travel."
The project forms part of FS Group’s international development strategy, with the state-owned firm looking to further consolidate its presence in France with plans for services between Paris and Milan and Paris and Lyon, the latter of which is due to launch on 15 June.
FS Group has been present in the UK since 2017 when it acquired c2c, which operates commuter rail services between London and south Essex.
The announcement follows the ORR’s confirmation that Eurostar’s London depot could accommodate additional trains, which would remove one of the key obstacles preventing new entrants operating cross-Channel services.
The regulator added changes to the depot’s operational and maintenance arrangements, as well as infrastructural alterations, would be required to allow for the extra capacity.
Earlier this month, Virgin Group hailed the ruling "a green signal for competition. “The Temple Mills depot is the only facility in the UK which can accommodate European-style trains and claims suggesting it was at capacity have been blocking Virgin from coming to the line," a spokesperson told TTG.
Virgin Group is one of several bidders seeking to challenge Eurostar. These also include FS Group/Evolyn, Dutch operator Heuro and new UK operator Gemini Trains.
Virgin vowed to end Eurostar’s 31-year monopoly on cross-Channel rail in 2023 when founder Sir Richard Branson confirmed plans for Virgin to re-enter the rail market, four years after Virgin Trains ceased operating the UK’s West Coast franchise in December 2019.
That franchise is now operated by Avanti West Coast, which is co-owned by potential cross-Channel competitor FS Group.
Early last year, Spanish start-up Evolyn said it was looking to acquire up to 12 trains from French manufacturer Alstom to operate between London and Paris, while Heuro is aiming to start operating services between Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris and London from 2028.
Prior to FS Group’s proposed involvement, Gemini Trains was latest competitor to signal its intentions. It said in March it intended to operate cross-Channel services from London St Pancras International calling at Kent’s Ebbsfleet station, which is currently not served by Eurostar.
Gemini Trains was founded in 2023 by former BBC World Service business journalist Adrian Quine and Lord Tony Berkeley, one of the civil engineers behind the Channel Tunnel.
“On the core Channel Tunnel route currently, there remains only one choice for customers,” the company said in a statement on 25 March. “We believe there is a significant opportunity for a dynamic and innovative operator offering mixed ‘economy’ and ‘business’ seats at a competitive price to Eurostar."
The potential for greater competition on cross-Channel rail routes comes after a new study by London St Pancras Highspeed, published on Wednesday (9 April), revealed demand for rail services between the UK and mainland Europe is set to triple over the next 15 years, and could go up from 11 million annual passengers to 35 million by 2040.
