Eurostar high-speed trains arrive and depart on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link whilst domestic trains are routed underneath.
The Eurostar is Europe's first international train. Taking advantage of the Channel Tunnel, it provides a high-speed rail service between the UK and destinations in Continental Europe. It began service in 1994 and is operated by a consortium comprising French Railways (SNCF), Belgian Railways (SNCB) and Eurostar UK Ltd. Eurostar is the world’s longest passenger train, comprising 20 cars and is around 400m long (quarter of a mile) but unlike a conventional TGV, it’s designed to be able to be broken in the middle for safety reasons when within the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar’s train length is to do with passenger capacity. Because of height constraints in the Channel Tunnel, it cannot grow upwards (like double-decker trains) but only in length. Eurostar shares many French TGV features but its technology is equally shared between French and British manufacturers. Eurostar’s distinctive nose was designed specially for operation in the Channel Tunnel where aerodynamic considerations are vital and it has to operate in the UK, Belgium and France under seven different signalling systems and several different power supplies. All in all, Eurostar is exceedingly complex train and each one costs around 24 million GBP. The £ billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now High Speed One) was built between 1998-2007 and partly funded by the European Union, it forms a section of the Trans European Rail Network. It is basically a French-style high-speed rail line linking London with the Channel Tunnel, the Eurostar trains were developed on proven technology from the French TGV high-speed system. Stations on the CTRL are the existing Ashford International and new stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford. The line ends at the rebuilt St. Pancras.
Size: 2126px × 1415px
Location: Folkestone, Kent, UK
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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