Eurostar has unveiled plans to run double-decker trains through the Channel Tunnel for the first time ever.
The cross-Channel rail operator that connects the UK with Europe has confirmed it will order up to 50 trains from manufacturer Alstom, eventually increasing the size of its fleet by nearly a third.
In the €2 billion (£1.74 billion) deal, confirmed on Wednesday, October 22, Eurostar has ordered 30 "Celestia" trains, with the option for 20 more, and is expecting to run the first six trains in 2031.
Each train would be 200 metres long. If two were run together, as happens currently, the resulting 400-metre service would have about 1,080 seats.
These would be the first double-decker high-speed trains to run through the Channel Tunnel.
Eurostar's chief executive, Gwendoline Cazenave, said she was "particularly proud to bring double-decker trains to the UK for the very first time," adding they would bring "exceptional comfort".
Eurostar carried 19.5 million passengers last year and is aiming to bring this number to 30 million, said the chief.
The firm noted that a fleet of new trains, some of which will replace older ones, will lead to a 30% increase in trains that service London.
Moreover, the double-decker train deal came after Eurostar announced an expansion plan in June that includes new routes to Geneva and Frankfurt from London.
However, double-deckers becoming the norm across Britain's rail network seems unlikely.
Pete Waterman, a train enthusiast, told the BBC's Today programme that since Britain's railways were built so long ago, most of the routes would not be able to cater for such large trains due to obstructions such as tunnels and overhead lines.
Eurostar also said it would invest €80 million in developing the Temple Mills depot in London, which is the only depot in the UK able to accommodate the larger trains used in continental Europe.
