Finance
Italy's state railways to challenge Eurostar with London-Paris train services
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Italy's FS plans to launch a high-speed London-Paris train service by 2029, challenging Eurostar's monopoly and offering an eco-friendly travel alternative.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) plans to launch a high-speed service connecting London and Paris by 2029, it said on Tuesday, in the latest challenge to Eurostar's monopoly of train services through the Channel Tunnel.
The 1-billion euro ($1.1 billion) project would bring the Italian group head to head with British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group, which last month said it planned to launch cross-channel rail services.
The European Union-backed liberalisation of the bloc's railway services has pushed ticket prices down and has made trains a viable alternative to flights, at a time when customers are more aware of the environmental impact of their travel choices.
"By expanding our presence on key corridors, we are not just investing in infrastructure... More competition will create a more efficient and customer-oriented industry, offering a real alternative to air travel," FS Chief Executive Stefano Antonio Donnarumma said in a statement.
The new route will be served by trains that will be inspired by high-speed Italian Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) trains, the statement added, without giving details of train orders.
FS said it is carrying out technical assessments to integrate the new services through the tunnel, operated by Getlink, and that the planning of additional capacity at the terminus at London's St. Pancras station is already at an advanced stage.
In addition to the new link, the Italian state-controlled group is studying the possibility of extending the London-Paris service to serve cities including Lille, Lyon, Marseille in France, Ashford in southern England and Italy's Milan.
The company is seeking to expand its European high-speed services and this month resumed a connection between Milan and Paris, a journey that takes around seven hours.
The railway group added it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with high-speed rail startup Evolyn to develop its European high-speed project and explore potential future partnerships in the industry.
($1 = 0.9145 euros)
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Keith Weir)
The article discusses Italy's FS plans to launch a high-speed train service between London and Paris by 2029, challenging Eurostar.
It challenges Eurostar's monopoly and offers an eco-friendly alternative to air travel, aligning with EU rail liberalisation.
FS is considering extending services to cities like Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Ashford, and Milan, and exploring partnerships with Evolyn.
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