by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Eurostar will press ahead with its order for new German-built trains after a court dismissed a French bid to halt the deal.

Alstom, manufacturer of the Eurostar international trains that travel through Kent on High Speed One, objected to Eurostar's decision to order new ICE4 trains from Siemens.

Deutsche Bahn, the German railway operator, used an earlier version of the train on its trial service to St Pancras International a few days ago.

Eurostar's order is part of a £700m capital investment that will also see a design facelift for existing rolling stock by Italian company Pininfarina.

Alstom claimed that the Siemens trains were not safe to travel through the Channel Tunnel and that Eurostar should buy upgraded French trains.

But the High Court in London ruled against Alstom. In a statement, Eurostar said: "We are very pleased that the situation has been resolved and we can proceed to signing the contract for our new fleet of trains with Siemens.

"We have always been confident that we conducted a rigorous tender process and have chosen the best trains for our passengers.

"With our current fleet upgraded and our new fleet of trains in place, we will be able to offer our customers a real alternative to taking the plane for short haul European travel."