The upturn in the rail sector was confirmed in 2024. The latest result is that ofEurostar who has merged with Thalys under the aegis of the SNCF which was the majority shareholder in the two European high-speed carriers. As a result, the new group has 19.5 million passengers last year, an increase of 5% compared with 2023 (after +22% in 2023, the post-Covid catch-up year). " This is the highest result ever achieved by Eurostar." said the airline in a press release. Traffic was particularly buoyed between July and September by the Olympic and Paralympic Games for which they added rotations and ran a train in the colours of the sporting event.
A target of carrying 30 million passengers by 2030
2024 was an important year in this merger timetable. Last year, the new Eurostar harmonised its three classes of travel between its different routes to Great Britain and continental Europe, with Eurostar Standard, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier used extensively by business customers. The second project is to make its fleet of 51 trains run greener by deciding to use 100% of renewable energy by 2030. The third project, the most costly for the railway company, involved ordering 50 high-speed trains to offer a unified design and comfort on board, and to use trains adapted electrically and technologically to serve the five countries currently served (France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany) and even new routes. The first trainsets will be delivered from 2030Eurostar was anticipating continued growth in traffic, with the aim of carrying 30 million passengers a year by the end of the decade.
