Trenitalia Orders 19 Hitachi High-Speed Trains for €2bn Paris–London Push

Trenitalia France, the French arm of Italy's state-owned FS Group, has signed an agreement with Hitachi Rail for 19 new high-speed trainsets as part of a €2bn investment package underwriting its planned London–Paris service through the Channel Tunnel. Announced on August 7, the deal covers rolling stock plus long-term maintenance and technical support, and forms the backbone of Trenitalia's bid to challenge Eurostar's three-decade monopoly on cross-Channel passenger rail.

The new trains will also serve Trenitalia France's existing domestic and cross-border routes — Paris–Lyon, Paris–Milan and Paris–Marseille — alongside the planned international service. To support the expanding fleet, Trenitalia is developing a dedicated maintenance facility at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour near Paris.

The operator has set 2029 as its target launch date for Paris–London services, a timeline that hinges on securing Channel Tunnel access, safety certification and regulatory approvals — hurdles that have slowed other would-be entrants on the route. If Trenitalia meets its schedule, it would become the first competitor to challenge Eurostar's exclusive hold on the London–Paris corridor since that service launched in 1994, intensifying competition on one of Europe's busiest and most profitable high-speed rail links.