Eurostar aims for Paris-London record on new track
Posted: 04 Sep 2007, 08:10
Eurostar aims for Paris-London record on new track
Reuters - Monday, September 3 08:10 pm
LONDON (Reuters) - Eurostar plans to set a Paris to London speed record on Tuesday with its first ever train on the UK's long-awaited high speed track.
The 9:44 a.m. service from Paris Gare du Nord will take its inaugural run down 109 kilometres (about 68 miles) of British track, known as High Speed 1, arriving for the first time in London's St Pancras International station rather than Waterloo.
The journey time will be cut from the usual 2 hours 35 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes on the new route.
"But we're hoping to do it even quicker on that first run," said a spokesman.
Eurostar carried its first passengers in 1994 after the delayed opening of the $15 billion (7.4 billion pounds) Channel Tunnel.
But while trains have cruised swiftly across France on high speed track at speeds of up to 186 miles (300 km) per hour, they have been forced to throttle back on the British side where they mingle with commuter services heading in and out of London.
Eurostar's faster service arrives at a time of booming demand for rail travel in Britain after a series of foiled terrorist attacks have led to tighter security and delays at UK airports.
Eurostar also says it has been helped by people switching from plane to train due to concerns about the environment.
Environmental statistics put the CO2 impact of aviation anywhere between four and 10 times that of rail on short-haul journeys.
The official switch to St Pancras station takes place on November 14, and the station will eventually link with the site of the 2012 Olympics at Stratford in east London.
Eurostar services are handled by France's SNCF railway and Belgium's SNCB on their own territory.
On the British side this is done by the ICRR consortium, comprising National Express, SNCF, SNCB and British Airways.
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.
Reuters - Monday, September 3 08:10 pm
LONDON (Reuters) - Eurostar plans to set a Paris to London speed record on Tuesday with its first ever train on the UK's long-awaited high speed track.
The 9:44 a.m. service from Paris Gare du Nord will take its inaugural run down 109 kilometres (about 68 miles) of British track, known as High Speed 1, arriving for the first time in London's St Pancras International station rather than Waterloo.
The journey time will be cut from the usual 2 hours 35 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes on the new route.
"But we're hoping to do it even quicker on that first run," said a spokesman.
Eurostar carried its first passengers in 1994 after the delayed opening of the $15 billion (7.4 billion pounds) Channel Tunnel.
But while trains have cruised swiftly across France on high speed track at speeds of up to 186 miles (300 km) per hour, they have been forced to throttle back on the British side where they mingle with commuter services heading in and out of London.
Eurostar's faster service arrives at a time of booming demand for rail travel in Britain after a series of foiled terrorist attacks have led to tighter security and delays at UK airports.
Eurostar also says it has been helped by people switching from plane to train due to concerns about the environment.
Environmental statistics put the CO2 impact of aviation anywhere between four and 10 times that of rail on short-haul journeys.
The official switch to St Pancras station takes place on November 14, and the station will eventually link with the site of the 2012 Olympics at Stratford in east London.
Eurostar services are handled by France's SNCF railway and Belgium's SNCB on their own territory.
On the British side this is done by the ICRR consortium, comprising National Express, SNCF, SNCB and British Airways.
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.