Eurostar's £1.7bn plan to connect UK to two popular countries in just five hours

Following rising passenger numbers and impressive financial results, Eurostar is investing £1.7bn to launch a fleet of up to 50 trains that operate three new direct routes, including two from the UK
Eurostar is ramping up its railway offerings as part of a major €2 billion (approximately £1.7bn) investment.
Earlier this month, the company announced it would launch a fleet of up to 50 trains that will be in service from the early 2030s, operating three new direct routes. The announcement comes after Eurostar released its 2024 financial results, which found it had achieved an impressive EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) of €346 million (£296 million).
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In a press release, Eurostar said passenger numbers rose to over 19.5 million, marking a five per cent year-on-year increase. It follows the 'successful reinstatement' of direct services between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in February this year, which will see a fourth daily service added from September 9 and a fifth from mid-December.
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In the next decade, Brits will be able to hop on a train at London St Pancras and travel straight to Frankfurt in Germany. This city is known for homing one of the largest financial hubs in Europe, and has become a tourist hotspot in recent years thanks to its stunning architecture, ubiquitous history and close proximity to the ethereal Hohenzollern Castle.
Alternatively, Brits will be able to head directly to Geneva in Switzerland, and marvel at the stunning Mont Blanc in the Alps. Geneva is an excellent base for ski enthusiasts, offering convenient access to a plethora of resorts including Villars, Gryon, and Les Diablerets. The upgrade will also see trains running straight from Amsterdam/Brussels to Geneva.
Eurostar's CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said the company was witnessing 'strong demand' for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to 'go further by rail than ever before'. "Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future," she added.
"Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality – notably direct trains between London and Germany, and between London and Switzerland for the first time. A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here."
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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also welcomed the announcement, describing it as a 'huge step in promoting green travel across Europe' as well as boosting the UK's international rail connections. " Today's announcement by Eurostar shows that the government's plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise," the politician said.
Eurostar's expansion comes as several companies are desperate to gain access to the Temple Mills depot in north-east London, which Eurostar currently monopolises. As previously reported, a report conducted by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found: "There is some available capacity at Temple Mills International (TMI) depot for more trains to be stabled, serviced and maintained."
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The investigation is great news for Virgin Group, which says it is now 'ready to take up the challenge' of launching high-speed passenger train services through the Channel Tunne l. "The Temple Mills depot is the only facility in the UK which can accommodate European-style trains and claims suggesting it was at capacity have been blocking Virgin from coming to the line," a spokesperson said. "Virgin is therefore very pleased with the outcome and we thank the ORR for commissioning this report, which will now unlock competition on the cross-Channel route for the benefit of all passengers."
Alstom, a French manufacturer specialising in locomotives, is also in talks to use its new Avelia Horizon trains to ramp up journeys across Europe. The company has already signed an €850 million (around £715 million) contract to provide and maintain 12 of its double-decker trains for a Proxima, a private operator in France - as well as France's state-owned company The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF).
Chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge says the new fleet could lower fares and increase capacity in the undersea Channel Tunnel, which connects the UK to France. However, it will first need to seek approval from regulators to make sure it adheres to strict Channel Tunnel safety rules.

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Daily Mirror

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Worst plane passengers ever from hair-pulling fight to crazy emergency door act

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Reckless emergency door act Back in May, a young man caused chaos during a flight from Changsha, China, to Kunming Changshui International Airport after opening the emergency exit. Just as China Eastern Airlines flight MU5828 was taxiing on the runway, he yanked the emergency handle and deployed the evacuation slide, causing complete panic onboard. As witnesses later reported, he'd opened the exit to "get some fresh air". His reckless actions resulted in a 20-minute delay for passengers wishing to disembark the aircraft. The unnamed man was eventually escorted off the plane by police officers and taken for questioning. Thankfully, nobody was injured. Depending on the plane and circumstances, those flying in China can face fines for opening an emergency exit ranging from £10,482 to £20,985 (CNY 100,000 and 200,000), China Eastern Airlines was previously approached for comment. Cruel meltdown over seat Shocking footage emerged this week of an allegedly intoxicated passenger cruelly raging that she had "sit next to a f***ing fat lady" during a flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Kansas City. Videos taken in the early hours of Monday, June 16, aboard a Southwest Airlines flight show the unamed woman pulling at another female passenger's hair, spitting in her face and kicking her. Other clips show her screaming at the other passenger, and making nasty jibes about her physical appearance. Slurring her words, she lashed out in an unacceptable rant, appearing to say: "Look at this fat lady. Look at this fat a** b****." The alleged foul-mouthed passenger also ridiculed the victim's decision to wear a face mask, screeching: "It's horrible. Look at her outfit. Look at this fat a** b****. Hilarious. You can't even show your mouth because you're embarrassed." Another passenger who recorded the scene told the Daily Mail that the woman had even "knocked the glasses off the Southwest employee". They claimed: '"When she first started saying stuff, I called out, 'Why don't you be nice?" She turned around and called me ugly a few times, and that I could never get a boyfriend or have sex. I looked at her and said I've been married for almost 20 years, lady'." Eventually, the ranting woman was escorted off the plane and was not permitted to return, Southwest Airlines informed the publication. The Port Authority Police Department also confirmed they'd been called at approximately 1.10 am following reports of an 'intoxicated passenger', who was then taken for hospital evaluation before being remanded into custody at New York City Department of Correction, on charges of aggravated assault. A Southwest spokesperson stated: "We commend our Team for their professionalism during the incident." The woman, a 32-year-old New York resident, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Punching cabin crew ‌ In May this year, an aggressive passenger was escorted off a flight from Gran Canaria to Birmingham after allegedly punching a member of cabin crew in the face. The passenger, who witnesses say was inebriated, had to be led off the plane in handcuffs following an hour-long ordeal that left air hostesses in tears. Staff even had to use a 'restraint kit' in a desperate bid to get the situation under control. An eyewitness told The Sun: "It all kicked off just before 1 am as we were landing in Birmingham from Las Palmas. ‌ "When they slammed the brakes, he was shouting that the plane was going to crash. He started shouting at the hostesses and got up to go to the toilet compartment. "The stewardess told him to sit back down, which he did, but then he got back up for the second time and went to the same place. There was a lot of screaming and shouting between him and the crew, and then he punched an air hostess in the nose." They continued: "Air hostesses were screaming for police in panic - they were shook up and crying. People had to tell them to stop screaming because it was scaring the kids - it was a nightmare." ‌ Cheers rang out across the cabin as West Midlands Police arrived to deal with the violent troublemaker, who reportedly resisted arrest. Failed exit dash An entitled woman who was in a frantic rush to be the first one off the plane following an already tiresome eight-hour flight ended up getting more than she bargained for when the captain publicly called her out, to the delight of her seatmates. ‌ Showing no care whatsoever for seat etiquette, the passenger determinedly leapt from her seat as soon as the plane hit tarmac, making a beeline for the exit. The seatbelt sign was still on, and flight attendants pleaded with her to return to her seat until they came to a safe stop. However, she paid them no heed. Having none of her antics, the captain himself then decided to get involved, revealing that he had a "special guest onboard", whom he would be greeting after they arrived at the gate. Recalling the incident in a Reddit post, a passenger who witnessed the brazen dash wrote: "The woman stood there awkwardly until we did the whole rolling into the gate thing, and whatever planes do when they land, for about 15 to 20 minutes. "Everyone sat there waiting to see what the captain was talking about. Eventually, the captain came out and asked the lady to please move back a little to get to his special guest, then a little more, then a little more. He was looking from row to row, trying to find a specific person. Everyone is watching and looking around to see who it could be." ‌ The pilot continued ushering the cheeky traveller back one row at a time until, finally, they were at the very back of the plane. He then requested that she sit down for a moment while he grabbed the intercom. The Reddit user continued: "He said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to announce our special guest sitting in seat 42C. Let's give her a round of applause'. The whole plane went wild with laughter and applause. I loved every moment of that." Reclining seat karma A ticked-off woman decided to exact a "14-hour revenge" against an elderly power couple who "gloated" after buckling themselves into seats which had been reserved for her and her then-husband. When they confronted the couple, they refused point-blank to move, as "they had scored three seats to their two bottoms, whereas the row in front had a very slim girl at the window". ‌ A flight attendant got involved, by which point the audacious couple played "the age card" to get their own way. The woman and her now ex were asked to sit in front, next to the "slim girl who took up no room whatsoever". When they overheard the couple "loudly gloating" about their brazen behaviour, they began taking petty revenge, reclining in order to reduce their leg room. Then, as the indignant passenger put it,"Karma took a dump on the gloating couple's lap". Taking to Reddit, the now-vindicated woman revealed: "So here we were settled when this man started walking up the plane. he was a very, very large man, long, long dreadlocks, shoving a baguette in his mouth as he made his way up the aisle. My husband just looked at me and smiled as he realised the only spare seat was that window seat, which would have been next to mine. ‌ "Karma took a dump on the gloating couple's lap as the man asked them to move so he could get into his seat. Once settled, he took up a lot of the space, and once in the air, the lady called a hostess down and started having a strop about how we had stolen their seats and that we had refused to move when they boarded." "Sadly for the lady, our argument at the start of the flight had been witnessed by the staff as everyone else was settled by then so she was shut down by the staff who refused to move us." To the amusement of their new enemies, the seat thieves endured a "miserable" 14-hour flight, with their unexpected seatmate repeatedly getting up for the toilet, and to grab extra snacks and beverages. ‌ 'Inexcusable' Ryanair damages Back in January, Ryanair announced it would be pursuing legal action against an unruly passenger, whose "completely unacceptable" behaviour resulted in a Dublin to Lanzarote flight having to be diverted to Porto, Portugal. Revealing that they would be suing the unnamed passenger to the tune of £12,500, the airline told of how the flight had been delayed overnight, causing 160 passengers to "face unnecessary disruption as well as losing a full day of their holiday". ‌ The damages sought were intended to cover accommodation costs plus any other expenses for passengers affected by the "inexcusable" antics. It was also hoped that the legal action taken would deter any other future troublemakers from following suit. Describing the incident as a "major clampdown", a spokesperson released the following statement on the Ryanair website: "It is unacceptable that passengers - many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday - are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of one unruly passenger's behaviour."