Eurostar, a company majority owned by SNCF Voyageurs and staked in by the Belgian company SNCB, the Caisse des dépôt et placement du Québec, and the investment fund Federated Hermes Infrastructure, achieved a monumental turnover of 2 billion euros in 2023. This exceptional performance has paved the way for Eurostar's ambitious plans to acquire up to 50 new trains by 2030, a testament to its robust financial health and strategic foresight.
The SNCF Voyageurs subsidiary also announced that it had reduced its net debt by a third, to 650 million euros, thanks to "strong cash generation following its post-COVID recovery" and "a new green term loan of 650 million euros over five years."
30 Million Passengers Annually by 2030
Eurostar transported 18.6 million passengers in 2023, marking a 22% increase compared to the previous year. The routes that experienced the highest growth were between Amsterdam and London (+38%), Brussels and London (+33%), and Paris and London (+25%).
In a press release, the railway company stated that it had achieved solid financial results in 2023 and had successfully refinanced its debt. As a result, Eurostar intends to invest in purchasing up to 50 new trains. All orders have yet to be placed. Operating rail links between five countries (France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany), Eurostar plans to acquire these new trains to meet the growing travel demand and aims to welcome 30 million annual passengers by 2030.
16 More Trains in the Eurostar Fleet
Eurostar's strategic fleet management is a key driver of its success. The company plans to acquire new trains that will meet the growing travel demand and replace older ones that are set to be scrapped due to their age. This efficient approach will increase the Eurostar fleet to 67 trains, up from the current 51, and have the first new trains in service by the early 2030s, demonstrating Eurostar's commitment to maintaining a modern and efficient fleet.
Since 1994, Eurostar has operated TGVs between London and the European continent through the Channel Tunnel. Last fall, Eurostar took over the Thalys brand, which had been running connections between Paris, the Benelux, and northwest Germany since 1995. The company's most recent train order was in 2014 when it purchased seven trainsets from Siemens.