Eurostar to expand fleet and launch Brussels-Geneva connection
On Tuesday, Eurostar announced that it booked a profit of 346 million euros last year. To further bolster growth, the company plans to invest in up to 50 new trains and three new routes - including a new Brussels–Geneva connection - by the early 2030s.
Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar achieved an EBITDA of 346 million euros in 2024, its latest financial results show. This is thanks to focused cost management and growth in passenger numbers, according to the company.
Last year, Eurostar transported 19.5 million passengers, which is a 5 per cent increase compared to 2023. It continues to see strong demand for train travel across Europe, with CEO Gwendoline Cazenave calling it a "new golden age of international sustainable travel".
In order to reach its goal of transporting 30 million passengers every year, Eurostar plans to invest further in its fleet. Over the next few years, it will invest around 2 billion euros in up to 50 new trains, which are expected to enter service in the early 2030s. This will increase the size of its fleet by 30 per cent.
Three new routes
On Tuesday, the company also announced plans to introduce three new routes alongside its new fleet: London to Frankfurt, London to Geneva, and Amsterdam/Brussels to Geneva. A spokesperson confirmed to Belga that both journeys from the English capital would take around five hours.
That means Switzerland will become the sixth country in which Eurostar's high-speed trains transport passengers. The company, partly owned by the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB, currently operates in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Its most popular route is between London and Paris, as Eurostar is currently the only company to transport passengers through the Channel Tunnel. That could change soon, as several other organisations are exploring the possibility to operate trains between the UK and the European mainland.
PHOTO © Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
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