Trenitalia France has placed a firm order with Hitachi Rail for 19 high speed trains that will operate both on its existing French routes and on the planned London – Paris service through the Channel Tunnel. The agreement, announced on August 7, includes long-term maintenance and technical support and forms part of a €2bn investment package underwritten by the Italian state-owned operator’s French subsidiary.

The new trains are expected to be a follow-on build of Hitachi Rail’s established ETR1000 design. They will be used on Trenitalia France’s current Paris – Lyon, Paris – Milano and Paris – Marseille services, as well as on the cross-Channel route that the operator hopes to launch in 2029.

A new maintenance facility is under development at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour near Paris to support the expanding fleet. According to railwaygazette.com, the hub is considered a fundamental element for the launch of the Paris – London connection.

Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO of Trenitalia’s parent company FS, described the order as a strategic milestone for the 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’, he said.

Strisciuglio added that the new trains and the maintenance hub are central to the company’s vision of the ‘Metro of Europe’, an integrated high-speed network that will increasingly connect Europe’s major cities.

Passengers on the new fleet will benefit from next-generation Wi-Fi connectivity of up to 10 GB/sec, a new bistro concept, an enhanced catering offering, and completely redesigned interiors. Trenitalia said the latest batch would offer high standards of comfort, innovation and sustainability across all classes of accommodation. The operator currently offers four classes on its premium Frecciarossa Mille services in Italy.

Greg O’Hara, Senior Managing Director and Founder of Certares, the investment group backing Trenitalia’s ambition, said the partnership’s potential is exceeding 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’, he said.

O’Hara described the deal as a powerful validation of the investment opportunity ahead, combining FS Group’s operational excellence with Certares’ global travel distribution assets to build a world-class international high speed rail platform.

Besides FS Group’s plan, Gemini Trains and Virgin Group are also working to bring competition to Eurostar in the cross-Channel corridor. The entry of new operators could reshape the competitive landscape on one of Europe’s busiest international rail links.