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According to the magazine "Today's Railways Europe" there are a number of reasons why the Siemens Velaro was chosen.
1) The Siemens design uses distributed power instead of separate power-cars which means that it can carry 20% more passengers than the current Eurostar sets.
2) The new trains are required so that Eurostar can expand services to the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the South of France. Extra electrical and signalling equipment will have to be carried for these countries and it is thought that the articulated AGV could not be equipped with these without pushing it over the maximum permitted axle loadings.
3) The Velaro has a proven track record and is already in service in Spain, China and Russia. The DB version is also very similar so approval costs can be shared and the time needed to gain authorisation will be shorter.
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