British Rail Class 373 "Eurostar"
In service	1993 - Current
Manufacturer	GEC-Alsthom
Family name	TGV
Cars built	31 trainsets (Three Capitals) 7 trainsets (North of London)
Formation	20 cars (Three Capitals) 16 cars (North of London)
Operator	Eurostar SNCF
Car body	Steel
Car length	18.7 m
Width	2.81 m
Maximum speed	334.7 km/h (Record) 300 km/h (Service)
Weight	815 t (Three Capitals) 665 t (North of London)
Capacity	794 seats (Three Capitals) 578 seats (North of London)
Power output	12.2 MW (25 kV) 5.7 MW (3000 V) 3.4 MW (675/750 V)
Gauge	Standard gauge - 4 ft 8½ (1,435 mm)
Voltage	25 kV AC 675/750 V DC 3000 V DC

The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates the Eurostar service from St Pancras railway station to France and Belgium. It is a TGV modified for use in the UK and in the Channel Tunnel. Differences include the smaller cross-section, to fit within the constrictive British loading gauge; British-designed asynchronous traction motors; and extensive fireproofing in case of fire in the tunnel. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (3,648 × 2,736 pixels, file size: 4. ... Alstom (formerly GEC-Alsthom) (Euronext: ALO) is a large French company whose businesses are power generation, railway signalling; and manufacturing trains (e. ... For the group of heart conditions referred to as TGV, see Transposition of the great vessels. ... This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. ... SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) (French National Railway Company) is a French public enterprise. ... This article is about the metric tonne. ... The megawatt (symbol: MW) is a unit for measuring power corresponding to one million (106) watts. ... The dominant rail gauge in each country shown Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... KV, kV, or kv may refer to: kilovolts, see volt Komi language ((ISO 639 alpha-2) Köchel Verzeichnis, a chronological catalogue of all the compositions of Mozart: see Ludwig von Köchel KV (Egypt), an acronym referring to tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt the IATA... City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ... Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... Trains of the Singapore MRT. EMUs are often used for rapid transit lines. ... This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. ... St Pancras railway station, now officially known as St Pancras International, is a major station located in the St Pancras area of central London, between the new British Library building to the west and Kings Cross station to the east. ... For the group of heart conditions referred to as TGV, see Transposition of the great vessels. ... The British terminal at Cheriton in west Folkestone, from the Pilgrims Way. ... A loading gauge is the envelope or contoured shape within which all railway vehicles, engines, coaches, and trucks must fit. ... Fireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, subject to bounding, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves. ...

Class 373 is its allocated number under the TOPS classification system in use in Britain. In France, it is known as the series 373000 TGV. In the planning stages, it was also known as the TransManche Super Train (Cross-channel Super Train). The trains were built by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) at its sites in La Rochelle (France), Belfort (France) and Washwood Heath (England), entering service in 1993. The Total Operations Processing System, better known by its initials TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock (railroad cars) owned by a rail system. ... Alstom (formerly GEC-Alsthom) (Euronext: ALO) is a large French company whose businesses are power generation, railway signalling; and manufacturing trains (e. ... For other uses, see La Rochelle (disambiguation). ... Belfort is a town and commune of northeastern France, préfecture (capital) of the Territoire de Belfort département in the Franche-Comté région. ... Washwood Heath is an area of Birmingham, England. ...

The Class 373 is the fastest type of train in the United Kingdom and holds the British rail speed record of 334.7 km/h (208 mph). Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ...

Types and ownership

Two types were built: the Three Capitals sets, consisting of two power cars and 18 carriages, including two with a powered bogie each; and the North of London sets, consisting of two power cars and 14 carriages, again two with powered bogies. Full sets of both types consist of two identical half-sets that are not articulated in the middle, so that in case of emergency in the Channel Tunnel, one half can be uncoupled and leave the tunnel. Each half-set is numbered separately. The first Eurostar was built at Belfort in 1992. Identified as PS1 it was formed of just seven coaches and two power cars, and was delivered for test running in January 1993. Its first powered runs were between Strasbourg and Mulhouse. By June 1993 the set was transferred to England for dc tests, arriving on June 20. A power car is a railroad vehicle that is closely related to the locomotive. ...

Thirty-eight full sets, plus one spare power car, were ordered by the railway companies involved: 16 by SNCF; four by NMBS/SNCB; and 18 by British Rail, of which seven were North of London sets. Upon privatisation of British Rail by the UK Government, the sets were bought by London and Continental Railways, which named the subsidiary Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd., now managed by a consortium made up of the National Express Group (40%), SNCF (35%), SNCB (15%) and British Airways (10%). SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) (French National Railway Company) is a French public enterprise. ... NMBS/SNCB trains in Antwerp-Central The NMBS (Dutch: Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen) or SNCB (French: Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges, not to be confused with SNCF) is the Belgian national railway operator. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... The agencies responsible for the government of the United Kingdom consist of a number of ministerial departments (usually headed by a Secretary of State) and non-ministerial departments headed by senior civil servants. ... London & Continental Railways (LCR) is the name of the consortium of companies which is building the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the high-speed railway line linking London with the Channel Tunnel. ... Eurostar (U.K.) Limited or EUKL is the United Kingdom partner of Eurostar, responsible for the operation of the groups train services in Britain. ... National Express Group plc (LSE: NEX) is a UK-based transport group that operates airport, bus and rail services in the UK, the US and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe. ... For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd. ...

Maintenance

Maintenance of the fleet is carried out at depots in the three capitals. North Pole International depot, adjacent to the Great Western Main Line in west London, is the current UK depot and is where the unused North of London sets and spare power car are stored. On completion of High Speed 1, it will be replaced by Temple Mills Depot, currently under construction near Stratford International in east London. In France the trains are maintained at Le Landy depot in northern Paris, and in Belgium at Brussels Forest depot. North Pole depot is the UK depot for the Eurostar service, maintaing and storing the Eurostar trains. ... Maidenhead Railway Bridge The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads station in Bristol. ... 0 km London St Pancras Temple Mills Eurostar Depot 9 km Stratford International 10 km 21 km 27 km 30 km 32 km 37 km Ebbsfleet International 39 km 50 km 54 km 88 km 89 km 90 km Ashford International 91 km 106 km Dollands Moor Freight terminal 108... Temple Mills is a northerly part of Stratford, south of Leyton, located within the London borough of Newham in East London Today, Temple Mills is surrounded at present by former railway tracks and works beloging to the Great Eastern Railway, but a small maintenance depot for EWS and Railtrack still... Stratford International station is a railway station located in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham in East London. ...

The 27 sets operating on Eurostar's routes were refurbished in 2004-5 with a new interior, designed by Philippe Starck. The grey-yellow look (in Standard class) and the grey-red look (in First class) have been replaced with a more grey-brown look in Standard, and a grey-burnt orange in First class. A book about Starck by Taschen alarm clock Telefunken ca. ...

Operations

Class 373 in GNER livery at London Kings Cross station.

The bulk of the fleet's operations are on Eurostar's core routes from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels-South railway station (French: Bruxelles-Midi; Dutch: Brussel-Zuid or Zuidstation). A daily return services operates from London to Disneyland Paris. At particular times of the year, sets equipped for operation on French lignes classiques operate to Avignon (summer only) and on the ski-train service Bourg-Saint-Maurice (winter only). Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... ... St Pancras railway station, now officially known as St Pancras International, is a major station located in the St Pancras area of central London, between the new British Library building to the west and Kings Cross station to the east. ... Main entrance to the Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (English: North Station) is one of the six large terminus stations of the SNCFs main line network in Paris. ... Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid (Brussels South) is a major railway station in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. ... Castle of the Sleeping Beauty in Disneyland Park Disneyland Resort Paris is a theme park in Marne-la-Vallée, near Paris. ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Département Vaucluse (préfecture) Arrondissement Avignon Canton Chief town of 4 cantons Intercommunality Communauté dagglomération du Grand Avignon Mayor Marie-Josée Roig... Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a commune of the Savoie département, in France. ...

Three of the Three Capitals sets owned by SNCF are in French domestic use and currently carry the silver and blue TGV livery. The North of London sets were originally intended to provide direct Regional Eurostar services from Continental Europe to and from UK cities north of London, using the West Coast Main Line and the East Coast Main Line. These never came to fruition because of long proposed journey times, and the proliferation of budget airlines offering lower fares. Five of the sets were leased to GNER for use on its White Rose service between London Kings Cross and Leeds, with three of them carrying GNER's dark blue livery. The lease ended in December 2005. In 2007, SNCF leased six of the seven North of London sets to be used on the Paris-Lille TGV route. Regional Eurostar was the name given to plans to operate Eurostar train services from Paris and Brussels to locations in the United Kingdom beyond London. ... The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ... The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ... Carrbridge Aviemore Kingussie Newtonmore Blair Atholl Pitlochry Dunkeld Gleneagles Dunblane Falkirk Stonehaven Montrose Arbroath Leuchars Kirkcaldy Inverkeithing Motherwell Edinburgh Haymarket Dunbar Berwick-upon-Tweed Alnmouth Morpeth Durham Darlington Northallerton Harrogate Horsforth Skipton Keighley Shipley Bradford Forster Sq Wakefield Westgate Brough Selby Retford Newark North Gate Grantham Stevenage London Kings Cross... Kings Cross station (often spelt Kings Cross on platform signs) is a railway station in the district of the same name in northeast central London. ... For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation) and Leeds City (disambiguation). ...

Fleet details

1. including power car.
2. Avignon and Alps ski-train services are worked by SNCF quadricurrent-capable sets.
3. North of London units transferred to SNCF from 2007.^{[verification needed]}

Technical details

The Three Capitals sets have a capacity of 766 seats (206 1st-class, 560 standard). The North of London sets have a capacity of 558 seats (114 1st-class, 444 standard).

Power

All of the train sets are at least tri-current and are able to operate on 25 kV, 50 Hz AC (LGVs, High Speed 1, UK overhead electrified lines), 3 kV DC (Belgian lignes classiques) and 750 V DC (UK third rail). Five of the SNCF-owned sets are quadri-current, being able to operate on 1500 V DC (French lignes classiques). Overhead wire in Coventry, England Overhead wire and its suspension system in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA A railway electrification system is a way of supplying electric power to electric locomotives and multiple units. ... 25 kV AC is one of the most common voltages used for railway electrification, usually at 50 Hz or 60 Hz depending on that countrys normal mains frequency. ... For the group of heart conditions referred to as TGV, see Transposition of the great vessels. ... 0 km London St Pancras Temple Mills Eurostar Depot 9 km Stratford International 10 km 21 km 27 km 30 km 32 km 37 km Ebbsfleet International 39 km 50 km 54 km 88 km 89 km 90 km Ashford International 91 km 106 km Dollands Moor Freight terminal 108... Third rail at the West Falls Church Metro stop in Washington, D.C., electrified to 750 volts. ...

Along with the 8 powered axles in the power car the bogie in the first coach of each set that is nearer to the power car is also powered, as was the case with the same as the original TGV PSE sets. However, each set only has 12 axles to haul 18 carriages, whereas a TGV Reseau has 8 axles to haul 9. Eurostar has the lowest power-to-weight ratio of any of the trains in the TGV family. Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...

On 14 November 2007, High Speed 1 to London St. Pancras was opened. There is now 25 kV 50 Hz AC all the way from Lille via Channel Tunnel, including access to the new Depot facilities at Temple Mills and to potential services through to the East and West-Coast Main Lines. The British third rail "shoes" have now become superfluous and it is likely that the system will be removed as has happened on domestically-used French sets. is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... 0 km London St Pancras Temple Mills Eurostar Depot 9 km Stratford International 10 km 21 km 27 km 30 km 32 km 37 km Ebbsfleet International 39 km 50 km 54 km 88 km 89 km 90 km Ashford International 91 km 106 km Dollands Moor Freight terminal 108... The Gothic Revival facade and clock tower of the disused Midland Hotel are the most visible part of St Pancras station. ... For other uses, see Lille (disambiguation). ... The British terminal at Cheriton in west Folkestone, from the Pilgrims Way. ...

Length: 394 m (1,293 ft)
Width: 2.81 m (9.2 ft)
Unladen weight: 752 tonnes
Laden weight: 816 tonnes
Speed in service: 300 km/h (186 mph)
Power under 25 kV AC: 12,000 kW
Power under 3 kV DC: 5,700 kW
Power on 750 V DC: 3,400 kW
Powered bogies: 6
Trailer bogies: 18 A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Bogies This game was started by BBCs Dick and Dom as part of their hit childrens TV show, Dick and Dom in da Bungalow. ...

Signalling systems

The trains must be fitted with the signalling systems used in all regions of operation, leading to a cluttered control desk in the driver's cab. These include

• AWS, the British signalling system (induction based)
• TPWS, the warning system which supplements AWS
• TVM (Transmission Voie-Machine), used on lignes à grande vitesse and on EuroTunnel tracks
• KVB, the system used on French lignes classiques (electro-mechanical with radio beacons)
• TBL, the Belgian signalling system (electro-mechanical)

The Automatic Warning System (AWS) refers to the specific form of limited cab signalling introduced in 1948 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey warning signals, yellow or green. ... The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) has been deployed across the entire UK passenger railway network. ... LGV signalling, or in-cab signalling on lignes à grande vitesse (high-speed railway lines based on the French TGV system), differs considerably from signalling on conventional railway lines. ...

Record runs

Class 373 trains at the old terminus at London Waterloo

On 30 July 2003, on the opening press run of High Speed 1 section 1, Eurostar set 3313/14 set a new British rail speed record of 334.7 km/h (208mph), breaking the previous-held record of at 162.2mph (259.5 km/h) set by an Advanced Passenger Train on 20 December 1979. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 676 KB) Summary Two Eurostars at Waterloo International. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 676 KB) Summary Two Eurostars at Waterloo International. ... Waterloo International station was until 13 November 2007 the London terminus of Eurostar Channel Tunnel passenger trains. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 0 km London St Pancras Temple Mills Eurostar Depot 9 km Stratford International 10 km 21 km 27 km 30 km 32 km 37 km Ebbsfleet International 39 km 50 km 54 km 88 km 89 km 90 km Ashford International 91 km 106 km Dollands Moor Freight terminal 108... JR-Maglev MLX01 at Yamanashi. ... Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was an unsuccesful prototype tilting train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s. ... is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

On 16 May 2006 a Eurostar set a new record for the longest non-stop high speed journey, when set 3209/10 made the 1421km journey from London to Cannes in 7 hours 25 minutes. This was a result of Eurostar's partnership with Da Vinci Code, and the train carried stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and director Ron Howard, who had named the train The Da Vinci Code prior to its journey to the film premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Cannes - receding storm Cannes, as seen from a ferry speeding towards lÃŽle Saint-Honorat Cannes (pronounced ) (Provençal Occitan: Canas in classical norm or Cano in Mistralian norm) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département and the r... This article is about the film. ... Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956[1]) is an American two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, Emmy-winning director, voice-over artist, writer, and movie producer. ... Audrey Tautou (IPA: ; , born August 9, 1976) is a French film actress, known to worldwide audiences for playing the title character in the award-winning French film Amélie (2001, Le Fabuleux Destin dAmélie Poulain) and also Sophie Neveu in The Da Vinci Code (2006). ... Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma) is an American actor, and an Academy Award winning film director, and producer, known for his roles on sitcoms, movies and television. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Premiere, from French language première meaning first, generally means a first performance. Premieres for theatrical, musical, and other productions are often extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media attention. ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ...

On 4 September 2007 the first revenue Eurostar train to use the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link to St Pancras railway station sets a new speed record for rail travel between London and Paris. The first train left Paris at 9:44AM BST and arrived at St. Pancras two hours, three minutes and 39 seconds later. Officials aboard the inaugural train recorded speeds up to 202 mph (325 km/h) in France and 195 mph (314 km/h) in Britain. (BBC)^[1] is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. ... A Eurostar train on the CTRL, near Ashford The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) is a project to construct a 108 km (67 mile) high-speed railway line from London through Kent to the British end of the Channel Tunnel. ... St Pancras railway station, now officially known as St Pancras International, is a major station located in the St Pancras area of central London, between the new British Library building to the west and Kings Cross station to the east. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the changing of the clocks in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...

At Exhibitions

On several occasions, Eurostar locomotive and sets have appeared at special events:

• Rotterdam, 6 April 1996, Full Set 3309/3310.
• Brussels South, Belgium's Travelling Day: May 1998, Half-set 3305.
• Berlin Grunewald, Eurailspeed 1998, 3303/3304 half-set(s).
• Madrid Chamartín, Eurailspeed 2002, locomotive 3212 + trailers.
• York NRM, Railfest 200, 2004, locomotive 3313 + Eurostar simulator.
• A barge on the River Thames, London, 16 November 2004^[2], a locomotive specially painted by Ben Langlands and Nikki Bell.

Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid (Brussels South) is a major railway station in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. ... Interior. ... Locomotives arranged around the turntable in the Great Hall. ... This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ... Ben Langlands (born 1955) and Nikki Bell (born 1959) are British artists working together as Langlands and Bell. ...

10th birthday celebrations

The River Thames event surrounded celebrating the 10th anniversary of Eurostar operations. The Eurostar locomotive was "painted" using vinyl decals at the North Pole depot under the supervision of the artists before travelling to Tilbury to be loaded on to a barge. Named "Language of Places on Eurostar" by Langlands and Bell, the artwork piece consisted of the three-letter "destination codes for all the places Eurostar goes to or connects to"^[3]. Floating up the Thames, the voyage passed under Tower Bridge, alongside the House of Parliament and was eventually moored for a period against HMS Belfast. The event was delayed 24hours following a fatal train crash on the day that the publicity stunt had originally been due to take place. Ben Langlands (born 1955) and Nikki Bell (born 1959) are British artists working together as Langlands and Bell. ...

• Photograph of Eurostar in front of Tower Bridge
• Short Write of the journey, with three pictures.

References

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British Rail Class 373