NEW Eurostar on show in London!

[OMGitsDAVE]

AFTER months of secrecy, Eurostar has confirmed that it is to buy 10 Siemens trainsets for £700 million, which will be to a ‘bespoke specification’. The new e320 fleet will allow the company to extend its operations to more European cities.

An example of the new 320km/h, 900-seat train is being unveiled in Hyde Park today, at an event attended by transport secretary Philip Hammond.

Journey times on existing routes are also set to be reduced, with London to Paris, presently 2h15 on the fastest trains, coming down to ‘just over two hours’. New routes will offer such journey times as London to Amsterdam in under four hours and London to Geneva in around five hours.

The new fleet is being funded by a combination of cash and bank borrowing.

Eurostar said: ‘Following completion of a competitive tender process, Eurostar has advised the participants of its decision to award the contract for the manufacture of new trainsets, subject to negotiation of final terms, to the train manufacturer, Siemens Plc.’

Eurostar has also unveiled details of its plans to upgrade its existing fleet, using the Italian designers Pininfarina.

It said: ‘The interiors and external livery of both the e320 and the upgraded existing fleet will be designed by Pininfarina to a specification unique to Eurostar. This design draws on extensive passenger feedback and includes a number of innovative features that will create an exceptional travel experience for customers.

‘In addition to offering a contemporary, stylish environment in which passengers can work or relax, the new Eurostar fleet will be equipped with the most advanced wi-fi and on-board ‘info-tainment’ on any train in Europe. This will include real-time travel and destination information as well as interactive entertainment including video-on-demand, music and news-feeds.’

It is already known that the choice of a German supplier has angered the French government. SNCF owns 55 per cent of Eurostar, and in the past all French High Speed trains have been built by the country's own train maker Alstom.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2010/10/07-new-eurostar-train-displayed-in.html

 

[Crossforth]

Does anyone know how long it will be there for? Or has it gone now?

 

[asylumxl]

I'm not a fan of that livery, nor the original livery.

 

[westcoaster]

there are a few pictures up on snapper website , cant wait to get a glimpse of these up at high level, it looks very sleek, makes you wonder about the db test run on the 18th/19th, if that is more than just a test run but a guaging run for these.

 

[Crossforth]

does the DB unit require a TOPS number?

 

[TGV]

does the DB unit require a TOPS number?

Do the ET Krupp locos have one?

 

[monkey]

...that livery looks friggin terrible on that train...:roll: never been a fan of eurostars branding much though, I think it looks particularly dated now, and needs complete refresh...

 

[Geezertronic]

...that livery looks friggin terrible on that train...:roll: never been a fan of eurostars branding much though, I think it looks particularly dated now, and needs complete refresh...

You could almost mistake it for a ladies pleasure toy with that shape

 

[EWS 58038]

I love it. Livery is well thought of and represents speed. Much better then that all white Eurostar branding currently in use on the TMST sets.

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm really pleased to see that we're going to have Velaros operating in the UK, even if it is just over HS1: I don't know what it's like to travel on one, but I hold them in high esteem from an aesthetic point of view.

I've never been keen on the Eurostar livery, but I must admit that it has created a very recognisable brand over the years. Tbh I think the new livery is even more bland than the old one, but some sort of refresh of the existing Eurostar sets is necessary, so it'll be good to see that happen.

 

[EWS 58038]

I'm really pleased to see that we're going to have Velaros operating in the UK, even if it is just over HS1: I don't know what it's like to travel on one, but I hold them in high esteem from an aesthetic point of view.

Well... It's German Grundigkeit and it's made for big fat Bratwurst eating business man, rather then small French 60 year old farmers.

So the seating will be much better to start with. More leg space, wider seats (thanks to UIC standard gauge).

A good train for journeys up to 5 hours.

 

[jamesontheroad]

So, with a mixed fleet of 10 Velaros and 27 Class 373 sets, how will Eurostar deploy their trains?

Will the Velaros just do new, longer distance destinations (Amsterdam, Geneva etc)? Or would their speed be more useful on the shorter trips to Paris and Brussels?

 

[mallard]

It'd be great if this inspires some other operators to order "Velaro UK" type trains on other routes...

Tilting Velaro's exist, so it would be a good option for replacing the Brum-Scotland SuperVoyagers. Would probably suit the GWML if it ever gets electrified.

They'd be good for HS2 too, at least better than the admittedly attractive but impractical "Mercury".

 

[TGV]

Well... It's German Grundigkeit and it's made for big fat Bratwurst eating business man, rather then small French 60 year old farmers.

So the seating will be much better to start with. More leg space, wider seats (thanks to UIC standard gauge).

A good train for journeys up to 5 hours.

That's speculation. The seats themselves may be the same size, just further apart in width with a wider aisle. The legroom could even be less - train is the same overall length as current, but takes 150 extra passengers thanks to the removal of two power cars and replacing them with seated carriages, but as the carriage lengths are longer than an articulated TGV coach, there will be fewer cars in the train than the existing 18.

Also, the Velaro's don't have the articulated bogie arrangement, with separate power cars instead they have more traditional bogies and under-floor power equipment. Something I'm not in favour of.

As for journeys of 5 hours - I'm sure most of us have had a journey of over 5 hours in a standard class Mk3 (built to our small loading gauge) and never thought it was uncomfortable.

 

[Crossforth]

It'd be great if this inspires some other operators to order "Velaro UK" type trains on other routes...

Tilting Velaro's exist, so it would be a good option for replacing the Brum-Scotland SuperVoyagers. Would probably suit the GWML if it ever gets electrified.

They'd be good for HS2 too, at least better than the admittedly attractive but impractical "Mercury".

HS2 would be fine but aren't they built for European gauge meaning they won't fit on our network?

 

[mallard]

HS2 would be fine but aren't they built for European gauge meaning they won't fit on our network?

That's why I was proposing a "Velaro UK" variant, in the same spirit as the "Desiro UK".

 

[Crossforth]

That's why I was proposing a "Velaro UK" variant, in the same spirit as the "Desiro UK".

Fair point

 

[TGV]

HS2 would be fine but aren't they built for European gauge meaning they won't fit on our network?

Yes they are built to the larger loading gauge. No use for anywhere in the UK other than HS1 at present.

 

[j0hn0]

That's speculation. The seats themselves may be the same size, just further apart in width with a wider aisle. The legroom could even be less - train is the same overall length as current, but takes 150 extra passengers thanks to the removal of two power cars and replacing them with seated carriages, but as the carriage lengths are longer than an articulated TGV coach, there will be fewer cars in the train than the existing 18.

Also, the Velaro's don't have the articulated bogie arrangement, with separate power cars instead they have more traditional bogies and under-floor power equipment. Something I'm not in favour of.

As for journeys of 5 hours - I'm sure most of us have had a journey of over 5 hours in a standard class Mk3 (built to our small loading gauge) and never thought it was uncomfortable.

Seating to be designed by Pininfarina so hopefully no uncomfortable DB seats

 

[monkey]

You could almost mistake it for a ladies pleasure toy with that shape

...hahaa... you're actually right as well...:roll:

 

[Mojo]

Does anyone know how long it will be there for? Or has it gone now?

It was only there for one day (ie. yesterday) according to the newspapers and the press release. Also, the news story (and the press release it presumably came from) are incorrect; it was in Kensington Gardens and not Hyde Park.

 

[charlesn132]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOK047ELe2c