Eurostar - Eurostar Routes, Rolling stock, Regional Eurostar, Organisation

International high-speed passenger train service between London (Waterloo) and Continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Direct services include Paris (and Disneyland), Brussels, Calais, and Lille, as well as Bourg St-Maurice and Moutier in the French Alps. Operated jointly by Eurostar (UK) Ltd, the French Railways (SNCF) and Belgium Railways (SNCB), it commenced operations in 1994. There are 27 trains in the fleet, 392 m/1286 ft in length, each containing 766 passenger seats, and capable of speeds of 300 kph/186 mph. On 30 July 2003, a Eurostar train broke the UK rail speed record, reaching 335 kph/208 mph on the 70 km/43·5 mi first section of a planned high-speed track from the Channel Tunnel to London's St Pancras Station.

Franchise(s):	Not subject to franchising; International joint operation
Main stations(s):	London Waterloo, Paris Gare du Nord, Bruxelles Gare du Midi
Other stations(s):	Ashford, Calais-Fréthun, Lille-Europe, Marne-la-Vallée, Avignon, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aime-la-Plagne, Moutiers
Fleet size:	27 Class 373 sets
Stations:	11
Parent company:	Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd., SNCF, SNCB
Web site:	www.eurostar.com

Eurostar is a train service that connects London (Waterloo station) with Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille and Brussels (South station). In England a new line has been built to the same standards as on the continent, in a two-phase project known as High Speed 1 (HS1), previously called the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and will commence top-speed service to the newly built Eurostar terminus at London St. Pancras, on November 14th, 2007.

From the 14th of November 2007 all Eurostar trains will be routed through HS1 to a new London terminus at St Pancras. Some trains will additionally serve new stations at Ebbsfleet near Dartford in northwest Kent (Ebbsfleet International station) and Stratford International station in east London (near Stratford station, or Stratford Regional station as it will be called when Stratford International station is opened)

Eurotunnel, the company that built and runs the Channel Tunnel, is a completely separate entity from Eurostar.

Eurostar Routes

			St Pancras International (Future London Terminus with completion of Channel Tunnel Rail Link Phase 2 from 2007)
			Stratford International (from 2007, serving both Stratford town and Stratford Olympic Park)
	London Waterloo International (Current London Terminus until 2007)		Ebbsfleet International (from 2007).
			Ashford International
			Channel Tunnel: no station facilities
			Calais-Fréthun
			Lille-Europe
	Paris Gare du Nord		Marne-la-Vallée (Daily Disneyland service only)		Brussels Gare du Midi
			Avignon (Saturday service only during summer holiday season)
			Moûtiers (Ski trains only)
			Aime la Plagne (Ski trains only)
			Bourg Saint Maurice (Ski trains only)

Rolling stock

The Three Capitals trains are 400 metres long, weigh 800 tonnes and carry 750 passengers in 18 carriages (14 carriages for the 7 UK regional sets, not in use). They are essentially modified TGV sets, and some Eurostar trains not needed for cross-Channel runs are used in domestic TGV service by SNCF. In July 2003 a Eurostar train set a new UK rail speed record of 334.7 km/h (208.0 mph) during safety testing on the first section of the CTRL. Because of the different power systems in the UK and Mainland Europe, with the existing lines in the south of England using a third-rail (at 750 volts DC) for powering their trains, and Mainland Europe and elsewhere in the UK using overhead wires, the Eurostar trains are built with both pantographs for Mainland Europe, and third-rail contact "shoes" for use in the UK. While the Eurostar can operate at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on the high-speed lines, trains are limited to 160 km/h (100 mph) when operating in the Channel Tunnel. Every Eurostar "power car" has a four-digit number starting with "3" (3xxx) This numbering fits the Eurostar as the TGV Mark 3, Mark 2 being TGV Atlantique, and Mark 1 being the original Paris-Sud-Est units.

Regional Eurostar

It was originally intended to run "regional Eurostars", direct services to Paris and Brussels from places in the United Kingdom other than London (Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Edinburgh). Seven of the shorter Eurostar trains were completed and handed over to Eurostar.

It is rumoured that the new HSL-Zuid highspeed rail link from Brussels to Amsterdam and HSL 3 to Cologne may see Deutsche Bahn bid to launch competing services to the UK, such as the possibility of new services from London Heathrow / Watford areas to Amsterdam and Cologne, using the regional eurostars.

Regional Eurostar 3313/14 is named "Entente Cordiale", and, as well as holding the current UK rail-speed record, has seen use as a VIP charter train, transporting the Queen on a state visit to France and to the Entente Cordiale anniversary in 2004.

Organisation

Eurostar services are under unified management, the Eurostar Group. In each country, a member company undertakes Eurostar operation:

Belgium — NMBS/SNCB France — SNCF United Kingdom — Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd.