Gemini Trains Confirms Partnership with Siemens Mobility and Rock Rail

Open access train operating company to be, Gemini Trains, has confirmed that it has chosen Siemens Mobility as the rolling stock manufacturer for its fleet that is to run between London and Paris, Brussels and Cologne.

The financing party will be Rock Rail.

The new trains will be co-branded with Uber.

The Velaro Novo is the new member of Siemens Mobility’s Velaro family and is being put through its paces by Deutsche Bahn. Additionally, Siemens Mobility’s e320 trains, a Velaro variant, are used by Eurostar for their cross-channel services. Consequently, Gemini Trains says, Siemens is perfectly placed to delivery reliable, high-quality trains “to meet Gemini’s ambitions”.

The funding partner, Rock Rail, has worked closely with Siemens Mobility in the past. The ROSCO said that Gemini’s service offering of using Stratford and Ebbsfleet aligned well with UK government aspirations of making better use of this location.

Office of Rail and Road Application

Gemini Trains is currently waiting to hear from the Office of Rail and Road on whether it will be granted space at the Temple Mills International (TMI) depot, which is operated by Eurostar, saying its maintenance capacity is vital to the delivery of the new Siemens fleet.

In June 2025, ORR wrote to Gemini Trains asking for more information and clarification about their requirements for access to Temple Mills International depot, following Gemini’s application earlier that year in February.

Collaboration with Uber

Gemini Trains will operate the cross-channel services from the new terminal at London Stratford International. Co-branded with Uber, passengers will be able to book tickets via the Uber app. At present, booking tickets via Uber Trains is only available in the UK and Spain.

Adrian Quine, CEO of Gemini Trains, said:

Our collaboration with Uber, Siemens and Rock Rail creates a powerful partnership as we move towards our goal of running regular high-quality and competitively priced trains connecting the UK to France, Belgium and for the first time ever, Germany. This is great news for UK jobs, the economy and of course passengers.

There is no firm launch date for services yet.

Several other attempts to run rival services (to Eurostar) through the Channel Tunnel have not gone anywhere, despite attempts being made by big names such as Deutsche Bahn and Renfe.

Access to the Temple Mills International depot is essential for Gemini’s plans to proceed. A decision on this should be close: ORR is expected to make a decision on the Temple Mills international depot access by (or before) the end of October 2025.