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72-469: The service started on 15 December 2008 as part of the December 2008 timetable changes. The service was named as part of an East Midlands Trains competition to name two new flagship services. It is named after the ability to change onto Eurostar services to the continent at London St Pancras. The service is provided by two 5-car Class 222 Meridian trains coupled together to form a 10-car train. As of 2019

144-765: A memorandum of understanding to join SkyTeam as its first non-airline partner. This cooperation will enable integrated intermodal transport ( air-rail ) in the UK, France and the Netherlands. Because the UK is not part of the European Union or the Schengen Area , and because the Netherlands, Belgium and France are not part of the Common Travel Area , all cross-channel Eurostar passengers must go through border controls . Both

216-530: A 28-minute stop (which was not deemed long enough to process UK-bound passengers) and then carrying different passengers from Brussels to London. Initially passengers travelling back took a Thalys service to Brussels Midi/Zuid where they could join the Eurostar. This was due to the lack of facilities for juxtaposed controls by the UK Border Force at Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal. On 4 February 2020,

288-483: A day. Including special trains, there are about 50 freight trains up and down. The effect of being able to achieve stable and safe transportation that is not affected by the weather has been significant, and in particular, the transportation volume of agricultural products, which are a key industry in Hokkaido, has increased dramatically. Connecting the islands Honshu and Hokkaido by a fixed link had been considered since

360-736: A further 20   minutes. The line's London terminal is London St Pancras International , which was redeveloped for the project. The HSL-Zuid ( Dutch : Hogesnelheidslijn Zuid , English: South high-speed line ), is a 125 km-long (78 mi) Dutch high-speed railway line that connects Amsterdam with the HSL 4 at the Belgium-Netherlands border. It opened on 7 September 2009. Eurostar offers up to 15 weekday London – Paris services (19 on Fridays) including nine non-stop (13 on Fridays). There are also nine (ten on Friday) London–Brussels services, of which two run non-stop (continuing to Amsterdam) and

432-520: A further two call at Lille only. Four services daily operate to Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam, some calling at Lille. There were also seasonal services: in the winter, "Snow trains", aimed at skiers, to Bourg-Saint-Maurice , Aime-la-Plagne and Moûtiers in the Alps ; these ran weekly, arriving in the alps in the evening and leaving the same evening to arrive in London the following morning. This service

504-453: A grand Western European high-speed rail service covering the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, serving up to 30   million customers by 2030. As of 2019, Thalys assisted Eurostar with onward connections between Amsterdam and Brussels, and to provide the Amsterdam to London service, in lieu of passport and customs checks at Amsterdam Centraal station . In September 2020,

576-406: A limited Discovery service; the full daily service started from 28 May 1995. In 1995, Eurostar was achieving an average end-to-end speed of 171.5 km/h (106.6 mph) from London to Paris. On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when Ashford International was opened. Also in 1996, Eurostar commenced its year-round service to Disneyland with

648-567: A quick connection to further destinations on the continent. All three main terminals used by the Eurostar service – London St Pancras International, Paris Nord, and Brussels-South – are served by domestic trains and by local urban transport networks such as the London Underground , Paris Metro , Brussels Metro and Amsterdam Metro . Standard Eurostar tickets no longer include free onward connections to or from any other station in Belgium: this

720-430: A single corporate entity, Eurostar International Limited (EIL), replacing the joint operation between EUKL, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS. EIL is ultimately owned by SNCF (55%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (30%), Hermes Infrastructure (10%) and SNCB (5%). By January 2021, Eurostar ridership went down to less than 1% of pre-pandemic levels. The combined financial troubles and lack of ridership caused by

792-409: A single main tunnel. However, for the 23.3-kilometre (14.5 mi) undersea portion, three bores were excavated with increasing diameters respectively: an initial pilot tunnel, a service tunnel, and finally the main tunnel. The service tunnel was periodically connected to the main tunnel with a series of connecting drifts , at 600–1,000-metre (1,969–3,281 ft) intervals. The pilot tunnel serves as

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864-448: A switch that set off a blast that completed the pilot tunnel . Similarly on 10 March 1985, Minister of Transport Tokuo Yamashita symbolically bored through the main tunnel. The necessity for the project was questioned at times during construction, as the 1971 traffic predictions were overestimates. Instead of the traffic rate increasing as predicted to a peak in 1985, it peaked earlier in 1978 and then proceeded to decrease. The decrease

936-583: A tunnel setting. If successful, it will allow the Hokkaido Shinkansen to travel at full speed inside the tunnel in the future. As of March 2019, Shinkansen trains operate through the tunnel to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hakodate , connecting Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto stations in 3 hours and 58 minutes, at a maximum speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) within the tunnel and 260 km/h (160 mph) outside it, and 320 km/h (200 mph) to

1008-554: Is a 333-kilometre-long (207 mi) French high-speed rail line that connects Paris with the HSL 1 at the Belgium–France border and the Channel Tunnel. It opened in 1993. Of all French high-speed lines, LGV Nord sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock and is quite busy; a proposed cut-off bypassing Lille , which would reduce Eurostar journey times between Paris and London, is called LGV Picardie . The Channel Tunnel

1080-564: Is a 53.85 km (33.46 mi) dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a 23.3 km (14.5 mi) portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait , which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern island of Hokkaido . The track level is about 100 m (330 ft) below the seabed and 240 m (790 ft) below sea level. The tunnel is part of

1152-512: Is a member of Railteam , a marketing alliance formed in July 2007 of seven European high-speed rail operators. The alliance plans to allow tickets to be booked from one end of Europe to the other on a single website. In June 2009 London and Continental Railways, and the Eurostar UK operations they held ownership of, became fully nationalised by the UK government. In September 2024, Eurostar signed

1224-419: Is now available for a flat-rate supplement, currently £5.50. Eurostar offers a through-ticket to specific destinations by train, that is a single contract for multi leg journeys with certain passenger rights and protections. Eurostar has announced several partnerships with other rail services, most notably Thalys connections at Lille and Brussels for passengers to go beyond current Eurostar routes towards

1296-593: Is part of Eurostar's marketing drive to attract more business professionals. Increasingly, business people in a group have been chartering private carriages as opposed to individual seats on the train. Without the operation of Regional Eurostar services using the North of London trainsets across the rest of Britain, Eurostar has developed its connections with other transport services instead, such as integrating effectively with traditional UK rail operators' schedules and routes, making it possible for passengers to use Eurostar as

1368-614: Is the only rail connection between Great Britain and the European mainland. It joins LGV Nord in France with High Speed 1 in Britain. Tunnelling began in 1988, and the 50.5 km (31.4-mile) tunnel was officially opened by British sovereign, Elizabeth II , and the French President, François Mitterrand , on 6 May 1994. It is owned by Getlink , which charges a toll to Eurostar for its use. Within

1440-839: Is the world's longest undersea tunnel by overall length (the Channel Tunnel , while shorter, has a longer undersea segment). It is also the second-deepest transport tunnel below sea level after the Ryfylke Tunnel , a road tunnel in Norway that opened in 2019, and the second longest main-line railway tunnel after the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, opened in 2016. The tunnel was constructed using conventional construction methods, including tunnel boring machine (TBM) and New Austrian tunneling method (NATM). The construction cost of

1512-511: Is very complex, being distributed through no fewer than 48 individual sales systems. Eurostar is a member of the Amadeus CRS distribution system, making its tickets available alongside those of airlines worldwide. Eurostar has two sub-classes of first class : Standard Premier and Business Premier; benefits include guaranteed faster checking-in and meals served at-seat, as well as the improved furnishings and interior of carriages. The rebranding

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1584-455: The COVID-19 pandemic led to Eurostar seeking governmental assistance from Britain's Treasury and Department for Transport , even though Britain sold its 40% Eurostar holding in 2015. Eurostar's appeal included granting the company access to Bank of England -backed loans and a temporary reduction in track access charges for use of the UK's high-speed rail line. Despite being majority-owned by

1656-420: The COVID-19 pandemic . Since 14 November 2007, all Eurostar trains have been routed via High Speed   1 to or from the redeveloped London terminus at London St Pancras International, which at a cost of £800   million was extensively rebuilt and extended to cope with 394 m (431-yard) long Eurostar trains. It had been intended to retain some Eurostar services at Waterloo International , but this

1728-541: The Channel Tunnel to the United Kingdom, and Thalys which operated in Western Europe. The operator is exploring future network expansions and aims to double passenger numbers by 2030. The history of the Eurostar brand can be traced to the choice in 1986 of a rail tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France. A previous attempt to construct a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but

1800-449: The German border. 56 km (35 mi) long (42 km (26 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 14 km (8.7 mi) modernised lines), it was completed on 15 December 2007, but trains did not start to use it until June 14, 2009. HSL 3 is used by international Eurostar and ICE trains only. The Cologne–Aachen high-speed line is not a newly built railway line, but a project to upgrade the existing railway line which

1872-532: The Neogene period. The western neck was selected, with its conditions considered favourable for tunnelling. The geology of the undersea portion of the tunnel consists of volcanic rock, pyroclastic rock , as well as sedimentary rock of the Neogene period. The area is folded into a nearly vertical syncline , which means that the youngest rock is in the centre of the strait and encountered last. Divided roughly into thirds,

1944-534: The Sheffield Continental calls at: East Midlands Railway operate three other named trains called: Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, which operated trains through

2016-575: The Taishō period (1912–25), but serious surveying commenced only in 1946, induced by the loss of overseas territory at the end of World War II and the need to accommodate returnees. In 1954, five ferries, including the Tōya Maru , sank in the Tsugaru Strait during a typhoon, killing 1,430 passengers. The following year, Japanese National Railways (JNR) expedited the tunnel feasibility study. Also of concern

2088-528: The West Coast Main Line and Leeds and Glasgow Central via Edinburgh Waverley , Newcastle and York on the East Coast Main Line . Seven 14-coach "North of London" Eurostar trains for these Regional Eurostar services were built, but these services never came to fruition. Predicted journey times of almost nine hours for Glasgow to Paris at the time of growth of low-cost air travel during

2160-533: The 1990s made the plans commercially unviable against the cheaper and quicker airlines. Other reasons that have been suggested for these services having never been run were both government policies and the disruptive privatisation of British Rail . Three of the Regional Eurostar units were leased by Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) to increase domestic services from London King's Cross to York and later Leeds. The lease expired in December 2005, and most of

2232-594: The British Government and the Schengen governments concerned (Belgium, Netherlands and France) have legal obligations to check the travel documents of those entering and leaving their respective countries. To allow passengers to walk off the train without arrival checks in most cases, juxtaposed controls ordinarily take place at the embarkation station. Seikan Tunnel The Seikan Tunnel ( Japanese : 青函トンネル , Seikan Tonneru or 青函隧道 , Seikan Zuidō )

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2304-577: The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a 108 km-long (67 mi) British high-speed rail line that connects London with the Channel Tunnel. It opened in two stages. The first section between the tunnel and north Kent opened in September 2003, cutting journey times by 21   minutes. On 14 November 2007, commercial services began over the whole of the High Speed 1 reducing journey times by

2376-575: The Channel Tunnel, Eurostar trains operate at a reduced speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) for safety reasons. Since the launch of Eurostar services, severe disruptions and cancellations have been caused by fires breaking out within the Channel Tunnel, such as in 1996 and 2008 . HSL 1 connects Brussels with the French border. 88 km (55 mi) long (71 km (44 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 17 km (11 mi) modernised lines), it began service on 14 December 1997. The line has appreciably shortened rail journeys,

2448-550: The Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management , Cora van Nieuwenhuizen , and the UK Transport Secretary , Grant Shapps , announced that juxtaposed controls would be established at Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal. The direct train from Amsterdam was originally due to launch on 30 April 2020, and from Rotterdam on 18 May 2020, although it was later postponed to 26 October 2020 for both cities due to

2520-506: The French state railway, SNCF , Eurostar was thought to have already exhausted options for governmental assistance from Paris, but both the French transport minister and the UK Department for Transport confirmed they were working on further plans to maintain the service. By the end of 2022, Eurostar had debts of €964m, following French bailouts and commercial loans. Ridership levels returned to around 8 million in 2022, however this figure

2592-509: The Honshū side consists of volcanic rocks (notably andesite and basalt); the Hokkaido side consists of sedimentary rocks (notably Tertiary period tuff and mudstone ); and the centre portion consists of Kuromatsunai strata (Tertiary period sand-like mudstone). Igneous intrusions and faults caused crushing of the rock and complicated the tunnelling procedures. Initial geological investigation occurred from 1946 to 1963, which involved drilling

2664-541: The Netherlands and Germany. In 2002, Eurostar initiated the Eurostar-Plus program, offering through-tickets for onward journeys from Lille and Paris to dozens of destinations in France. Through-tickets are also available from 68 British towns and cities to destinations in France and Belgium. In May 2009 Eurostar announced that a formal connection to Switzerland had been established in a partnership between Eurostar and Lyria , which will operate TGV services from Lille to

2736-580: The North of London sets were transferred to SNCF for TGV services in northern France. An international Nightstar sleeper train was also planned; this would have travelled the same routes as Regional Eurostar, plus the Great Western Main Line to Cardiff Central . These were also deemed commercially unviable, and the scheme was abandoned with no services ever operated. In 2000, the coaches were sold to Via Rail in Canada. On 27 September 2019,

2808-508: The Swiss Alps for Eurostar connection. In May 2019, Eurostar ended its agreement with Deutsche Bahn that allowed passengers to travel on a through-ticket by train from the UK via Brussels to Germany and further to Austria and Switzerland. Under the agreement, passengers could travel on a single through-ticket with passenger rights in case of disruption of one train. However, the through-tickets ceased to be sold from 9 November 2019. Eurostar

2880-548: The basis for the new trains. An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British and Belgian components, was placed in December 1989. On 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK. Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome. On 14 November 1994, Eurostar services began running from Waterloo International station in London, to Paris Nord , as well as Brussels-South railway station . The train service started with

2952-406: The first completed section of High Speed 1 . Following a high-profile glamorous opening ceremony and a large advertising campaign, on 14 November 2007, Eurostar services in London transferred from Waterloo to the extended and extensively refurbished London St Pancras International . Direct services from London to Amsterdam (returning to Brussels only) were launched on 4 April 2018. This service

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3024-617: The first section of the "High Speed 1" railway between the Channel Tunnel, and Fawkham Junction in north Kent, two months before official public services began running. On 16 May 2006, Eurostar set a new record for the longest non-stop high-speed journey, a distance of 1,421 km (883 miles) from London to Cannes taking 7   hours 25   minutes. On 4 September 2007, a record-breaking train left Paris Nord at 10:44 (09:44   BST ) and reached London St Pancras International in 2   hours 3   minutes 39   seconds, carrying journalists and railway workers. This record trip

3096-477: The first train running on 29 June. The following year saw the introduction of services to the French Alps during the winter. On 20 July 2002 a summer seasonal service to Avignon-Centre was launched. The service ran until 2014 after which it was replaced on 1 May 2015 by an expanded service calling at Avignon TGV and also serving Lyon and Marseille . On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on

3168-490: The heads of two of Eurostar's major shareholders, Guillaume Pepy of SNCF, and the chair of SNCB, Sophie Dutordoir , publicised that Eurostar was planning to come together with its sister company the Franco-Belgian transnational rail service Thalys . The arrangement is to merge their operations under the working title of " Green Speed " and expand services outside the core London-Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam service, to create

3240-620: The journey from Paris to Brussels now taking 1:22. In combination with the LGV Nord , it has also impacted international journeys to France and London . HSL 2 runs between Leuven and Ans . 95 km (59 mi) long (61 km (38 mi) dedicated high-speed tracks, 34 km (21 mi) modernised lines) it began service on 15 December 2002. Combined with HSL 3 to the German border, the combined eastward high speed lines have greatly accelerated journeys between Brussels , Paris and Germany . HSL 3 connects Liège to

3312-523: The journey is 1 hour and 45 minutes, or 3 hours and 30 minutes including airport access times. Deregulation and competition in Japanese domestic air travel has brought down prices on the Tokyo-Sapporo route, making rail more expensive in comparison. The Hokutosei overnight train service began after the completion of the Seikan Tunnel; a later and more luxurious Cassiopeia overnight train service

3384-508: The maintenance cost is large, such as the need to pump a large amount of spring water even after completion, even a huge investment is regarded as a sunk cost, and it is said that it is more economical to abandon it, and it was ridiculed variously as " Showa's Three Idiots Assessment ", "useless long things", and "quagmire tunnel". However, after its opening, it has played an important role in freight transportation by JR Freight between Hokkaido and Honshu, and has made 21 round trips (regular trains)

3456-476: The merger between Thalys and Eurostar International was confirmed, a year after Thalys announced its intention to merge with the cross-Channel provider subject to gaining European Commission clearance, to form "Green Speed". SNCF and SNCB already hold a controlling shareholding in Eurostar. In October 2021, it was announced that, following the completion of the merger, the Thalys brand would be discontinued, with all of

3528-406: The new operation's services to be operated under the Eurostar name but with each service's own liveries. In October 2023, the Eurostar brand replaced Thalys , operating as one network and combining ticket sales in a single system. Eurostar was originally operated as a collaboration of three separate French, British and Belgian corporate entities. On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as

3600-417: The sea-bed, sonic surveys , submarine boring, observations using a mini-submarine, as well as seismic and magnetic surveys. To establish a greater understanding, a horizontal pilot boring was undertaken along the line of the service and main tunnels. Tunnelling occurred simultaneously from the northern end and the southern. The dry land portions were tackled with traditional mountain tunnelling techniques, with

3672-415: The service tunnel for the central five-kilometre portion. Beneath the Tsugaru Strait, the use of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) was abandoned after less than two kilometres (1.2 miles) owing to the variable nature of the rock and difficulty in accessing the face for advanced grouting. Blasting with dynamite and mechanical picking were then used to excavate. A 2002 report by Michitsugu Ikuma described, for

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3744-432: The south of Morioka. It was expected that by 2018 one daily service will be run at 260 km/h (160 mph) through the tunnel. The final stage is proposed to open to Sapporo Station in 2031 and is expected to shorten the Tokyo-Sapporo rail journey to five hours. The Hokkaido Shinkansen will be operated by JR Hokkaido . Surveying started in 1946 and construction began in 1971. By August 1982, less than 700 metres of

3816-520: The standard-gauge Hokkaido Shinkansen and the narrow-gauge Kaikyō Line of the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido)'s Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line . The name Seikan comes from combining the on'yomi readings of the first characters of Aomori ( 青森 ) , the nearest major city on the Honshu side of the strait, and Hakodate ( 函館 ) , the nearest major city on the Hokkaido side. The Seikan Tunnel

3888-485: The tunnel itself was 538.4 billion yen at the planning stage, but it actually cost 745.5 billion yen. The construction cost of the strait line, including the attachment line, was 689 billion yen at the planning stage, but ended up costing 900 billion yen. The number of fatalities in the construction was 34. Unlike the start of construction during the heyday of the Seikan route, even in eastern Japan, passenger traffic to Hokkaido

3960-432: The tunnel remained to be excavated. First contact between the two sides was in 1983. The Tsugaru Strait has eastern and western necks, both approximately 20 km (12 mi) across. Initial surveys undertaken in 1946 indicated that the eastern neck was up to 200 metres (656 feet) deep with volcanic geology. The western neck had a maximum depth of 140 metres (459 feet) and geology consisting mostly of sedimentary rocks of

4032-484: The tunnel was issued by the Japan Mint in 1988. Once the tunnel was completed, all railway transport between Honshu and Hokkaido used it. However, for passenger transport, 90% of people use air travel due to the speed and cost. For example, to travel between Tokyo and Sapporo by train takes eight hours (Tokyo station and Shin-Sapporo station), with transfer from Shinkansen to narrow-gauge express train at Hakodate. By air,

4104-408: The tunnel's capacity for this purpose. In 1987, Britain, France and Belgium set up an International Project Group to specify a train to provide an international high-speed passenger service through the tunnel. France had been operating high-speed TGV services since 1981, and had begun construction of a new high-speed line between Paris and the Channel Tunnel, LGV Nord; French TGV technology was chosen as

4176-532: The tunnel— Tappi-Kaitei Station and Yoshioka-Kaitei Station . Both closed with the construction of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, but continue to serve as emergency escape points. In the event of a fire or other disaster, the stations provide the equivalent safety of a much shorter tunnel. The effectiveness of the escape shafts at the emergency stations is enhanced by having exhaust fans to extract smoke, television cameras to help route passengers to safety, thermal (infrared) fire alarm systems, and water spray nozzles. Before

4248-471: The undersea section, that "the tunnel structure appears to remain in a good condition." The amount of inflow has been decreasing with time, although it "increases right after a large earthquake". In March 2018 at 30 years of age, maintenance costs amounted to 30 billion Yen or US$ 286 million since 1999. Plans are to increase speed and provide mobile communication at the full track. Initially, only 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge track

4320-446: Was already dominated by aircraft, and the construction of the Hokkaido Shinkansen was frozen when it was completed. On the freight side, due to the deterioration of labor-management relations at the JNR at the time, including the frequent strikes and legal compliance struggles, freight transportation continued to stagnate as it lost market share to ferries and coastal shipping. In addition, since

4392-410: Was also the first passenger-carrying arrival at the new London St Pancras International station. On 20 September 2007, Eurostar broke another record when it completed the journey from Brussels to London in 1   hour 43   minutes. The original proposals for Eurostar included direct services to Paris and Brussels from cities north of London: Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham New Street on

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4464-650: Was an offer of £50-day returns from London to Paris or Brussels. By March 2003, the cheapest fare from the UK was £59 return, available all year around. In June 2009 it was announced that one-way single fares would be available at £31 at the cheapest. Competition between Eurostar and airline services was a large factor in ticket prices being reduced from the initial levels. Business Premier fares also slightly undercut air fares on similar routes, targeted at regular business travellers. In 2009, Eurostar greatly increased its budget ticket availability to help maintain and grow its dominant market share. The Eurostar ticketing system

4536-437: Was attributed to the slowdown in Japan's economy since the first oil crisis in 1973 and to advances made in air transport facilities and longer-range sea transport. The tunnel was opened on 13 March 1988, having cost a total of ¥ 1.1 trillion (US$ 7 billion) to construct, almost 12 times the original budget, much of which was due to inflation over the years. To commemorate the event, a commemorative 500 yen coin depicting

4608-474: Was confirmed as withdrawn in August 2023, and its future is unknown. In February 2018, Eurostar announced the start of its long-planned service from London to Amsterdam, with an initial two trains per day from April of that year running between London St Pancras International and Amsterdam Centraal . This launched as a one-way service, with return trains carrying passengers to Rotterdam and Brussels Midi/Zuid, making

4680-617: Was laid through the tunnel, but in 2005 the Hokkaido Shinkansen project started construction which included laying dual gauge track (providing standard gauge track capability) and extending the Shinkansen network through the tunnel. Shinkansen services to Hakodate commenced in March 2016, and are proposed to be extended to Sapporo by 2031. The tunnel has 52 km (32 mi) of continuous welded rail . Two stations used to be within

4752-462: Was made a return service on 26 October 2020. The Channel Tunnel used by Eurostar services holds the record for having the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, and it is the third-longest railway tunnel (behind the Seikan Tunnel and the Gotthard Base Tunnel ) in the world. On 30 July 2003, a Eurostar train set a new British speed record of 334.7 km/h (208.0 mph) on

4824-503: Was often fully booked. Both were withdrawn following the commencement of Hokkaido Shinkansen services (in August 2015 and March 2016 respectively), with freight trains being the only regular service utilising the narrow-gauge line since that time. JR Hokkaido is exploring the use of " Train on Train " technology to remove the threat that the shock wave created in front of Shinkansen trains traveling at full speed poses to freight trains operating on Japanese standard narrow-gauge track in

4896-555: Was opened in 1841 by the Rhenish Railway Company . The line inside Germany has a length of about 70 kilometres (43 mi). The first 40 km (25 mi) from Cologne to Düren have been rebuilt. Since 2002 the line allows for speeds up to 250 km/h (155 mph). Separate tracks have been built parallel to the high-speed tracks for local S-Bahn traffic. The remaining line from Düren to Aachen allows speeds up to 160 km/h (100 mph) with some slower sections. High Speed 1, formerly known as

4968-487: Was quickly aborted. Construction began afresh in 1988. Eurotunnel was created to manage and own the tunnel, which was finished in 1993, the official opening taking place on 6 May 1994. In addition to the tunnel's shuttle trains carrying cars and lorries between Folkestone and Calais , the tunnel opened up the possibility of through passenger and freight train services between places further afield. British Rail and France's SNCF contracted with Eurotunnel to use half

5040-436: Was ruled out on cost grounds. Completion of High Speed   1 increased the potential number of trains serving London. Separation of Eurostar from British domestic services through Kent meant that timetabling was no longer affected by peak-hour restrictions. Eurostar's fares were significantly higher in its early years; the cheapest fare in 1994 was £99 return. In 2002, Eurostar was planning cheaper fares, an example of which

5112-522: Was still 3 million below 2019 levels. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostar has not served the Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International stations in the UK, or Calais Frethun in France, and has withdrawn its Disneyland Paris and Avignon services, as part of plans to focus on the most profitable routes. The LGV Nord ( French : Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord , English: north high-speed line )

5184-721: Was the increasing traffic between the two islands. A booming economy saw traffic levels on the JNR-operated Seikan Ferry double to 4,040,000 passengers/year from 1955 to 1965, and cargo levels rose 1.7 times to 6,240,000 tonnes/year. In September 1971, the decision was made to commence work on the tunnel. A Shinkansen -capable cross section was selected, with plans to extend the Shinkansen network. Arduous construction in difficult geological conditions proceeded. Thirty-four workers were killed during construction. On 27 January 1983, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone pressed

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