doubledecker

THE Eurostar is getting a major upgrade with up to 50 new double-decker trains.

Eurostar has revealed a €2billion (£1.7billion) investment in double-decker trains that would become the first ever to operate through the Channel Tunnel and on the UK network.

So far, the operator has confirmed it will have 30 double-decker trains, but could add a further 20 in the future.

The new fleet, built by the Alstom Group, will be called Eurostar Celestia.

The trains will each measure 200 metres long, and will be used across the five countries Eurostar currently operates in – the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.

They are also set to be used for new destinations such as Geneva in Switzerland and Frankfurt in Germany.

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On board each train, there will be around 540 seats – a 20 per cent increase compared to the number of seats on the Eurostar’s current trains.

Though if running in a 400 metre formation, as trains do currently through the Channel Tunnel, then there will be around 1,080 seats per service.

According to the operator, Eurostar Celestia will also have a “bespoke design to capture the unique, premium experience Eurostar customers expect”.

The name of the new fleet was decided by Eurostar staff and is derived from the Latin word ‘caelestis’, which means ‘heavenly’.

“It evokes the stars and the essence of travel, perfectly capturing the spirit of a company that links a constellation of cities across Europe,” Eurostar added.

The decision follows Eurostar’s aim of handling 30million passengers each year in the future.

The first trains are expected to join Eurostar’s fleet in January 2031, with services launching in May 2031.

The operator plans to launch six trains initially, which will run alongside Eurostar’s current fleet of 17 e320s.

In total, the fleet will grow to 67 trains – 30 per cent more than runs today.

The entire fleet would also be maintained at the Temple Mills depot in London, which would undergo an €80million (£69.6million) redevelopment to create space for the new trains.

In addition, 350 new jobs would be created at the depot.

The trains will be an all-electric fleet too, making them more sustainable.

Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO, Eurostar said: “We’re particularly proud to bring double-decker trains to the UK for the very first time.

“Customers can expect a very special new train with Eurostar Celestia, which will offer exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed.

“This is a golden age for international sustainable travel – and Eurostar is leading the race.”

Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO of Alstom, said: “This new-generation train, designed to meet the demands of international very high-speed traffic, embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility.”

The announcement comes as the Office of Rail and Road is set to meet on October 31 to make a decision on whether space should be created for a competitor operator at Temple Mills, such as Virgin or Gemini.

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Recently, Virgin also announced that if it were to get approval to run cross-channel services, it would launch routes from two huge cities in the north.

And in other train news, the UK capital is set to welcome new £700million train line linking west and north of the city.

Authorities say more than 60 were injured in the crash, northwest of Mexico City, as the cause remains unclear.

At least 10 people have been killed after a freight train hit a double-decker bus in Mexico, according to authorities.

The crash occurred in an industrial zone on the highway between Atlacomulco, a town about 115km (71 miles) northwest of Mexico City, and Maravatio in the Michoacan state on Monday.

Images from the crash showed portions of the top deck of the bus smashed in and its metal frame badly dented. First responders were on the scene and cordoned off the area.

Authorities said at least 61 others were injured in the incident.

The State of Mexico’s attorney general’s office said that seven of those killed were women and three were men.

The circumstances surrounding the crash were not immediately clear, although a video circulating online showed the bus inching across the train tracks as it waited in traffic.

Another video, from after the collision, showed the bus at rest to the side of the tracks, with the roof missing. People could be seen moving on the top level as the train slowed to a stop.

“Help me, help me,” a woman could be heard crying.

The train operator, Canadian Pacific Kansas City of Mexico, confirmed the accident and sent its condolences to the families of the victims.

The Calgary-based company said its personnel were on site and cooperating with authorities.

Rebeca Miranda told The Associated Press news agency her sister and her sister’s daughter-in-law were on the bus when it was hit at about 6:30am (12:30 GMT).

She said her sister was taken to hospital and was able to speak, but the other woman died in the accident. She said both were domestic workers.

“It’s really unfortunate,” she told the news agency. “Why? To beat the train. Those are lives.”

A MAN and his company have been charged after a 27 tonne mountain of rotting rubbish was dumped in a road.

The mound of industrial waste, which is longer than two double-decker buses combined, was dumped by fly-tippers back in January.

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Furious locals complained about being trapped inside their homes by the humongous 80ft mountain of waste.

Local businesses were also been left stranded due to the blockage on Watery Lane in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Now, Lichfield District Council said a man from Uttoxeter now faces multiple charges.

These include depositing waste, endangering road users, dangerous driving, breaching HGV drivers’ hours regulations, and obstructing the highway.

A company, based near Stafford, has been charged with depositing the waste and obstructing the highway.

Resident Elaine Hutchings, who owns a livery yard, previously said that the festering pile could be smelled from a distance.

She explained that the rural road – which was already inaccessible on one end due to ongoing works – was now completely unusable.

She said: “It’s industrial rubbish, building waste, you can smell it.

“Watery Lane is used as a cut-through. The one end was already shut due to scheduled works and this being dumped this morning means residents and businesses will be left isolated.”

She added that nine or ten households had been cut off – with a small number, including Elaine’s, able to escape their properties via an alternative route set up by housing developer Redrow.

The local told how staff from Lichfield District Council had been on-site to move the build-up, adding: “I had a message from a farmer and they sent me a photograph.

“I drove up and called the council, councillors and the police were already there.

“They are trying to sort the logistics of trying to get it moved.”

Both the man and company who have been charged are due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on July 1.

Councillor Doug Pullen, the leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “This was an appalling act of environmental crime.

“Local people woke up to find their only route to and from their homes completely blocked, and the cost to the taxpayer of removing and disposing of the waste was nearly £10,000.

“Thanks to the swift action of our environmental health officers, suspects were quickly identified, leading to these charges.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping, because that’s what our communities rightly expect.

“This case is about more than prosecution. It’s about protecting our environment, supporting law-abiding businesses, safeguarding local people—and sending a strong message that illegal dumping will not be tolerated.”

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A SCHOOLBOY has fallen out of the top window on a double-decker bus onto the main road.

Police were called to the scene on Osmaston Road, in Derbyshire, at around 3.30pm on Monday.

The bus had been taking pupils from St Benedict Catholic Academy in Darley Abbey, to Allenton.

Paramedics rushed the schoolboy to hospital with a “head injury”.

He has since been discharged.

Head teacher Hazel Boyce told Derbyshire Live: “We are aware of an incident on a school bus on Monday. The pupil involved was taken to hospital, treated and has now been discharged.

A Derbyshire police spokesman said: “Officers were called to reports that a boy had gone through the top window of a double-decker bus in Osmaston Road, Derby, on Monday, April 28, at 3.30pm.

“The boy reportedly sustained a head injury and was taken to hospital.”

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