Eurostar

:This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. For Italian trains called Eurostar, see Eurostar Italia.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eurostar is a train service that connects London with Paris and Brussels. Trains cross the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel. The French and Belgian sections of the route use the same high-speed rail lines as the TGV and Thalys, and in England a new line is being built to the same standard. This is a two-phase project known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project (CTRL).

Related Topics:
London - Paris - Brussels - English Channel - Channel Tunnel - High-speed rail - TGV - Thalys - Channel Tunnel Rail Link

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first revenue-earning Eurostar trains ran in November 1994. Eurostar has established a dominant share of the market on the routes it serves - 68% for London-Paris and 63% for London-Brussels, as of November 2004. The company points out that these passenger figures represent a saving of 393,000 carbon dioxide-producing short-haul flights.

Related Topics:
1994 - November 2004 - Carbon dioxide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The journey time from London to Paris is currently 2 hours 35 minutes; London to Brussels is 2 hours 20 minutes. These times will be cut by 20 minutes in 2007 when the construction of the second phase of CTRL is completed, bringing the British portion of the line up to the same standards as the French and Belgian sections.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In addition to the three destination cities, some Eurostar services currently stop en route at Ashford in Kent and Lille in northern France. From 2007 all Eurostar trains will be routed through the CTRL to a new London terminus at St Pancras. (The company had intended to retain some services to the existing Waterloo terminal, but this was ruled out on cost grounds.) Some trains will additionally serve new stations at Ebbsfleet near Dartford in north-east Kent and Stratford in east London.

Related Topics:
Ashford - Kent - Lille - St Pancras - Waterloo - Ebbsfleet - Dartford - Stratford

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~