The Italian national railway group FS announces a competitor to the Eurostar by 2029 – Liberation

For the past few months have been rustling the possibilities of seeing other ferred companies have been rushing into the Channel Tunnel. This Tuesday, April 8, the Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane (FS) group announces Eurostar with a « Launching plan for a new high -speed link » Between Paris and London by 2029 « With oars inspired by Frecciarossa », The Italian red TGV. The amount of this project is substantial: a billion euros.

The Italian group does not go alone to attack the Franco-British rail. FS announces that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish consortium Evolyn, presented for two years as a potential competitor of Eurostar on the connection between the capitals of the two countries. « This announcement follows the confirmation by the Rail and the UK Route Office of the possibility of access to the Temple Mills maintenance deposit, thus opening the way to the entrance to a new operator between London and Paris », also specifies the FS group. At the start of the year, Virgin Group also announced a Paris-London line project at 830 million euros, also by 2029.

The FS group is already known on both sides of the Channel. In France, Trenitalia, a subsidiary of the group, operates A Paris-Lyon-Milan line since 2021back since April 1 after a year and a half of interruption following the landslide in the Maurienne. The Italian company launches in mid-June a Paris-Marseille. In a few years, she also wants to launch a Marseille-Gênes-Milan. In the United Kingdom, it also has C2C, which has a connection between London and Shoeburyness (Essex) and 30 % in Avanti West Coast, a company that operates several lines throughout the country, to Glasgow.

« The high -speed train is the backbone of effective and environmentally friendly mobility », Assures, rightly, Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, managing director and managing director of the FS group. Adding: « Increased competition will help create a more efficient and customer -oriented sector, offering a real alternative to air transport. » A rehearsal mantra with each new new line announcement.

This investment at one billion euros comes after that The FS group announced in December its « 2025-2029 strategic plan »either « More than 100 billion » On the table, a large majority of which will be intended for the ferré – the group also has road infrastructure in the boot -, the first brick of a plan at 195 billion euros over ten years announced in 2023.

The FS group, which claims that « The official launch of the service will be determined according to the completion of technical and infrastructure authorizations », also announces that « Evaluations are underway for possible extensions of the London-Paris service via Lille, Ashford, Lyon, Marseille and Milan ».