A previous attempt to construct a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but was quickly aborted.
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 the basis for the new trains.
The French and Belgian parts of the network are shared with Paris–Brussels Thalys services and TGV trains. Eurostar is operated by Eurostar International Limited (EIL), jointly owned by SNCF, the national railway of France (55%), investment firms (40%), and the National Railway Company of Belgium (5%). ==History== ===Conception and planning=== The history of Eurostar can be traced to the choice in 1986 of a rail tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France.
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.
Construction began afresh in 1988.
An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British and Belgian components, was placed in December 1989.
Predicted journey times of almost nine hours for Glasgow to Paris at the time of growth of low-cost air travel during the 1990s made the plans commercially unviable against the cheaper and quicker airlines.
In June 2009 London and Continental Railways, and the Eurostar UK operations they held ownership of, became fully nationalised by the UK government. ==Fleet== ===Fleet details=== In addition to its multiple unit fleet units, Eurostar operates a single Class 08 diesel shunter as the pilot at Temple Mills depot. ===Current fleet=== ====Class 373==== Built between 1992 and 1996, Eurostar's fleet consists of 38 EMU trains, designated Class 373 in the United Kingdom and TGV TMST in France.
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.
On 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK.
It opened in 1993. Its extensions to Belgium and towards Paris, as well as connecting to the Channel Tunnel, have made LGV Nord a part of every Eurostar journey undertaken.
The LGV Nord high-speed line in France opened before Eurostar services began in 1994, and newer lines enabling faster journeys were added later: HSL 1 in Belgium and High Speed 1 in south-east England.
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.
Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome. ===Launch of service=== On 14 November 1994, Eurostar services began running from London Waterloo International station in London, to Paris Gare du Nord in Paris, and Brussels-South railway station in Brussels.
Separation of Eurostar from British domestic services through Kent meant that timetabling was no longer affected by peak-hour restrictions. ===Fares=== 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 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.
82 million passengers used Waterloo International Station from its opening in 1994 to its closure in 2007.
In October 1994 there were teething problems relating to the start of operations.
The train service started with 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 from London to Paris. On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when Ashford International was opened. On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on the first completed section of High Speed 1.
The train service started with 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 from London to Paris. On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when Ashford International was opened. On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on the first completed section of High Speed 1.
After 2 June 1996, some Eurostars to Brussels were routed via the first phase of the Belgian High Speed line and the Belgian railway line 78 via Mons.
In 1996, London and Continental Railways forecast that passenger numbers would reach 21.4 million annually by 2004, but only 7.3 million was achieved.
In an independent review commissioned by Eurostar, the company came in for serious criticism about its handling of the incident and lack of plans for such a scenario. In 2006, the Department for Transport predicted that, by 2037, annual cross-channel passenger numbers would probably reach 16 million, considerably less optimistic than London and Continental Railways's original 1996 forecast.
In June 2009 London and Continental Railways, and the Eurostar UK operations they held ownership of, became fully nationalised by the UK government. ==Fleet== ===Fleet details=== In addition to its multiple unit fleet units, Eurostar operates a single Class 08 diesel shunter as the pilot at Temple Mills depot. ===Current fleet=== ====Class 373==== Built between 1992 and 1996, Eurostar's fleet consists of 38 EMU trains, designated Class 373 in the United Kingdom and TGV TMST in France.
Other incidents in the Channel Tunnel – such as the 1996 and 2008 Channel Tunnel fires – have affected Eurostar services but were not directly related to Eurostar's operations.
Passengers waiting at Waterloo International were initially directed on to local trains towards Ashford leaving from the adjacent London Waterloo East railway station, until overcrowding occurred at Ashford. ===1996=== Approximately 1,000 passengers were trapped in darkness for several hours inside two Eurostar trains on the night of 19/20 February 1996.
A Belgian high-speed line, HSL 1, was added to the end of LGV Nord, at the Belgian border, in 1997.
Journey times between London and Brussels were improved when an Belgian high-speed line, HSL 1, opened on 14 December 1997.
In 2000, the coaches were sold to Via Rail in Canada. ===Ashford International station=== Ashford International station was the original station for Eurostar services in Kent. Once Ebbsfleet International railway station, also designed to serve Kent, had opened, only three trains a day to Paris Nord and one to Disneyland Paris called at Ashford for a considerable period of time.
According to Brown, a double-deck fleet could carry 40 million passengers per year from Britain to Continental Europe, equivalent to adding an extra runway at a London airport. ==Accidents, incidents and events== A number of technical incidents have affected Eurostar services over the years, but there has only been one major accident involving a service operated by Eurostar, a derailment in June 2000.
Questions were raised at the time about the ability of the train and tunnel electronics to withstand the mix of snow, salt and ice which collect in the tunnels during periods of extreme cold. ===2000=== On 5 June 2000 a Eurostar train travelling from Paris to London derailed on the LGV Nord high-speed line while traveling at .
Alternatively, future loans of the North of London sets to other operators would enable the trains to operate at their full speed, unlike GNER's previous loan between 2000 and 2005, where the trains were limited to on regular track. ===LGV Picardie=== LGV Picardie is a proposed high-speed line between Paris and Calais via Amiens.
Separation of Eurostar from British domestic services through Kent meant that timetabling was no longer affected by peak-hour restrictions. ===Fares=== 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 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.
The first preview train, carrying 400 members of the press and media, was delayed for two hours by technical problems. On 29 May 2002 a Eurostar train was initially sent down a wrong line – towards London Victoria railway station instead of London Waterloo – causing the service to arrive 25 minutes late.
The train service started with 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 from London to Paris. On 8 January 1996, Eurostar launched services from a second railway station in the UK when Ashford International was opened. On 23 September 2003, passenger services began running on the first completed section of High Speed 1.
The first section between the tunnel and Fawkham Junction in north Kent opened in September 2003, cutting London–Paris journey times by 21 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes, and London–Brussels to 2 hours 20 minutes.
Separation of Eurostar from British domestic services through Kent meant that timetabling was no longer affected by peak-hour restrictions. ===Fares=== 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 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.
Eurostar's best punctuality record was 97.35%, between 16 and 22 August 2004.
In 2004, it had a 66% share of the London–Paris market, and a 59% share of the London–Brussels market.
In 1996, London and Continental Railways forecast that passenger numbers would reach 21.4 million annually by 2004, but only 7.3 million was achieved.
The second digit denotes the country of ownership: 30xx UK 31xx Belgium 32xx France 33xx Regional Eurostar =====Fleet updates===== In 2004–2005 the "Inter-Capital" sets still in daily use for international services were refurbished with a new interior designed by Philippe Starck. The original grey-yellow scheme in Standard class and grey-red of First/Premium First were replaced with a grey-brown look in Standard and grey-burnt-orange in First class.
The lease expired in December 2005, and most of the NoL 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 .
One commentator had defined the situation at the time as: Eurostar won the Train Operator of the Year award in the HSBC Rail Awards for 2005.
Of the five sets ready by December 2015, three of them were planned to be used on London-Paris and London-Brussels routes. ===Past fleet=== ===Possible use of double-deck trains=== In 2005, the chief executive of Eurostar, Richard Brown, suggested that existing Eurostar trains could be replaced by double-deck trains similar to the TGV Duplex units when they are withdrawn from service.
Alternatively, future loans of the North of London sets to other operators would enable the trains to operate at their full speed, unlike GNER's previous loan between 2000 and 2005, where the trains were limited to on regular track. ===LGV Picardie=== LGV Picardie is a proposed high-speed line between Paris and Calais via Amiens.
A further four-minute improvement for London–Brussels trains was achieved in December 2006, with the opening of the Brussels South Viaduct.
In 2006, it was 92.7%, and in 2007, 91.5% were on time.
In an independent review commissioned by Eurostar, the company came in for serious criticism about its handling of the incident and lack of plans for such a scenario. In 2006, the Department for Transport predicted that, by 2037, annual cross-channel passenger numbers would probably reach 16 million, considerably less optimistic than London and Continental Railways's original 1996 forecast.
In 2006, Eurostar's Environment Group was set up, with the aim of making changes in the Eurostar services' daily running to decrease negative environmental impact.
A signalling error that led to the incorrect routeing was stated to have caused "no risk" as a result. On 11 April 2006, a house collapsed next to a railway line near London which caused Eurostar services to have to terminate and start from Ashford International instead of London Waterloo.
On 14 November 2007, commercial services began over the whole of the new HS1 line.
In 2006, it was 92.7%, and in 2007, 91.5% were on time.
In 2007, it achieved record market shares of 71% for London–Paris and 65% for London–Brussels routes. Eurostar's passenger numbers initially failed to meet predictions.
82 million passengers used Waterloo International Station from its opening in 1994 to its closure in 2007.
In 2007 Eurostar set a target of carrying 10 million passengers by 2010. The company cited several factors to support this objective, such as improved journey times, punctuality and station facilities.
Eurostar's target was to reduce emissions by 35 percent per passenger journey by 2012, putting itself beyond the efforts of other railway companies in this field and thereby winning the 2007 Network Rail Efficiency Award.
The incident was caused by a traction link on the second bogie of the front power car coming loose, leading to components of the transmission system on that bogie impacting the track. ===2007=== The first departures from St Pancras on 14 November 2007 coincided with an open-ended strike by French rail unions as part of general strike actions over proposed public-sector pension reforms.
The following year, Eurostar saw an 11.5% fall in passenger numbers during the first three months of 2009, attributed to the 2008 Channel Tunnel fire and the 2009 recession. As a result of the poor economic conditions, Eurostar received state aid in May 2009 to cancel out some of the accumulated debt from the High Speed 1 construction programme.
By 2008, Eurostar's environmental credentials had become highly developed and promoted. Since then, Eurostar has received multiple awards.
It was declared the Best Train Company in the joint Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2008 and earned a spot on the Sunday Times' Best Green Companies List (2009).
Other incidents in the Channel Tunnel – such as the 1996 and 2008 Channel Tunnel fires – have affected Eurostar services but were not directly related to Eurostar's operations.
In 2008 the French Government announced its future investment plans for new LGVs to be built up to 2020; LGV Picardie was not included but was listed as planned in the longer term. ===New destinations=== ====Operational difficulties with cross-border trains==== The reduced journey times offered by the opening of High Speed 1 and the opening of the LGV Est and HSL-Zuid bring more continental destinations within a range from London where rail is competitive with air travel.
However, after a period during which no Brussels trains served the station, to the dissatisfaction of the local communities, Eurostar reintroduced a single daily Ashford–Brussels service on 23 February 2009. ===Changes to corporate structure=== On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a single corporate entity, Eurostar International Limited (EIL), replacing the joint operation between EUKL, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS.
In June 2009 it was announced that one-way single fares would be available at £31 at the cheapest.
In the first quarter of 2009, 96% of Eurostar services were punctual, compared with rival air routes' 76%. An advantage held by Eurostar is the convenience and speed of the service: with shorter check-in times than at most airports and hence quicker boarding and less queueing and high punctuality, it takes less time to travel between central London and central Paris by high-speed rail than by air.
The following year, Eurostar saw an 11.5% fall in passenger numbers during the first three months of 2009, attributed to the 2008 Channel Tunnel fire and the 2009 recession. As a result of the poor economic conditions, Eurostar received state aid in May 2009 to cancel out some of the accumulated debt from the High Speed 1 construction programme.
In June 2009 London and Continental Railways, and the Eurostar UK operations they held ownership of, became fully nationalised by the UK government. ==Fleet== ===Fleet details=== In addition to its multiple unit fleet units, Eurostar operates a single Class 08 diesel shunter as the pilot at Temple Mills depot. ===Current fleet=== ====Class 373==== Built between 1992 and 1996, Eurostar's fleet consists of 38 EMU trains, designated Class 373 in the United Kingdom and TGV TMST in France.
However, the breakdowns in the tunnel, which resulted in cessation of service and inconvenience to thousands of passengers, in the run-up to Christmas 2009, proved a public-relations disaster. ===Minor incidents=== There have been several minor incidents with a few Eurostar services.
The trains were operated by uninvolved British employees and service was not interrupted. ===2009=== On 23 September 2009 an overhead power line dropped on to a Class 373 train arriving at St Pancras station, activating a circuit breaker and delaying eleven other trains.
Two days later, on 25 September 2009, electrical power via the overhead lines was lost on a section of high-speed line outside Lille, delaying passengers on two evening Eurostar-operated services. During the December 2009 European snowfall, five Eurostar trains broke down inside the Channel Tunnel, after leaving France, and one in Kent on 18 December.
All Eurostar services were cancelled from Saturday 19 December to Monday 21 December 2009.
The sale of High Speed One by the British Government having effectively nationalised LCR in June 2009 is also likely to stimulate competition on the line. In March 2010, it was announced that Eurotunnel was in discussions with the Intergovernment Commission, which oversees the tunnel, with the aim of amending elements of the safety code governing the tunnel's usage.
However, after a period during which no Brussels trains served the station, to the dissatisfaction of the local communities, Eurostar reintroduced a single daily Ashford–Brussels service on 23 February 2009. ===Changes to corporate structure=== On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a single corporate entity, Eurostar International Limited (EIL), replacing the joint operation between EUKL, SNCF and SNCB/NMBS.
In 2007 Eurostar set a target of carrying 10 million passengers by 2010. The company cited several factors to support this objective, such as improved journey times, punctuality and station facilities.
The new trains will be equipped to use the new ERTMS in-cab signalling system, due to be fitted to High Speed 1 around 2040. On 7 October 2010, it was reported that Eurostar had selected Siemens as preferred bidder to supply 10 Siemens Velaro e320 trainsets at a cost of €600 million (and a total investment of more than £700 million with the refurbishment of the existing fleet included) to operate an expanded route network, including services from London to Cologne and Amsterdam.
On 4 November 2010, the company lodged a complaint with the European Commission over the tendering process, which then asked the British government for "clarification".
An independent review, published on 12 February 2010, was critical of the contingency plans in place for assisting passengers stranded by the delays, calling them "insufficient". ===2010=== On 7 January 2010 a Brussels-London train broke down in the Channel Tunnel, resulting in three other trains failing to complete their journeys.
Due to the severe weather, a limited service was operated in the next few days. On 15 February 2010, services between Brussels and London were interrupted following the Halle train collision, this time after the dedicated HSL 1 lines in the suburbs of the Belgian capital were blocked by debris from a serious train crash on the suburban commuter lines alongside.
Brussels services resumed on a limited scale on 22 February. On 21 February 2010 the 21:43 service from Paris to London broke down just outside Ashford International, stranding 740 passengers for several hours while a rescue train was called in. On 15 April 2010 air traffic in Western Europe closed because of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
Many travellers between the UK and the European mainland instead took the Eurostar train, all tickets between Brussels and London on 15 and 16 April being sold out within 3½ hours after the closure of British airspace. Between 15 and 20 April, Eurostar put on 33 additional trains and carried 165,000 passengers – 50,000 more than had been scheduled to travel during this period. On 20 December 2010, the Channel Tunnel was closed off for a day due to snowy weather.
The half-train rule was finally abolished in May 2010.
Eurostar stated that the new journey time to London was about four hours (4h 9m) from Amsterdam, and 3h 29m from Rotterdam. ===Competition=== In 2010, international rail travel was liberalised by new European Union directives, designed to break up monopolies in order to encourage competition for services between countries. This sparked interest among other companies in providing services in competition to Eurostar and new services to destinations beyond Paris and Brussels.
The sale of High Speed One by the British Government having effectively nationalised LCR in June 2009 is also likely to stimulate competition on the line. In March 2010, it was announced that Eurotunnel was in discussions with the Intergovernment Commission, which oversees the tunnel, with the aim of amending elements of the safety code governing the tunnel's usage.
This, however, did not happen. In July 2010 Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced that it intended to make a test run with a high-speed ICE-3MF train through the Channel Tunnel in October 2010 in preparation for possible future operations.
The trial ran on 19 October 2010 with a Class 406 ICE train specially liveried with a British "Union flag" decal.
DB had hoped that immigration checks could be done on board, but British authorities required immigration and security checks to be done at Lille Europe station, taking at least 30 minutes. In August 2010, Trenitalia announced its desire to eventually run high-speed trains from Italy to the United Kingdom, using its newly ordered high-speed trains.
SNCF's lease of the sets is scheduled to last until 2011, with an option for a further two years. Each train has a unique four-digit number starting with "3" (3xxx).
Alstom then announced it had started legal action against Eurostar, again in the High Court in London. In July 2011, the High Court rejected Alstom's claim that the tender process was "ineffective", and in April 2012 Alstom said it would call off pending court actions against Siemens.
Eurostar Trains were suspended that day with thousands of passengers stranded in the run up to Christmas. ===2011=== On 17 October 2011 a man fell from the 17:04 service from London to Brussels as it passed through Westenhanger and Cheriton in Folkestone, near the entry to the Channel Tunnel.
The organization set itself a target of reducing carbon emissions per passenger journey by 25% by 2012.
Eurostar's target was to reduce emissions by 35 percent per passenger journey by 2012, putting itself beyond the efforts of other railway companies in this field and thereby winning the 2007 Network Rail Efficiency Award.
Alstom then announced it had started legal action against Eurostar, again in the High Court in London. In July 2011, the High Court rejected Alstom's claim that the tender process was "ineffective", and in April 2012 Alstom said it would call off pending court actions against Siemens.
This was to be reviewed following the 2012 Olympics.
Journey time was said to be around four and a half hours using the new LGV Sud Europe Atlantique. ====Southern France==== In December 2012 Eurostar announced that on Saturdays during May 2013–June 2013 a new seasonal service would be introduced to Aix-en-Provence, also serving Lyon Part-Dieu and Avignon TGV on the way (the latter being from central Avignon).
Sources at Eurotunnel suggested that Deutsche Bahn could have entered the market at the timetable change in December 2012.
Journey time was said to be around four and a half hours using the new LGV Sud Europe Atlantique. ====Southern France==== In December 2012 Eurostar announced that on Saturdays during May 2013–June 2013 a new seasonal service would be introduced to Aix-en-Provence, also serving Lyon Part-Dieu and Avignon TGV on the way (the latter being from central Avignon).
Travel time from London to Marseille was roughly 6.5 hours in 2018. ====Netherlands==== In September 2013, Eurostar announced an agreement with the Government of Netherlands and NS, the Dutch railway company, to start twice daily services between London and Amsterdam Centraal; the launch was initially planned for December 2016.
It hoped to begin these services in 2013 using Class 407 ICE units, with three trains per day each way—morning, midday and afternoon.
EIL is owned by SNCF (55%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (30%), Hermes Infrastructure (10%) and SNCB (5%). In June 2014, the UK shareholding in Eurostar International Limited was transferred from London and Continental Railways / Department for Transport to HM Treasury.
This effectively freed the way for Siemens to build the new Eurostar trains, the first of which were expected to enter service in late 2015. On 13 November 2014 Eurostar announced the purchase of an additional seven e320s for delivery in the second half of 2016.
The Aix-en-Provence services did not run in 2014 but was replaced along with the seasonal Avignon Centre services with the new year-round service to Lyon and Marseille as of 1 May 2015. In 2018, at least, direct services to Lyon, Avignon and Marseille ran only from May to September, with connections during the rest of the year being offered via Eurostar but requiring a change to SNCF trains in Paris or Lille.
Eurostar trains from London will also call at Antwerp Centraal and Schiphol Airport, although trains from Amsterdam will miss out Antwerp on the journey back to London. In November 2014, Eurostar announced the service to Amsterdam would start in "2016-2017", and would include a stop at Schiphol Airport in addition to the previously announced destinations.
In March 2015, the UK government announced that it would sell its 40% share to an Anglo-Canadian consortium made up of the Caisse and Hermes Infrastructure.
The sale was completed in May 2015. ===Rules for cycles on trains=== In 2015, Eurostar threatened to require that cyclists dismantle bicycles before they could be transported on the trains.
The combined financial troubles and lack of ridership caused by 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.
The units have also been branded as the Eurostar e300 by Eurostar since 2015.
This effectively freed the way for Siemens to build the new Eurostar trains, the first of which were expected to enter service in late 2015. On 13 November 2014 Eurostar announced the purchase of an additional seven e320s for delivery in the second half of 2016.
At the same time, Eurostar announced the first five e320s from the original order of ten would be available by December 2015, with the remaining five entering service by May 2016.
Of the five sets ready by December 2015, three of them were planned to be used on London-Paris and London-Brussels routes. ===Past fleet=== ===Possible use of double-deck trains=== In 2005, the chief executive of Eurostar, Richard Brown, suggested that existing Eurostar trains could be replaced by double-deck trains similar to the TGV Duplex units when they are withdrawn from service.
The Aix-en-Provence services did not run in 2014 but was replaced along with the seasonal Avignon Centre services with the new year-round service to Lyon and Marseille as of 1 May 2015. In 2018, at least, direct services to Lyon, Avignon and Marseille ran only from May to September, with connections during the rest of the year being offered via Eurostar but requiring a change to SNCF trains in Paris or Lille.
Following criticism from Boris Johnson and cycling groups, Eurostar reversed the plans. ===Wi-Fi and onboard entertainment=== By March 2016, onboard entertainment was provided by GoMedia, including Wi-Fi connectivity and up to 300 hours of movies and television kept on the train's servers and accessed using the passenger's own devices: mobile phones, tablets, laptops etc.
This effectively freed the way for Siemens to build the new Eurostar trains, the first of which were expected to enter service in late 2015. On 13 November 2014 Eurostar announced the purchase of an additional seven e320s for delivery in the second half of 2016.
At the same time, Eurostar announced the first five e320s from the original order of ten would be available by December 2015, with the remaining five entering service by May 2016.
Travel time from London to Marseille was roughly 6.5 hours in 2018. ====Netherlands==== In September 2013, Eurostar announced an agreement with the Government of Netherlands and NS, the Dutch railway company, to start twice daily services between London and Amsterdam Centraal; the launch was initially planned for December 2016.
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 St Pancras and Amsterdam Centraal.
The Aix-en-Provence services did not run in 2014 but was replaced along with the seasonal Avignon Centre services with the new year-round service to Lyon and Marseille as of 1 May 2015. In 2018, at least, direct services to Lyon, Avignon and Marseille ran only from May to September, with connections during the rest of the year being offered via Eurostar but requiring a change to SNCF trains in Paris or Lille.
Travel time from London to Marseille was roughly 6.5 hours in 2018. ====Netherlands==== In September 2013, Eurostar announced an agreement with the Government of Netherlands and NS, the Dutch railway company, to start twice daily services between London and Amsterdam Centraal; the launch was initially planned for December 2016.
Eurostar have indicated that the calling pattern 'is not set in stone' and if a business case supports it the service might be extended to additional cities such as Utrecht. The service was finally planned to start running on 4 April 2018, with fare prices starting at £35 for a single ticket.
An "inaugural train" from St Pancras International to Amsterdam via Rotterdam broke a speed record for the journey to Brussels (1hr 46mins) on 20 February 2018.
The first regular service to Amsterdam left St Pancras at 08:31 on 4 April 2018. The direct Amsterdam to London service is scheduled to launch on 26 October 2020 with two trains a day Monday - Friday.
A tracker app allows customers to see where they are. === Merger with Thalys === On 27 September 2019, the heads of two of Eurostar's major shareholders, Guillaume Pepy of SNCF, and the chair of SNCB , publicised that Eurostar was planning to come together with its sister company the Franco-Belgian transnational rail service Thalys.
However, the direct tickets will no longer be sold from 9 November 2019. ===Controls and security=== 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 Eurostar passengers must go through border controls.
Eurostar also funded three renewable energy projects in developing regions around the world: a windfarm in Tamil Nadu, India; a micro-hydropower project in China; a plan specifying improvements on fuel consumption of three-wheeler taxis in Indonesia. In 2019, Eurostar removed all single-use plastics from its trains between London and Paris.
Thalys currently uses two ex-Eurostar class 373 trains (half-sets 373213 and 373224) to provide Thalys' no frills service IZY, between Paris and Brussels. In September 2020, 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".
As of fall 2020, HS1 is the UK's first renewable-powered railway. ==Services== ===Frequency=== Eurostar offers up to fifteen weekday London – Paris services (nineteen on Fridays) including nine non-stop (thirteen on Fridays).
On 4 February 2020, 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.
On the 7 July 2020 a modified agreement was signed in Brussels that includes The Netherlands in the previous agreement.
Eurostar partnered with the Woodland Trust, ReforestAction, and Trees for All in 2020, with the goal of planting 20,000 trees each year in woodlands along its routes across the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
In 2008 the French Government announced its future investment plans for new LGVs to be built up to 2020; LGV Picardie was not included but was listed as planned in the longer term. ===New destinations=== ====Operational difficulties with cross-border trains==== The reduced journey times offered by the opening of High Speed 1 and the opening of the LGV Est and HSL-Zuid bring more continental destinations within a range from London where rail is competitive with air travel.
For example, on the current Amsterdam to London route it is only direct one way, with people needing to get a train to Brussels to go through the juxtaposed controls; the direct connection is subject to talks between the UK and Dutch governments, set to be completed in 2020 for services to start. The difficulties that Eurostar faces in expanding its services would also be faced by any potential competitors to Eurostar.
The first regular service to Amsterdam left St Pancras at 08:31 on 4 April 2018. The direct Amsterdam to London service is scheduled to launch on 26 October 2020 with two trains a day Monday - Friday.
SNCF and SNCB already hold a controlling shareholding in Eurostar. === COVID-19 Impact === By January 2021, Eurostar ridership went down to less than 1% of pre-pandemic levels.
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