Trenitalia orders 19 high-speed trains for Paris-London route

The investment, worth approximately €2 billion, includes the construction of the trains and long-term maintenance and technical support activities.

The new trains will allow Trenitalia France, controlled by FS International, to strengthen its presence on the Paris-Lyon, Paris-Milan and Paris-Marseille routes, improving service quality, increasing frequencies and also forming the fleet for the future high-speed connection between Paris and London, which is confirmed to launch in 2029.

The new trains are designed to operate on Europe’s main high-speed rail networks. The new fleet represents a fundamental part of Trenitalia France and FS Group’s international development strategy, as well as an important step toward completing the strategic partnership between FS Group and Certares.

To support operational growth, development of a new maintenance facility on the outskirts of Paris, is also progressing according to schedule. The facility will provide the maintenance capacity needed to support fleet expansion and the launch of new international connections.

The agreement with Hitachi Rail and related investments in production, maintenance and infrastructure will contribute to the creation of approximately 2,000 jobs across France, Italy and the United Kingdom, both directly and throughout the entire industrial supply chain.

“This order represents a strategic step for FS Group: it strengthens our presence in France, a key market for international growth, and supports the development of increasingly efficient, sustainable and competitive high-speed services. The new trains and the new maintenance hub are also key elements for the launch of the Paris-London connection, a central project in the vision of the ‘Metropolitan Europe,’ the integrated high-speed network that will increasingly connect Europe’s main cities,” said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO and General Manager of FS Italiane Group.

“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 trains will be designed to ensure high standards of sustainability, operational efficiency and cross-border interoperability. The expansion of Trenitalia France’s services represents another step toward more integrated and sustainable European mobility,” said Giuseppe Marino, Group Chief Executive Officer of Hitachi Rail.

The new trains will offer high standards of comfort, innovation and sustainability. On board, passengers will benefit from next-generation Wi-Fi connectivity of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), a new bistro concept, an enhanced food and beverage offering, and completely redesigned interiors to provide an even more comfortable travel experience across all service classes.

The new fleet will also deliver high environmental performance, with a recyclability rate of up to 97.1% and a further reduction of approximately 120,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions per train compared with the previous generation.

Trenitalia France has also finalized commercial partnership agreements with Certares’ distribution partners. These agreements will be implemented progressively over the coming months and will allow the company to expand its distribution capabilities, support growth in both business and leisure travel, and promote the development of future international connections.