Eurostar confirms popular holiday route to return later this year – see exact date
EUROSTAR has confirmed that a popular holiday route is set to return later this year.
Those keen on skipping summer and craving the cold months are in for a treat as they will be able to get a train straight to a dreamy winter destination.
The Eurostar Snow will return to London this winter, transporting travellers from the city to the French Alps just in time for Christmas.
The sole focus of the Eurostar’s Alpine Journey is ski season.
Skiers and snowboarders can board the train at St Pancras and get to the Alps in time for après-ski.
Upon arriving in Lille from London, guests will need to make a quick transfer to the next train that will transport them to the mountains.
It will pass across the French Alps, making stops at the resorts of Bourg St. Maurice, Chambery, Albertville, Moutier, Aime La Plagne, and Landry.
The number of weekend departures offered by Eurostar during the ski season will increase to 11 from eight in the forthcoming season.
The service, which costs £139 for a single journey, will launch on December 21 and run until the end of the 2025 ski season.
It comes as the train operator plans to place an order with train manufacturers in a bid to expand its fleet and replace its older rolling stock.
Once Eurostar has replaced its older carriages, it will be able to expand its fleet by 33 per cent from 51 to 67 trains.
This means that 16 will be brand new, while the rest will replace older trains as they need improvements.
According to the Financial Times, Eurostar Chief Executive Gwendoline Cazenave revealed that the train company was considering new route options from London to Europe.
This would mean adding to its existing services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.
She said: “With a new fleet we will study new routes, new European routes . . . I think by the end of the year or early 2025 we will be able to say more.”
The train operator will choose the manufacturer based on how quickly stock can be delivered, with Cazenave adding: “It’s a race. The sooner the better.
“The market is pushing so hard, that we really need to see which manufacturer is going to be able to be ready as quick as possible.”
She also said that the new fleet would coincide with the new improvements at some of the destination stations.
This includes the expansion of the Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam as well as renovations of Paris Gare du Nord and St Pancras in the next few years.
She added: “At the stage of the new fleet, we will have bigger stations.”
Biometric border checks are also due to be introduced at London St Pancras International later this year.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks will require residents from outside the EU or Schengen area to register before entering the zone.
While there has been much worry over lengthy queues and wait times when the biometric border checks come into force, Cazenave remains confident that passengers won’t be facing huge queues.
According to the Eurostar chief executive, parts of the London train station will be redesigned to make more space for passengers.