Rome (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Italy’s FS Group plans to launch London-Paris high-speed trains by 2029, entering the Channel Tunnel route and competing with Virgin and Eurostar services.
As reported by Christopher Jasper of The Telegraph, Italy’s state-owned rail operator has announced plans to run trains between London and Paris, challenging Virgin’s bid to operate a rival Eurostar service.
How will FS Group launch high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel?
In a bold announcement, Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane confirmed that with financial backing from US firm Certares, it plans to operate London-Paris high-speed services via the Channel Tunnel by 2029.
The move comes after Italy’s loss to Sir Richard Branson’s rail group two months ago in a competition to challenge Eurostar’s 30-year dominance.
The UK rail regulator granted Virgin the final Eurostar depot slot in London, effectively blocking Italy’s entry into the cross-Channel market.
FS Group has announced a new strategy to overcome limited UK depot storage and launch a third service on the London-Paris route. It will use a new €100m depot outside Paris for 10 Channel Tunnel trains, allowing operations into Britain without using a UK depot.
The plan requires a single train to stay overnight at St Pancras for the first morning service, effectively avoiding the UK depot logjam that had blocked access to Eurostar and Virgin.
FS Group declared that the Channel Tunnel’s sub-50% passenger usage leaves few major hurdles for its long-standing expansion proposals.
After the Certares deal, the group revealed €1bn in funding for Trenitalia France, with a significant portion focused on routes to the UK.
It said,
“The company intends to further expand its network, including entry onto the Paris-London route and additional cross-border services.”
The operator from Rome said its proposals aim to expand UK-bound international services by 2029, making the London route a ‘showcase’ for sustainable travel across Europe.
The proposed timeline shows Trenitalia may not only challenge Sir Richard Branson’s launch but could also start operations in the market first.
After receiving approval on October 30 from the Office of Rail and Road to access Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot, Virgin said it plans to start running trains by 2030.
FS Group’s 2029 launch would give it a year’s lead over Sir Richard Branson, while Virgin aims to return to UK rail following its 2019 exit from the London-Glasgow West Coast route.
Virgin was replaced by Avanti, in which FS Group holds a 30% stake. Despite Avanti recording the worst delays in the UK last year, FS Group will operate HS2 services alongside FirstGroup when the line opens.
The Italian operator Trenitalia may compete with Eurostar and Virgin, as its French division, launched with Milan-Paris services in 2021, has added routes from Paris to Lyon and Marseille, challenging the TGV network.
The high-speed Frecciarossa 1000, known as the ‘Red Arrow,’ built by Alstom and Hitachi, is among Europe’s fastest trains, reaching 250mph, and is also used by Trenitalia in Spain.
According to FS Group, entering the Channel Tunnel market would challenge both airlines, which carry 35-40% of Paris-London passengers, and existing rail companies.
FS Group insiders said that with sufficient rail infrastructure, travel between Paris and London could mirror Rome-Milan and Madrid-Barcelona, where rail has largely taken over.
It confirmed an alliance with Certares, reportedly contributing €300m to fund a four-year expansion of its international arm, which already generates €3bn annually and employs 12,000 staff.
New York-based Certares oversees around $8bn in assets, specialising in travel and transport, including American Express Global Business Travel, Hertz, and several Hilton properties.
What is the Certares deal behind FS Group’s Channel Tunnel plans?
Italy’s FS Group, which owns Trenitalia, has teamed up with US investment firm Certares in a joint venture. The deal includes €1 billion to expand Trenitalia France’s services.
The primary objective behind this agreement is to enable Trenitalia France to launch high-speed services through the Channel Tunnel, targeting the Paris-London route by 2029. Certares will use its travel agency network to promote and sell the new train services.