Trenitalia targets launch of London–Paris Channel Tunnel trains by 2029

Italian rail operator Trenitalia is one step closer to launching a rival service to Eurostar’s Channel Tunnel service between London and Paris, following a €1 billion partnership with an American investment firm. 

It plans to provide 10 London-Paris round-trips by 2029 via the Channel Tunnel. 

The funds from investment firm Certares are part of a wider deal to grow Trenitalia operations in Europe outside of Italy, including in France and other cross-border journeys. 

Around €300 million of the investment is reported to be going towards the UK-France expansion.

Trenitalia, managed by the Italian state rail operator FS Italiane, already operates several domestic lines in France following the EU’s forced opening of the nation’s rail routes to competitors.

These include services between Paris and Lyon – soon to reach 14 round-trips per-day – as well as routes to Marseille (via Avignon), Alpine ski stations, and international services between France and Italy. 

Tickets have mainly been cheaper on Trenitalia trains compared to SNCF but with fewer daily services, and it can be more difficult to obtain refunds following delays, according to a report by the French consumer association UFC-Choisir. 

In general, competition on lines reduces prices on services.

However, several steps are required by the rail operator before UK-France services can be launched. 

Is a 2029 opening feasible?

The Eurostar Group (currently owned by the SNCF, Belgian rail operator SNCB, and private investment firms) have held a monopoly on Channel Tunnel passenger rail services since they began in 1994.

This looks certain to end in the coming years, with several companies announcing interest in running direct London-Paris trains. 

Increased competition is desired by both the British rail authorities and tunnel operator Getlink, with more trains expected to dramatically increase revenues and create hundreds of jobs.

The operator says that around twice as many passenger trains (excluding Le Shuttle services transporting vehicles) could run through the tunnel as are currently scheduled, due to recent upgrades. 

The London St Pancras terminal is also looking to greatly increase the number of passengers it can handle per hour – up to a maximum 5,000 – and station managers are hoping for more services to be launched.

Until the Trenitalia announcement, Virgin seemed the furthest along with its plans to bring in a rival service. 

In October 2025, it was given authorisation to use the ‘Temple Mills’ train depot in London to store trains.

The depot is the only location in the UK currently capable of storing passenger trains that run through the Channel, which have different requirements to domestic trains (until now, only Eurostar has been authorised to use it). 

Virgin looked to have scuppered any other rival services, as the agreement saw them gain access to all the remaining spots in the UK depot.

If Trenitalia or any other competitor wished to store trains in the UK, a new depot would need to be constructed, or Temple Mills expanded.

In the case of the latter, Eurostar, FS Italiane and Evolyn (a Spanish operator that is also looking to run a London-Paris service) have all expressed interest in expanding the depot, but only if costs are shared between all operators.

However, Marco Caposciutti, CEO of Trenitalia France, said to Railway Gazette International that the 10 trains Trenitalia plan to use for the Channel Tunnel route would all initially be maintained in a newly-proposed €100 million depot near Paris, circumventing the need for a UK base.

Alongside these logistical factors however, any operator looking to run a service needs to reach a commercial agreement with Eurostar, alongside achieving safety and other technical milestones, before launching the route.

Virgin had set a 2030 launch date for its Channel Tunnel service, but may attempt to bring forward plans following the Trenitalia announcement. 

The Italian operator seems intent to aggressively tackle the route, and claims that increased rail travel could eliminate the need for flight routes between the two capitals. 

Currently, around 40% of passengers between London and Paris fly.

Trenitalia points to other European routes of a comparable distance including Rome-Milan, Madrid-Barcelona, and international connections such as Paris-Brussels, which have all seen direct flights largely replaced by rail services.