After making their debut at the end of 2015 on the Paris-London route, Eurostar's new e320 trains will enter service on 28 May on the London-Brussels route. Passengers travelling between the British and Belgian capitals will be able to take advantage of the enhanced comfort offered by these trains developed by Siemens and designed by the Italian company Pininfarina. Passengers will find a very modern interior design, as well as the latest technology.a wifi connection a digital platform for free entertainment on phones, tablets and laptops, with 300 hours of films, series, documentaries, games and news.
Eurostar has prepared for this arrival by renovating its terminal at Brussels Midi station, now offering an enlarged start areaA more operational check-in area and, in the near future, automated passport control with facial recognition. "The results of our efforts to transform the Channel Terminal into a bigger, brighter check-in area are now visible to all.says Michel Jadot, Marketing and Sales Director, SNCB. Particular attention has been paid to passenger flow: the terminal's new check-in structure, which has been enlarged, offers much better access."
For the railway company, the arrival of the new trains in Brussels, offering additional capacity of 20%, is part of a vast £1 billion investment programme in its fleet, stations and services. While Eurostar has made the acquisition of 17 e320 trains As well as renovating its original trains, the company intends to extend its network to cities other than London, Paris and Brussels. Thanks to the interoperability of the e320s, which enable them to operate on the entire European high-speed network, Eurostar plans to launch a new direct service from London to Amsterdam and Rotterdam at the end of the year.
"With demand for high-speed rail constantly outstripping that for air travel, there is no doubt that the launch of this new service represents an essential growth opportunity for our company."Nicolas Petrovic, Managing Director of Eurostar. Three million leisure and business travellers use the London-Amsterdam route every year, one of the biggest in Europe. "Preparations for the launch of the direct link between Amsterdam and London with Eurostar and NS are progressing well. The launch of the new e320 train to Brussels brings us literally closer to Amsterdam"says Marjon Kaper, Managing Director of NS International.
