Double decker trains are set to be running in London in six years from now.

Eurostar has ordered 30 Alstom double deckers and has an option for 20 more. The fleet will cost up to €2 billion (£1.74 billion) and will be maintained at Temple Mills depot, which Eurostar is planning to expand at a cost of £80 million.

The new fleet will be based on Alstom’s Avelia Horizon sets and named Eurostar Celestia, a brand inspired by the Latin word caelestis, meaning ‘heavenly’.

Each 200m set will have around 540 seats, which is an increase of 20 per cent when compared with present single deck Eurostars. As the new units will normally work in multiple, each train will offer about 1080 seats.

The first of the new trains are due to be delivered in January 2031, with commercial services starting in May, using six trains.

Eurostar said its new fleet will create around 350 jobs at Temple Mills, in addition to the 450 employees who are already there.

The design was created with advice from passenger groups, including those who are particularly concerned with accessibility, as well as 100 Eurostar staff.

Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said: ‘Placing this milestone order marks the concrete realisation of Eurostar’s ambitious growth strategy – to reach 30 million passengers by investing in a brand-new fleet. We’re particularly proud to bring double-decker trains to the UK for the very first time.

‘Customers can expect a very special new train with Eurostar Celestia, which will offer exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed. This is a golden age for international sustainable travel – and Eurostar is leading the race.’

Alstom chief executive officer Henri Poupart-Lafarge added: ‘By choosing Avelia Horizon to renew its fleet, Eurostar is confirming its desire to combine technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort. This new-generation train, designed to meet the demands of international very high-speed traffic, embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility,’

The new trains will be the first high speed double deckers to run through the Channel Tunnel, but they will not be the first two-level trains in Britain, because experimental split-level double deckers ran on British Railways Southern Region between 1949 and 1971. They were withdrawn because their restricted headroom made them inefficient and uncomfortable for passengers.

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