Eurostar

For operation on the Eurostar railway network, the 373 series electric trains (according to the British classification, TGV TMST ) are specially designed. The Eurostar train is essentially an elongated TGV adapted for operation in the UK and the Eurotunnel. The differences include a smaller wagon volume that meets the British standard for railroad rolling stock dimensions, asynchronous traction motors created in the UK, and an improved fire safety system in case of fire in a tunnel.

According to the British TOPS classification, the train has the name Class 373 EMU. During its design, the train was called TransManche Super Train. The train was designed by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom ) in its factories in La Rochelle (France), Belfort (France) and Washwood Hat (England), operation began in 1993.

There are two types of trains: Eurostar Three Capitals (Three Capitals) consists of two head and eighteen passenger cars with two additional motor trolleys; Eurostar North of London (North London) consists of 14 passenger cars. Both types of trains consist of two parts that are not jointed in the middle, that is, in the event of a breakdown or emergency in the Eurotunnel, half of the train can be unhooked so that it leaves the tunnel on its own. Each such half of the composition has its own number.

38 full trains plus a spare lead car were ordered by the following railway companies: 16 trains acquired SNCF, 4 - NMBS / SNCB (Belgian railway operator) and 18 - British Rail , of which 7 were of the North of London type. Prior to the privatization of British Rail, trains were bought by London & Continental Railways , which formed a subsidiary of Eurostar (UK) Ltd. Now managed by a consortium of companies National Express Group (40% of the shares), SNCF (35%), SNCB (15%) and British Airways (10%).

All Eurostar trains are three-system or four-system and are designed to operate on LGV AC lines (including the Eurotunnel line and standard lines in the UK), Belgian DC lines and British third-rail systems, common in the south of the country. The third type of food remained unnecessary when, in 2007, the construction of a line between London and the Eurotunnel was completed. SNCF-owned TGV Three Capitals also support 1.5kV DC power.

Three SNCF formulations are used only in France and are currently painted in the usual silver-blue TGV pattern. Eurostar North of London trains have never been used for international transport: they carry passengers from London to cities north of the capital, however, these transportations are currently not profitable, since the British air carriers have agreed to reduce ticket prices. Some of the trains were leased to Great North Eastern Railway for passenger services on the White Rose line between London and Leeds and were painted GNER in dark blue. The lease expired in December 2005, and Eurostar trains were replaced ^[3] .

Eurostar Executive Director Richard Brown expressed the opinion that after the end of their service life, Eurostar trains will be replaced by double-deck trains like the TGV Duplex ^[4] . Double-deckers will be able to transport 40 million passengers a year between England and Continental Europe, which is tantamount to building a new runway at London Airport.

During test trials, the Eurostar set a new speed record. The express managed to overcome the 320-kilometer distance on the London - Brussels route in just 1 hour 43 minutes. In normal high-speed mode, the same express route takes 2 hours 03 minutes ^[5] .

The opening of the regular high-speed passenger route Eurostar Paris - London via the English Channel took place on November 14, 2007. Since November 17, 7 trains daily run from London to Paris (490 km) and 5 trains from London to Brussels (320 km).

The Eurostar train is capable of reaching speeds of up to 300 km / h. Eurostar covers the distance of 490 km between London and Paris in 2 hours 15 minutes - 2 hours 30 minutes ^[5] . In 2009 and 2010, during the cold season, passengers on this train got stuck under the English Channel for several hours: the train had insufficiently protected conductive lines and car space ^[6] .

In September 2013, Eurostar announced the upcoming opening of a new London- Amsterdam route in December 2016 . The project has been agreed with Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways), the key national railway operator in the Netherlands. Travel time (approximately 520 km) will be about 4 hours. The express route passes through Belgium with stops in Brussels, Antwerp , Rotterdam , at Schiphol Airport and at Amsterdam Central Station ^[7] .

• Eurostar italia
• Shinkansen Electric Trains : E1 , E2 , E3 , E4 .