Evolyn, a railway operator led by the Asturian Cosmen (Alsa) family, agreed to buy 12 high-speed trains of the French manufacturer Alstom with the intention of starting operating from 2025 in the Eurotunnel, the underwater infrastructure of the English Channel that connects the United Kingdom to continental Europe.
It is a tunnel through which more than 11 million travelers pass each year, which is now exclusively carried by Eurostar, a company controlled 56% by the French public operator (SNCF), 20% by the Canadian pension fund CDPQ. and 18% of Belgians. public operator (SNCB).
In this context, Evolyn, which also has the support of industrial and financial partners in Britain and France, hopes to offer a transport alternative that it defends as “sustainable, modern and innovative” to all travelers.
The acquisition of these 12 high-speed trains continues a £1 billion (€1.16 billion) project that has been underway for three years and will expand to at least 16 trains in the future. Convoys from the Avelia range, which meet current standards of sustainability, efficiency and reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
“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 United Kingdom and many countries on the European continent with a green alternative that also contributes to decarbonization,” he said. CEO of Evolyn, Jorge Cosmen.
The Cosmen family is the main shareholder of Mobico, a British mobility group whose perimeter includes the National Express and Alsa brands, the latter company being sold by the Cosmens in 2005 to the former in exchange for a share package.
Another Spanish group that is also interested in operating the Eurotunnel is the public Renfe, which in 2021 will begin the necessary procedures to be able to operate a high-speed service connecting London and Paris as part of internationalization strategy; as reported by Europa Press.
