FS Group agrees purchase of 19 high-speed trains as London-Paris plan develops

FS Group has agreed to purchase 19 high-speed trains to support the launch of its London to Paris service.

The €2 billion deal with Hitachi Rail will enable Trenitalia France, a subsidiary of FS Italiane Group, to move forward with its plans to compete with Eurostar along the Channel Tunnel from 2029.

In addition to the supply of the trains, the agreement also covers the construction of a maintenance facility at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour near Paris.

Gianpiero Strisciuglio, chief executive and general manager of FS Italiane Group, described the new trains and the maintenance hub as “fundamental elements” of the proposed London to Paris service.

He added: “This order represents a strategic milestone for FS Group: it strengthens our presence in France, a key market for our international growth, and supports the development of increasingly efficient, sustainable and competitive high-speed services.”

Trenitalia France said it would be strengthening its presence on the Paris–Lyon, Paris–Milan and Paris–Marseille routes, noting it would improve service quality and increase frequencies.

The Hitachi investment follows the strategic partnership formed between FS Group and US private equity firm Certares. 

Certares founder and senior managing director Greg O’Hara said: “The potential of this partnership is exceeding our expectations.

“We have seen extraordinary interest from investors of all types who want exposure to the European high-speed rail market and are excited to participate alongside us in the sector’s development.

“It is a powerful validation of the investment opportunity ahead of us: combining FS Group’s operational excellence with our global travel distribution assets to build a world-class international high-speed rail platform.”

Hitachi Rail’s group chief executive officer Giuseppe Marino said: “With this project, we are strengthening Hitachi Rail’s role as a technology partner for the new generation of high-speed rail services in Europe.

“The trainsets will be designed to deliver high standards of sustainability, operational efficiency and cross-border interoperability, which are increasingly essential to support the growth of international rail traffic.

“The expansion of Trenitalia France’s services represents a further step towards a more integrated and sustainable European mobility system.”

Certares owns Internova Travel Group, parent of Barrhead Travel.