Two floors, two vibes, one bar. Eurostar has revealed that its next generation of trains — a fleet called Eurostar Celestia, named after the Latin word for "heavenly" — will feature a two-storey drinks area as the centrepiece of the design. The operator says each level will have its own atmosphere, staff will host it much like the cocktail bars in Eurostar Premier lounges, and it will be open to every passenger, not just those in premium seats.
The announcement builds on news from October 2025 that Eurostar will run double-decker trains in the UK for the first time. The fleet is being built under a €2bn (£1.7bn) deal with French manufacturer Alstom, with production in French factories. Trains are due in service in 2031.
Compared with the current Siemens-built e320s, the new trains will pack in 20 per cent more seats, sit on a lower floor and stand 16cm taller overall. They'll join the existing 17 e320s rather than replace them, potentially taking Eurostar's fleet to 67 trains. The air conditioning has also been specced for a warming world — it's designed to keep working in heat up to 55°C, a nod to the UK's record-breaking summer.
The timing is no accident. Eurostar's hold on Channel Tunnel travel is under real threat for the first time in three decades: in August, Virgin Trains got the green light from the regulator ORR to launch a competing cross-Channel service. A swanky double-decker bar is as much a competitive weapon as a passenger perk — giving travellers a reason to stick with the incumbent.
For anyone who regularly hops between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, this matters. The train versus plane debate often comes down to comfort over three hours, and a proper hosted bar with views from an upper deck is a genuine differentiator. The fact that it's open to all classes removes the usual gripe that the good stuff is reserved for business travellers. Add 20 per cent more seats across the fleet and there should be more capacity — and potentially more availability — on busy routes.
Don't expect to sip a cocktail on the top deck just yet: 2031 is the target, and Eurostar's current e320 fleet carries on in the meantime. But if you're planning European rail trips into the next decade, the London-Continent hop is about to get a lot more interesting — and a bit more competitive on price and service, too, once Virgin's rival service arrives.