The Italian state-owned FS Group formalised a contract with Hitachi Rail on 7 August 2026 for the construction, maintenance and technical support of 19 new ETR 1000 high-speed trains, representing a total investment of almost €2 billion.
The new trains will be assigned to Trenitalia France, a subsidiary of FS International, to increase frequencies on the Paris–Lyon, Paris–Milan and Paris–Marseille routes. They will also form the operational basis of the new international Paris–London service, which is confirmed to enter service in 2029. It will compete with Eurostar and Virgin Trains, which will begin operating through the Channel Tunnel in 2030.
The order includes the construction of a new maintenance facility at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour, south of Paris’s Gare de Lyon station. The depot will have capacity for 25 trains and is due to be completed by the end of 2029. FS estimates that the order will create around 2,000 direct and indirect jobs in France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
The new trains will be second-generation ETR 1000 units. Improvements will include redesigned interiors, Wi-Fi with speeds of up to 10 Gbps, a new bistro concept and an enhanced catering offer. According to FS, they will have a recyclability rate of 97.1% and will be more sustainable, with a reduction of approximately 120,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per unit compared with the previous generation.
With this order, Trenitalia will have 57 second-generation ETR 1000s by 2029 and expects to reach 74 units by 2031. The Paris–London service will break Eurostar’s monopoly in the Channel Tunnel, which has existed since 1994, although its launch will depend on the necessary technical and regulatory approvals.