EUROSTAR has confirmed they will launch new direct routes from the UK to Germany and Switzerland.
Currently, the train operator only connects France, Belgium and from London.
However, the train operator said they were launching a “new golden age of international sustainable travel”; with a new £1.7billion fleet, with 50 new trains,
The trains would depart from London St Pancras to both Frankfurt and Geneva.
The London to Frankfurt route would take around five hours, while to Geneva it would be slightly longer at 5hr20.
It has not been decided what stops the services would make – such as Cologne for trains to or from Frankfurt – and whether passengers would be able to get on and off en route.
The new routes hope to launch from the “early 2030s”;.
chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told PA many passengers are prepared to take longer train journeys rather than flying as they “want to travel more sustainably”;.
She expects there would be strong demand from leisure and business travellers for direct services to Frankfurt and Geneva, which she described as “big financial hubs”;.
A number of hurdles must be overcome before services could launch, such as creating sufficient passenger space at those stations, installing new border checkpoints, and securing access to tracks.
Ms Cazenave acknowledged that opening new international train routes requires “time, investments, expertise, a huge amount of energy, and partnerships”;.
However, she said she has “no doubt”; the new direct services will happen because of the “willingness”; of Eurostar, passengers and governments.
The UK and signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at establishing direct train services between the countries.
Eurostar will operate the new trains alongside its 17 existing e320s, bringing its total fleet to 67 trains, a 30 per cent increase on today.
Its new fleet will also enable it to boost existing routes, such as increasing its daily return frequencies between London and from 17 to 20.
Meanwhile, the company confirmed it will add a fourth daily return service between St Pancras and Amsterdam from September 9, and a fifth from mid-December.
It carried 19.5 million passengers last year, up 5 per cent from 18.6 million in 2023.
London-Paris was its strongest performing route in 2024, with 280,000 passengers.
That was followed by London-Brussels (250,000 passengers), Paris-Brussels (160,000 passengers) and Paris-the (140,000 passengers).
Ms Cazenave said: “We’re seeing strong demand for train travel across , with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide.
“Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future.
“Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time.
A number of other train companies have revealed plans to take on Eurostar.
Sir ‘s Virgin Group confirmed they were looking into launching international train routes.
‘s state-owned railway company FS Italiane Group has also revealed plans for London to Paris trains.
And Gemini Trains, chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley, has also confirmed similar plans.
