Eurostar welcomes 400 millionth customer
Amy from London was surprised at London St Pancras International before setting off.
Eurostar has reached a historic milestone across its five‑country network, welcoming its 400 millionth customer since services began in 1994 – a landmark moment that underlines the continuing appeal of high‑speed rail as a sustainable way to travel across Europe.
The achievement crowns a record year for the business. In 2025, 20 million customers chose to travel with Eurostar, an increase of 500,000 passengers year‑on‑year. The growth reflects sustained demand from both leisure and business travellers and builds on more than three decades of connecting major cities across the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
A milestone marked on the London–Amsterdam route
The 400 millionth customer, Amy Gallagher, travelled from London to Amsterdam on service ES 9124. Amy was surprised at London St Pancras International by Eurostar station and onboard teams before departure.
To mark the occasion, Eurostar upgraded Amy and her partner, Elliot Lipley – who are relocating from London to Amsterdam – from Standard to Premier. They were also presented with a complimentary bottle of Champagne Fleury, Eurostar’s exclusive onboard champagne selected by Head Sommelier Honey Spencer.
Network growth driven by core routes
Passenger growth in 2025 was particularly strong on key international corridors, underlining Eurostar’s role in shifting journeys from air to rail,
Eurostar also saw strong uptake of its newest ticket type, SNAP, relaunched in 2024. In 2025, the equivalent of one Eurostar e320 train’s worth of customers per day travelled using SNAP fares, which offer discounts of up to 50% for last‑minute travel and help make spontaneous rail journeys more accessible.
Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO, said: “To have welcomed 400 million people on board Eurostar is an incredible moment in our long history of connecting people across Europe. Celebrating the milestone with a lucky customer on our Dutch route made it even more special, as we continue to focus our growth efforts on The Netherlands.
Another year of growth to 20 million passengers only motivates us to do more for our customers in the years to come as we expand, including into new countries as we introduce the new Celestia fleet.”
London–Netherlands: a strategic growth corridor
The London–Netherlands route remains a cornerstone of Eurostar’s growth strategy with the current fleet.
In February 2025, Eurostar opened its new UK terminal facilities in Amsterdam, increasing capacity to up to 810 passengers on direct services between the UK and the Netherlands.
In December 2025, Eurostar introduced a fifth daily direct service between London and Rotterdam and Amsterdam, significantly increasing choice and flexibility for customers on a route Eurostar first pioneered in 2018.
These developments position the UK–Netherlands corridor as one of Eurostar’s most dynamic and fast‑growing markets.
€2 billion Celestia fleet: more capacity, new routes
To support its ambition to carry 30 million passengers a year, Eurostar announced in October 2025 a €2 billion investment in a new fleet of up to 50 Eurostar Celestia trains from Alstom.
Key elements of the investment include:
An initial order of 30 bespoke double‑decker trains, with options for a further 20.
Celestia will be the first double‑decker fleet to operate through the Channel Tunnel and on the UK network.
Each train will provide around 20% more capacity than current trains, with the first units entering service from 2031.
The new fleet will open up new direct routes, including London–Frankfurt, London–Geneva and Amsterdam/Brussels–Geneva.
Designed with sustainability and accessibility at their core, the Celestia trains will deliver improved energy efficiency and enhanced onboard comfort, informed by feedback from passengers, accessibility advocates and Eurostar employees.
Investing in people and the onboard experience
Alongside network and fleet expansion, 2025 saw Eurostar roll out a series of initiatives to enhance both customer and employee experience.
A new Eurostar uniform
From October 2025, more than 2,600 onboard and station colleagues began wearing Eurostar’s first new uniform in over a decade.
Designed by Emmanuelle Plescoff and co‑created with Eurostar employees, the collection is inclusive, functional and sustainably produced, reinforcing a consistent and recognisable Eurostar look across all five countries in its network.
Better inclusion for travellers with autism
In April 2025, Eurostar signed the Charter of commitments relating to the inclusion of travellers with autism in the rail environment.
The pledge commits Eurostar to clearer, more sensory‑sensitive information and enhanced staff training, helping to make international rail travel more comfortable and predictable for neurodivergent customers.
As the business celebrates 400 million customers carried, it is laying the foundations for the next generation of international rail travel – connecting more cities, welcoming more passengers and offering a richer, more sustainable way to discover Europe.