The SNCF Voyageurs Board has approved the purchase of 30 very high-speed trains from Alstom’s Avelia Horizon family for nearly €1.4 billion. These units will operate under the Eurostar Celestia brand.
These trains will serve Eurostar’s international routes and will be the first double-deck trains cleared for operation through the Channel Tunnel.
The latest generation Avelia Horizon, equipped for quadri-voltage operation (1,500 V DC, 3,000 V DC, 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC and 25 kV 50 Hz AC), will run across Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the UK, with additional services planned to Germany.
Con Trenvista Premium, disfruta de una experiencia sin anuncios y acceso a contenido exclusivo.
Únete por sólo 35€ al año y aprovecha ventajas exclusivas diseñadas para personas expertas en el ferrocarril.
★ Descubre Trenvista Premium
Initial deliveries are expected in 2031, with options for 20 more trainsets.
Although precise lengths have not been confirmed, 200-metre formations are likely. In twin-formation, they will seat over 1,000 passengers, surpassing the 902-seat capacity of the Velaro e320.
The timing coincides with unprecedented competition on UK to continental Europe services. Multiple operators have announced plans to rival Eurostar.
Among contenders are the Spanish Evolyn (partnered with Trenitalia) with the Frecciarossa 1000, the British Gemini, who revealed a deal to acquire Siemens Velaro Novo trains, and the British Virgin Trains with a new generation of distributed traction, tilting Avelia Stream trains. Likely, only one will survive given the limited capacity at Temple Mills, the sole English depot capable of maintaining international trainsets.
Avelia Horizon: The New Double-Deck High-Speed Train
The Avelia Horizon builds on Alstom’s very high-speed product line, co-developed with SNCF Voyageurs (known as the TGV-M). It boasts a maximum speed of 320 km/h and optimises capacity—with over 1,000 seats in twin formations—passenger comfort, and operational efficiency.
Notable enhancements over the Avelia Euroduplex include shorter power cars, freeing up more space for intermediate coaches. Unlike previous generations, the Horizon consists of nine cars in a 200-metre formation.
Energy consumption is slashed by 20% compared to previous models thanks to aerodynamic refinements and optimised traction. Maintenance costs fall by 30% through remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance, boosting reliability and fleet availability.
Besides SNCF Voyageurs and Eurostar, the French private operator Proxima has ordered 12 of these high-capacity trainsets.
This acquisition reinforces Eurostar’s position at the forefront of international rail travel, leveraging cutting-edge bi-level train technology tailored for the diverse electrification systems and demanding operational environment of European cross-border services.