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Rail News Home High-Speed Rail

10/7/2010



Rail News: High-Speed Rail

Eurostar to refurbish old, purchase new high-speed rail vehicles


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Eurostar International Ltd. recently announced it will spend $980 million to upgrade its fleet.

The company — which operates high-speed rail service between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe — will use a combination of cash and bank financing to overhaul and refurbish the existing fleet, and purchase 10 new trainsets.

Eurostar expects to contract Siemens to manufacture the new trainsets, subject to negotiation of final terms. The new trains will be able to operate across the entire European high-speed rail network and provide direct services between London and a range of city-center destinations throughout Europe.

Operating at speeds up to 200 mph, the trains will help reduce travel times between London and Paris to just over two hours; London to Amsterdam, to just under four hours; and London to Geneva, to about five hours. The trains will feature space for more than 900 passengers, 20 percent more than the existing Eurostar fleet.

The interiors and “external livery” of both the new and refurbished trainsets will be designed by Italy’s Pininfarina, according to a press release.