The first Eurostar train has gone into refurbishment, marking the start of a £700 million fleet overhaul programme.
Eurostar is refurbishing its entire fleet of 28 trains and purchasing 10 new e320 trains as part of the upgrade.
The new units will feature a unique design by Pininfarina, the Italian car design house.
Eurostar is on schedule to complete the transformation of its entire fleet by 2015.
Nicolas Petrovic, chief executive of Eurostar, said: “The redesign and upgrading of our fleet marks the next phase of our business. With customers increasingly opting for rail over plane for short-haul journeys across Europe, we want to provide an unrivalled travel experience between the UK and the continent and to encourage more passengers to choose high-speed rail as their preferred option.”
Eurostar has also announced its third-quarter figures today.