Paris Gare du Nord, or Station of the North, has historically served many European destinations, including London by means of boat trains
Nowadays, Britain's capital is reached by Eurostar international high-speed passenger trains, running through the Channel Tunnel
We should be traveling aboard the 11:43 service, crewed by Eurostar driver from SNCF, France's National Railway Company
Eurostars leave from platforms 3 to 6 at Gare du Nord as these have special security
and are linked to the Eurostar section of the terminal at its check-in and control points
Following tight security checks, passengers wait in the upstairs lounges before being invited to join their Eurostar
approximately 20 minutes before departure
A normal Eurostar complement consists of a minimum of 11 crew members
There is an international train driver and 2 train managers, one of whom is capable of driving the train out of the Channel Tunnel
There are between 8 and 13 catering staff, depen- ding on the number of passengers on the service
Arriving in the adjacent platform 7 is a high-speed train from Brussels Midi under the brand name Thalys
Services between Brussels and Paris now take less than 90 minutes
The fastest journeys between London and Paris are just 2 hours 35 minutes
Eurostar service number 9025 has just one inter- mediate stop at Lille-Europe and is scheduled to
cover the 495 kilometers in 2 hours 42 minutes
Gare du Nord handles over a million passengers a day
and the station underwent a complete refurbi- shment for the start of Eurostar services in 1994
Two buzzes mean we have authorization to start
The departure from Paris is quicker than from most British stations as we're permitted to travel at 60 km/h straight away
A French TGV or Train à Grande Vitesse, meaning high-speed train, here consists of 2 Sud-Est sets
amounting to 4 power cars and 16 trailers, just about the same length as a single Eurostar, with 2 power cars and 18 trailers
From this gantry, we can travel at 120 km/h or 75 mph as we are routed onto line DCO, Départ Creil Quest
the line normally used by all Eurostars, Thalys and TGVs as well as domestic trains for Amiens and beyond
To our left we pass La Chapelle stabling sidings on the site of the former steam shed
Now to our left is the Landy TGV depot
Notice the ramp in the track, this is known as a crocodile and forms part of the Répétition Signal Optique, RSO equipment
Unlike the British AWS, a clear signal doesn't have an audible indication
The driving cab is amongst the most sophisticated ever designed The train is having to handle four different signalling systems
We now pass under the suburban lines
Should we get an adverse signal, a horn would sound and if the driver doesn't acknowledge it, the train brakes would be applied automatically
in similar fashion to the British AWS, or Automatic Warning System
This is the first suburban station out of Gare du Nord, Saint-Denis
Nearby is a Stade de France, home of the 1998 World Cup Final, which France's football team actually won
We are now cleared for 160 km/h or 100 mph
This time we pass a single PSE TGV
These are the original orange livery trains built for the Paris Southeast high-speed line, the first open in stages to Lyon in the early 1980s
These signs indicate a neutral section in the overhead power supply, just ahead of the station at Pierrefitte-Stains
The REV board is set at the dis- tance of conventional SNCF trains
Eurostars use an in-cab indication to show when the train is clear of the neutral section and power may be reapplied
We now approach the station at Garges-Sarcelles
From here the line speed is increased to 200 km/h, the classic line's top speed of 124 mph
However, we have a flashing green signal which will today restrict our speed to 160 km/h
The signal on top of this gantry is an advanced indicator confirming that we are routed onto the high-speed line
or LGV, Ligne à Grande Vitesse
This is Villiers-le-Be Gonesse Arnouville
The two white lights are the route indicator for the high-speed line
We are now approaching the start of the purpose- built high-speed line LGV Nord, opened in 1993
The two signs above the speed limit tell our French driver Peter to lower the pantographs
The same pantographs are used for all 25 kV lines
However, the wire height and the amo- unt of pantograph movement permitted
differs between conventional lines high-speed lines and Eurotunnel
For this reason, the driver reconfigures a setting
This is the start of a neutral section between the 25 kV of the classic line and the 25 kV of the high-speed line
Peter manually selects a pantograph position when the rear one, some 390 meters behind us
has also cleared the neutral section indicated by the in-cab display
We passed the last conventional signal
The TGV sign above the signal means that we will now be controlled by the TVM 430 in-cab signalling system
TVM means Transmission Voie-Machine
430 is a maximum speed that could theoretically be operated with the system
Although TGV Nord's maximum speed is 300 kph, the new line to Marseille has some stretches where 320 kph is being tested
The first marker or repair appears on our left
These are used to divide the high-speed line into sections if it is necessary to stop a train
The instrument to our left is a power indicator, the orange 298 is a setting Peter has selected to cruise at
We are now controlled from the signalling center at Lille which is responsible for all but the short section of line
between the station at Calais-Fréthun and a boundary with the Channel Tunnel, where the Eurotunnel Rail Control Centre takes over
The switchback nature of the high- speed line can be clearly seen here
The ruling gradient throughout the LGV Nord is 1:40
Now a maximum power and with the benefit of a falling gradient, our speed is rapidly building
The line crosses the A1 motorway the major toll road from Paris to Lille
Here is the first junction on a triangle with a 1994 built connecting line to TGV Sud-Est or Southeast
The line forming the second side of the triangle passes over the top to join us at the north junction
The connecting line is used by high-speed trains from places such as Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Resort Paris
Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Avignon
With around 211 trains a day, we're now on the busiest section of the line as far as a junction for Arras
The lineside building houses remote signal inter- locking equipment as part of the TVM 430 system
We have now reached the line's maxi- mum speed, 186.4 mph or 300 km/h
This is an automatic neutral section
The driver doesn't need to do anything, the whole operation of opening and closing the circuit breakers is automatic
However, as it is assumed that lineside indications cannot be reliably read at speeds in excess of 220 km/h
drivers also receive visual indications of events in the cab
The Eurostar 3 capitals' fleet comprises 27 sets each comprising 2 power cars and 18 coaches
Each set is 1294 feet in length, the longest high-speed passenger train in the world
Each Eurostar has seats for 750 passengers
Of these, 544 are of Stan- dard Class and 206 First Class
Every few kilometers, there are emergency sidings to allow a defective train to be cleared from the main running lines
The first such emergency siding is here at Fresnoy
You can just see a train of hoppers to our right
This is at Longueil-Sainte-Marie and a non-electrified con- nection to this Creil-Jeumont line joins the LGV from the right
Just beyond, we shall cross the A1 again
The line now roughly follows the course of the road all the way to Lille
A neutral section that's not required
In common with all overhead electrified railways, the line is divided into sections
to allow isolation of the power supply in the event of emergency or for general maintenance
Normally only one in two neutral sections will actually be needed
The yellow kilometer posts are mea- sured from the start of the new line
60 kilometers north of Gare du Nord
You may have noticed we regularly pass through concrete walls either side of the track
This is where the line passes near to existing settlements and is to cut down the overall noise
This is the emergency siding at Ressons which is stabling a permanent way vehicle
These would normally only venture out onto the running lines at night
The timetable provides for a break in the service around midday, called the white period
Any necessary engineering work may then be carried out
safe in the knowledge that a train will not be approaching at nearly 200 mph
However, individual sections of the high-speed line are closed throughout the day and workers are often seen on the adjacent track
The total length of the LGV Nord-Europe line is 333 kilometers or 207 miles
Authorization was given for the line on 23rd of April, 1985 and was based on 3 main traffic flows
Domestic travel between Northern France and Paris
international traffic from Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam and future traffic from Britain via the Channel Tunnel
This is Hattencourt, but there is a single connection with the Amiens to Roye line
We are now approaching Haute-Picardie station
Only a few TGVs call here per day
The station was built close to the junction with the A29 road
duplicate the residents of Amiens, who had vociferously campaigned for the TGV line to be routed through their town
There are coach connections to Amiens and Saint-Quentin both large towns not served by the TGV network
Tunnel d'Assevilliers
As we pass another repair, Peter gets an instruction from the TVM to reduce speed due to preceding train turning out for Arras
270 flashing means Peter must continue to brake to at least 230 km/h
Incidentally, the route of the LGV roughly parallels that of the Western Front of the First World War
most of the way from near Compiègne to Lille
This bridge carries us over the river Somme
the name being synonymous with the battle which created the highest single number of British casualties in a single day, 59,000
It also cost hundreds of thousands of lives over a period of months on both sides
The timetable gives Peter details of timings and speeds
Although only gently braking, the braking system for a train weighing 800 tons running at 186 mph has to be impressive
Three different systems are employed
Firstly, the 12 traction motors become generators, providing rheostatic braking
The non-powered axles have friction pads on 4 discs per axle
There are also conventional brake shoes on the wheel treads of the power cars
which operate when the rheostatic brake becomes less effective at slow speed
From full line speed, it would take just 65 seconds to bring a Eurostar to a complete halt
The distance covered in that time is 3 kilometers or 1.86 miles
We now move forward to Bifurcation de Croisilles, the junction for Arras
The town narrowly missed being captured by the Ger- mans in the initial rush of their invasion in autumn 1914
Right behind the front line, the town's civilian population was evacuated
After the war, the whole town lay in ruins
In the 20s, the town hall and the old houses around the squares were lovingly rebuilt, following the old design as much as possible
Today, the town with a population of 130,000 sees a daily service of up to 15 TGVs to Paris
We are permitted to get back to full line speed once more
We pass beneath the main line through Arras
A single-line connection converges from the west but this is normally used only in emergencies
Having just called at Arras, a double deck TGV on a domestic service heads towards Valenciennes
We pass another Eurostar
Here the line crosses a dull canal by means of an untypical steel girder viaduct
The canal is part of an extensive network of waterways in this region
This siding is at Oignies
This TGV is 11:25 from Brussels to Marseille and Perpignan, having reversed at Lille
The train will divide at Lyon
TGVs contributed many fundamental design features to the Eurostar fleet
such as the articulated connection of the coaches
One bogie with 2 axles connects adjacent carriages
meaning there are no axles or wheels underneath any passenger seating, except in coach 1 and 18
Articulation has many advantages and the sway between coaches is significantly reduced
The pneumatic suspension system adds to the smooth ride and probably most passengers are unaware of reaching the full line speed
The Eurostars, like the original TGVs, are of steel construction and were manufactured by a total of 6 different companies
in Britain, France and Belgium between 1991 and 1993, giving ample testing time before the opening of the Channel Tunnel
The line rises up and over another typical concrete bridge at Seclin, crossing the electrified classic main line from Lille-Flandres
This has to be the last Thalys that we shall pass, being only a few kilometers from the junction with the Belgian high-speed line
The TVM starts to demand the gradual reduction in speed for the approach to Lille
The flashing white 270 means that the next section has a limit of that speed
When we are actually in that section the flashing 270 will change to 220
Of course, if the train speed has not been reduced accordingly, the TVM will take over and apply the brakes
This is the start of the large triangular junction with the Belgian high-speed line to Brussels Midi and beyond
Trains taking that route can continue across the junction at the full 300 km/h
The steady green 220 means this sec- tion has a maximum speed of 220 kph
We pass the warning board instructing Peter to change the pantographs back to the SNCF classic line setting
Although we're still on the high-speed line, the section through Lille requires a conventional pantograph setting
Peter has just applied the rheostatic brake to slow the train before he uses the air brake to bring it smoothly to stop at Lille-Europe station
The pantographs are now lowered
And here they're raised again at the classic line setting
A further reduction in speed to 130 kph, that's still 80 mph
On the parallel main line, we passed Mont-de-Terre station
The flashing 130 has now become 80
This is the final reduction in speed, the rest being left to the skill of the driver
We pass the TGV sidings at Fives
At the next repair, we shall get 3 zeros on a red background
This is the instruction to stop at the following marker
Originally, SNCF proposed that the LGV would pass around the city of Lille, with a station on the perimeter
However, the business community along with the mayor persuaded SNCF to route the new line through the center
in recognition of the importance of the European high-speed network to commerce
Therefore, the line now burrows underg- round to the purpose-built subsurface station
Arrive at Lille-Europe is at platform 45
The difference in platform height between Conti- nental and British practice is clearly evident here
Two steps are deployed auto- matically to bridge the gap
The multi-tiered station is part of the massive Euralille site covering 173 acres of offices and shops on reclaimed land
The project included a new tram line in the renaming of the original station to Lille-Flandres
The station is an important interchange with European cities as well as a myriad of destinations in France
A steady 80 is now shown on the TVM display for our departure from Lille
The maximum 1:40 gradient takes a line over the already established residential areas of the city, with its population of over a million
A trailing connection with the Lille-Calais old line
We now turn to the west and climb up and over the aforementioned line
We cross the toll motorway from Calais to Lille, the A25
Once again, we have to go through the pantograph setting procedure in advance of obtaining full line speed to Calais
Incidentally, this pantograph change is at Grande Flamengrie Farm, which was also on the old 1915-17 World War I trench line
The name actually appears on the period trench map at the time
We are now authorized to accelerate the full 300 kph
The siding here complete with track maintenance machine is Erquinghem
This TGV is a 12:36 from Calais to Paris, one of only two domestic services per day to serve the coastal town
As such, this part of the high-speed line is not heavily used, so is ideal for testing experimental TGVs
It was also used for the high-speed testing of Deutsche Bahn's ICE Intercity Express for running in France
We pass another neutral section
This siding and loop is Hondeghem
The approaching Eurostar is just about to traverse a trailing junction with the Dunkirk to Arras main line, which we shall shortly cross
This out-of-use neutral section is just before the siding at Quilleval
In spite of all the sophisticated technology, Peter has to check our top speed as we encounter a steep downhill gradient at 186 mph
The TVM beep marks the start of the slowing down sequence of the Channel Tunnel
Almost immediately, we get the trackside sign, also reproduced on our display for lowering the pantographs
Notice a slightly different 'raise pantograph' sign
The pantograph setting for the Channel Tunnel is unique
The catenary is much higher to allow for the passage of double deck car carriers and HTV Shuttles
Peter informs the train manager of the time to the Channel Tunnel
The TVM now shows 230 flashing
As we approach Calais-Fréthun station, we pass over the classic lines
and if you look carefully, you can see a TGV on test at one of the platforms below to our right
This part of the station is exclusively the domain of Eurostars