So, there’s a chance you may have heard that a little sporting event is taking place in Paris this summer? Well, it turns out that the athletes aren’t the only ones warming up in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Eurostar (Team GB’s official travel partner) is also getting geared up, as it will be playing a rather integral role in the summer’s sporty proceedings: transporting over 2000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes (and a whole load of spectators) to Paris. And why take them there on a regular Eurostar train when you could take them on a golden Eurostar train?
That’s right, folks: Eurostar has just unveiled its first ever Golden Trains in celebration of the upcoming sporting event. Some pretty impressive commitment to the cause from Eurostar, don’t you think?
Marking one month until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games begin, the brand new trains were revealed this morning (June 25), and the first departure took place with world-renowned Olympian, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, ParalympicsGB double gold medalist, Maisie Summers-Newton, and former Team GB athlete, Perri Shakes-Drayton on board.
The newly-decorated e320 trains have been utterly gold-ified for the occasion, and will be transporting athletes and adventurers across the channel throughout the games this summer. Talk about arriving in style, hey?
160 trains (unfortunately not all gold) are set to sustainably transport athletes and staff from Team GB, ParalympicsGB, Team Belgium, Team Para Belgium, Team Netherlands, Team ParaNL and Team Deutschland to the French capital; significantly reducing their carbon footprint, and cutting their CO2 emissions by up to 96% compared to air or coach travel.
Eurostar is also expecting to see a whopping two million customers using its speedy service to travel to Paris between July and September. To allow for this hefty number of passengers; Eurostar is increasing services by up to 8 more a day on peak Olympic days. Aren’t they just good as gold for accommodating everyone?
Eurostar certainly don’t do things by halves – and so Business Premier, Standard Premier, and Premium train-travellers can expect to indulge in some special Olympic-themed treats onboard and in the London and Paris lounges. And for those looking to keep the celebrations going once they alight the train; a dedicated fan zone will be set up in Coal Drops Yard near King’s Cross.
Ahead of the launch, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, commented: “As we gear up for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Eurostar’s Golden Train symbolises the journey towards excellence. It’s an honour to be part of this launch, and I wish all the athletes the best as they compete on the world stage as I pass the baton to talent such as Maisie.”
Simon Lejeune, Eurostar Chief Safety and Stations Officer, said: “Today marks the launch of one month to go to the Olympics. Eurostar is delighted to partner with four national teams for Paris 2024 including Team GB and ParalympicsGB. In honour of this, we’ve launched The Golden Train, a symbol of support for all athletes going for gold and for customers who’ll be travelling via us to get to the games. We’re honoured to have Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Maisie Summers-Newton and Perri Shakes-Drayton here to mark the moment.”