Competing with Eurostar for cross-channel rail services, Evolyn has signed up for a deal for 16 trains to improve fares and destinations once it begins its service in 2025.
The company has agreed to initially purchase 12 trains from French firm Alstom as a part of the deal of £1 billion to date.
Evolyn is directly competing with Eurostar, which has had a monopoly for 30 years; however, it faced challenges to its growth after Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evolyn came into existence on the theory that rail traffic will eventually increase as the pressure from climate change targets journeys by cars and planes.
Chief executive Jorge Cosmen stated: “We know that the governments of the United Kingdom and France welcome a project that will allow their citizens to increase the connection options between the UK and several countries in continental Europe with a green alternative that will also contribute to decarbonization.”
The company added that the high-speed trains it has purchased from Alstom’s Avelia range will meet “all current high standards of sustainability, efficiency, and reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.”
It said that although it has planned to launch services in 2025, they will be fully operational by 2026.
Spain’s Cosmen family has the largest holding in the company; it also includes a large stake in the formerly known National Express, a rail and coach operator, now known as Mobico.
According to Mobico, the company is not a member of the consortium.
Although Evolyn said that the process of finalizing its ownership structure also includes “British and French industrial and financial partners,”
“All in all, Evolyn will become an innovative alternative for a strategic and high-demand line both in the UK and Europe, which will seek to provide the best quality offer at competitive prices and become the trusted choice of users,” concluded the statement.
- Published By Team Timeswire