12 July 2017

Eurostar unveils world’s first onboard virtual reality experience: ‘Eurostar Odyssey’

Eurostar today announces ‘Eurostar Odyssey’, the first virtual reality experience designed to enhance a journey through an immersive onboard adventure, with specially designed headsets distributed throughout the summer at peak travel periods for families.
 
As travellers make their way at high-speed under the channel, they’ll enter the hidden depths of the sea bed for the first time, looking into a virtual world of sea creatures, sunken treasures and mysterious sea-scapes.
 
As the summer holidays begin, the unique experience has been created to help the young and the young-at-heart see the journey to Europe in a new dimension. The free adventure is accessed by logging on to Eurostar’s onboard entertainment system on a travellers own Apple or Android device, and opening up the voyage of discovery.
 
As travellers take their seat, the roof of the virtual train transforms into a glass ceiling revealing the underwater world around them. Guided by two ocean explorers, Rose and Benoit, the journey is packed full of stories from pirates’ legends of lost treasures, to meetings with mermaids and an encounter with a charismatic octopus. A gaming element allows voyagers to count different species along the way, for those that like to compete.
 
Nick Mercer, Commercial Director, Eurostar, said: “Travellers are always asking if they can see the fish when travelling through the channel tunnel, and we’re really excited to make it possible as the first travel company to give its customers an immersive 3D experience. Throughout the summer we’ll be giving younger travellers free headsets so they can enjoy an exciting adventure under the channel, so as the summer holidays begin, why fly when you and your family can have so much fun travelling by Eurostar?”
 
Available on all of Eurostar’s new e320 and refurbished e300 trains through the on board entertainment system directly to a user’s own device, the experience will be accessible on services between London and Paris, Lille, Brussels, Lyon and the South of France.
 
All Eurostar e320 and e300 trains offer wifi connectivity with over 300 hours of onboard entertainment streamed to customers’ personal devices, providing travellers with a variety of TV shows, films, documentaries, games and news whilst travelling at high-speed across the European countryside.
   
For more information:
Eurostar Press Office 
020 7843 5500
press.office@eurostar.co.uk
 
About Eurostar

1. Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps.
2. The current Eurostar train was first introduced into service in 1994 carrying 750 passengers and operating at speeds of up to 300kph.  Since then, the fleet of 28 trains has carried more than 150 million passengers between London and the Continent.  Following their refurbishment these trains will continue to form a core part of the Eurostar fleet. The new e320 will carry around 900 passengers at speeds of up to 320kph.
3. Eurostar was established in 1994 as a partnership between three railway companies: SNCF, SNCB and LCR (London and Continental Railways). On 1 September 2010, Eurostar became a single, unified corporate entity owned by three shareholders: SNCF, SNCB and LCR. LCR’s holding was transferred to the Treasury in 2014, and sold by the UK government to a consortium comprising Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec (CDPQ) and Hermes Infrastructure on 28th May 2015.
4. Eurostar is a founder member of Railteam, a partnership between Europe’s leading high-speed train operators that is developing simpler ways to book and travel on the fast-expanding, European high-speed rail network.
5. Eurostar and Eurotunnel are entirely separate companies.  Eurostar operates high-speed passenger trains, while Eurotunnel operates vehicle shuttle services and the Channel Tunnel itself. Eurostar is Eurotunnel’s biggest customer.