These new trains will join Eurostar’s existing fleet of 17 e320s, bringing the total fleet to 67 trains – a 30% increase on the current fleet – with Eurostar also confirming a fourth daily service between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam from 9 September, followed by a fifth from mid-December.

Eurostar has said it plans to launch direct train services from London to Germany and Switzerland. A fleet of up to 50 new trains, costing around €2bn (£1.7bn), is planned to be up and running by the early 2030s, the firm announced. Travel time between London and Frankfurt will be about five hours, and around five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva.

Eurostar has announced its most ambitious expansion in its history, unveiling plans for direct high-speed rail services from London to Germany and Switzerland for the first time. This is backed by a transformative £1.