This article treats department liaison at high speed between London and Paris/Brussels. For the called Italian trains Eurostar managed by Trenitalia, to see the article Eurostar Italia.

Eurostar is the name of the company which uses the train (and the connection) at high speed which connects London (St Pancras Station) to Paris (station of North) and Brussels (Gare of the South) with sometimes of the stops with Lille (Gare Lille-Europe), Calais (Gare of Calais-Fréthun) and Ashford (international Gare of Ashford).

Eurostar thus indicates in an unsuitable way the Trains at high speed derived from TGV and assigned to this service. Their exact denomination is TGV TMST (for TransManche SuperTrain) “3 Capitals” or “North of London”.

Exploitation

This service is exploited by a GEIE ( G roupement E uropéen of I ntérêt E conomic) known under the name of Eurostar Group Ltd, in which take part the SNCF, the SNCB and Eurostar UK, subsidiary of LCR (London & Continental Railways).

Eurostar Group has only the responsibility for the commercial management of the service. Not being a company of full exercise, this grouping does not establish an assessment nor of operating statement. To note that the SNCF and SNCB are also shareholders of LCR, at the sides of British Airways and National Express train Group.

Times of way are 2:15 between Paris and London (492km including 109 on or under the English ground) and 1:51 between Brussels and London. Eurostar also carries out regular connections towards Borough-Saint-Maurice and Avignon, as well as connections chartered for example towards Marne the Valley - Chessy (Parc Disneyland Paris).

Beginning 2006, the market share of Eurostar was established in 69% on Paris-London and 62% on Brussels-London. This result is explained by a displacement of the air market to the profit of Eurostar since the startup partial of the new line ( Chanel Tunnel Rail Link or CTRL) between the Tunnel and London which made it possible to reduce 20 minutes the time of way.


Served routes

The trains cross the Manche by borrowing the Channel tunnel at the speed of 160 km/h: the crossing is carried out in 20 minutes, against approximately 33 minutes for the shuttles Eurotunnel.

In France and Belgium they circulate on new lines at high speed (LGV) at the limiting speed of 300 km/h (since the opening of the Tunnel in France, since 1997 in Belgium).

In Great Britain, a new line, to the standards of the French LGV (continental gauge, current of traction 25kV, indication), was built between the Tunnel and London.

  • a first section, 74 km, was open in September 2003 between Folkestone and Fawkham Junction
  • second section, 34 km of which 22 in tunnel, whose inauguration was made the September 4th 2007, drive the trains to the London station of Saint-Pancras, located at the north of the the Thames (which replaces the old terminus of the Gare of Waterloo). That puts the capital of the United Kingdom at 1:51 of Brussels and 2:15 of Paris. The access to London St-Pancras of continental gauge vehicles is from now on possible, because 6 ways with low quays (the center lanes 5 to 10) are reserved for the TGV.

Served stations

Since November 14th, 2007, the trains use the new line Chanel Tunnel Rail Link leading to the London station of Saint-Pancras.
  • London-Saint-Pancras
  • International Stratford (nondefinite date, during 2008?)
  • International Ebbsfleet
* London-Waterloo (until November 13rd, 2007)

Rolling stock

See also: TGV TMST

The material Eurostar , built by Alstom, is derived from the French TGV, but presents several characteristics:

  • the cars are with the gauge British, more reduced in width, height and length that the continental gauge (the quays are high in the United Kingdom);
  • the oars are sectile by the medium to be able to be towed out of the tunnel in the event of need;
  • they are tricourant (single-phase current 25 Kv-50 Hz, continuous 3 Kv and continuous 750 V), and are equipped with wipers to collect the current 750 volts on the upper part of a third side rail on the ground on the traditional lines of the South of England. These side wipers will be removed in 2008. Certain oars belonging to the SNCF are also ready to circulate under 1500 V DC.

27 oars of this material whose property is shared between three companies (the SNCF, SNCB and Eurostar UK Limited) is exploited in " Pool ". 3 are exploited by the SNCF for interior relations.

History of Eurostar

  • November 14th 1994: beginning of the regular connections of Eurostar.
  • December 14th 1997: startup of the line at high speed between Brussels and the French border in Belgium.
  • March 11th 1999: decision of the creation of Eurostar Group.
  • July 30th 2003: a Eurostar oar establishes the railway speed records in Great Britain to 334,7 km/h
  • September 28th 2003: setting in business service of the first section of the line at British high speed.
  • May 17th 2006: world records of the greatest connection by an international train at high speed by connecting London to Cannes, 1421 km without stopover, at the time of the exit of the film Da Vinci Code with the whole of the team of film on her board at the time of the Festival.
  • September 4th 2007: speed records, Eurostar connect Paris to London in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 39 seconds (rolling to 320km/h on the sections high speed has).
  • September 20th 2007: speed records, Eurostar connect Brussels to London in 1 hour and 43 minutes without exceeding the speed limits of 300km/h on each section
  • November 6th 2007: inauguration of the station of St International Pancras and the new line at British high speed by Its Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II
  • November 14th 2007: permanent closure of International Waterloo, Eurostar will have from now on as a station of departure and arrival in London the Gare of Saint-Pancras International

Statistical data

Between November 1994 and December 2004, Eurostar Group Ltd transported 61 million travellers.

Its market share reaches 68% at the end of 2004 and makes the first conveyer transmanche by far of it.

  • 2004 : 7,27 million travellers (+ 15% compared to 2003); sale of tickets: 433 million Pounds sterling (approximately 600 million Euro S).

  • 2005 : 7,5 million travellers (+ 3,2% compared to 2004); sale of tickets: 464 million pounds sterling (approximately 682 million euros).
  • 2006 : 7,85 million travellers (+ 4,6% compared to 2005); sale of tickets: 518 million pounds sterling (approximately 762 million euros).
  • turnover in the 1st quarter 2007: 142 million books, in rise of 13,2%; Many travellers in the 1st quarter: 1,79 million, in rise of 5,4%; Rate of punctuality: 91%

The regularity is close to 90%. In 2006, average punctuality reached 91,5%.
The price of the Toll S discharged with the administrative of infrastructure, whose Eurotunnel, represents more half of the receipts.

Related articles

TGV | Channel tunnel | Eurotunnel | the SNCF | TGV TMST

Thalys | SNCB | Artésia | Elipsos | Lyria

Random links:Karl Alfred von Zittel | Mikhaïl Gromov | Cigarillo | John Fryer | Mugdrum

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