It was the presence of an orchestra on the platforms of the station at Saint Pancras International and the revival of the uniforms of the period, thatEurostar celebrated its 25th anniversaryon a special train between London and Paris. Above all, a forest was temporarily installed at the entrance to London station to symbolise the new environmental commitments of the railway company, which now operates some 50 trains a day between France, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. Eurostar will be planting a tree for each train running daily between its three capitals from 1st January 2020Some 20,000 trees have been planted in these 4 countries. To achieve this, partnerships have been set up with three associations: Woodland Trust, Reforest' Action and Trees for All.
This special train between London and Paris was also an opportunity to test a plastic-free travel whereas the railway company usually uses around sixty plastic items on its services (cups, spoons, water or fruit juice bottles, various containers, straws, etc.). " We consume more than 500,000 plastic bottles a year" Eurostar's CEO pointed out in his welcome speech. " It's a challenge for Eurostar. It is a test trip which allows us to look at what we can change and improve in order to propose an increasingly eco-responsible trip" Marc Noaro, the rail operator's Director of Customer Experience, told Voyages d'Affaires.
From 2007 and its programme Green TravelEurostar is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 40% over this period. The company considers that it will emit " 90% less greenhouse gases than the equivalent of a short-haul flight "on the same axes and fewer carbon emissions per passenger than a car journey between central London and Heathrow airport" . " Through our environmental ambitions and our tree-planting programme, we are offering an even more attractive and ecological alternative to airlines." added Mike Cooper, Eurostar's Chief Executive.
