New Eurostar Trains

[STEVIEBOY1]

I saw in the press this week the publicity about the New Eurostar Trains that will operate from STP from next year.

I noted that that they can carry alot more passengers that the present trains. I just wondered how they would do this, are there going to be more more carriages, or longer carriages? or will the seats be closer together, giving less space but cramming more people on board. i hope it's not that. Or are they utilizing spare space such as baggage cars which the current trains have and tends to be used by group bookings?

It's good to see they are planning mores journeys beyond Brussels and Paris too.

 

[Polarbear]

The new trains have greater capacity mainly because there are no power cars & the space that's taken up by this equipment on the 373's is instead, used for passenger accommodation.

The power is distributed along the length of the train - similar to a 390.

 

[jopsuk]

The carriages are much longer- so in a slightly longer train, they have 16 carriages, all with passenger accommodation, rather than 18 carriages + two power cars (and two of those carriages are half power car), so much more efficient.

They're also somewhat wider, so should feel more spacious.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They've also got thinner seats.

 

[Wolfie]

I'm confused. I traveled Eurostar yesterday and one of the new trains was in the platforms at St Pancras. However, unlike the photos I've seen, it was in what looked like current Eurostar livery.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

From the front there isn't much difference in the livery but from the side there is a lot of difference.

 

[Wolfie]

I was side-on to the train and I am certain that the livery was definitely the current one (lots less blue than the new one!). Each separate carriage had a single door....

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are you sure you were looking at the e320?

 

[Wolfie]

Are you sure you were looking at the e320?

Individual non-articulated single door carriages, barricaded off... yup!

 

[Welby]

The carriages are much longer- so in a slightly longer train, they have 16 carriages, all with passenger accommodation, rather than 18 carriages + two power cars (and two of those carriages are half power car), so much more efficient.

They're also somewhat wider, so should feel more spacious.

The new carriages are wider as they are built to "European Rail Standard", therefore they will not be used for "Ashford services" as they will be too wide for clearances.

 

[starrymarkb]

The new carriages are wider as they are built to "European Rail Standard", therefore they will not be used for "Ashford services" as they will be too wide for clearances.

Yes they will. Work has been done to allow UIC stock to access Ashford.

The stumbling point is that the 374s don't have AWS, Ashford is going to get ETCS Level 1 overlaid on the UK signals to allow them to call

 

[shinkansen1966]

On which routes will the new Eurostar trains be used ?

For anything beyond Paris and Brussels, there's the UKBA requirement that all passengers on UK-bound trains are checked by British authorities before these trains leave Lille for the tunnel.

 

[starrymarkb]

Existing routes and Brussels to Amsterdam (not a through service from London)

UKBA have become rather less keen on through services since the trains were ordered

 

[notadriver]

As they are based on the German ICE 3 do they have that smart glass behind the driver?

 

[starrymarkb]

As they are based on the German ICE 3 do they have that smart glass behind the driver?

No - The lounges at each end have been replaced by a fireproof equipment compartment, the BR407 that they are based on is the same.

 

[shinkansen1966]

Existing routes and Brussels to Amsterdam (not a through service from London)

UKBA have become rather less keen on through services since the trains were ordered

So passengers to and from the UK are unlikely to see any benefit from the new trains.

 

[gordonthemoron]

The Velaro-D on which they are based is rather uglier than the ICE 3