Eurostar rival orders 10 new high-speed trains to offer cross-Channel service to Europe

Gemini Trains has cranked up its game in the race to end Eurostar’s decades-long monopoly of Channel Tunnel rail services.

The company, chaired by Lord Berkeley, 85, a veteran railway engineer and Labour minister, has signed a deal with Siemens to deliver 10 high-speed trains.

Gemini Trains will use the rolling stock for journeys to run from London to Paris, Brussels and Cologne.

Gemini, who told Metro that the new fleet will consist of 10 trains, each 200m in length, said they were currently waiting on a decision from the Office of Road and Rail on its application for space at the Temple Mills Maintenance depot, currently operated by Eurostar.

The depot, where trains are maintained and stored, is crucial for other operators to compete. A decision is expected to be announced by the end of October.

This is yet another significant step as rail operations attempt to challenge Eurostar’s dominance of the Channel Tunnel since it began operation in 1994.

Speaking previously to Metro, Adrian Quine, chief executive of Gemini Trains, said their plan is to put passengers first — and that means offering more choice, with trains departing from other London stations, such as Stratford International.

‘Anybody who’s taken a [Eurostar] train out of St Pancras will know you’ve got the beauty of the terminal building, that canopy above, and then you’ve got the underbelly where you check in,’ he exclusively told Metro.

‘It’s dingy, it’s crowded, and Stratford is a great alternative.’

Mr Quine also added that fares will be more affordable due to faster turn arounds, meaning trains can take more trips each day.

‘That means more bums on seats, which means the cost is shared across more people.

‘If you can offer more seats, there are more prices at the lower end to fill those seats and that means we can offer the best possible fares.’

Gemini Trains are also partnering with Uber, who will co-brand the trains. this means passengers will be able to book tickets through the Uber app. The trains themselves will also be financed by Rock Rail, who have previously funded trains across the UK and EU.

Speaking about the latest news, Mr Quine said: ‘Our collaboration with Uber, Siemens and Rock Rail creates a powerful partnership as we move
towards our goal of running regular high quality and competitively priced trains connecting the UK to France, Belgium and for the first time ever, Germany.

‘This is great news for UK jobs, the economy and
of course passengers.’

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