London —
Eurostar has specified that its new fleet of trains must be able to withstand sweltering temperatures of 55 degrees Celsius, or 131 degrees Fahrenheit, as it gears up for a radically altered European climate over the coming decades.
The company, which operates high-speed trains connecting a handful of northern European cities, including London, Paris and Brussels, initially ordered up to 50 new trains that could handle temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 Farenheit).
But intensifying heatwaves across the world’s fastest-warming continent have prompted a rethink.
A Eurostar spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Friday that the firm has asked manufacturers to equip the new trains, worth a collective €2 billion ($2.3 billion), with air conditioning units capable of working in heat up to 55 degrees Celsius.
“These trains will enter service in 2031 and run into the 2060s so it’s essential to be prepared for the future,” the spokesperson said.
On Thursday, Eurostar sent an email to customers, offering them the chance to rebook a train scheduled for Saturday to another date free of charge, citing extreme temperatures.
“It is currently very hot in several of our destinations. And we know that these conditions can make your journey less comfortable than usual,” the company wrote in the email, shared by a customer with CNN.
Should passengers stick to their original booking, Eurostar recommends they “bring enough water to stay hydrated,” the email added.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said the company is readying itself for temperatures normally associated with Saudi Arabia. “This year, the heatwave has been earlier, long, hotter than ever,” she told the publication.
Parts of Europe are in the grip of another heatwave just days after record-shattering June temperatures were felt in France, Switzerland, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Broiling conditions have severely tested the continent’s infrastructure, with some trains delayed or cancelled as extreme temperatures risk warping the metal tracks. Air conditioning — long viewed as a wasteful luxury in northern European homes — is increasingly seen as a necessity.
Responses