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 advance 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 through- out 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
Two small tunnels at Verberie
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 Amster- dam and future traffic from Britain via the Channel Tunnel
This is Hattencourt, but there is a single connection with the Amiens to Roye line
Advance warning of another neutral section
Once again, this one is not in use
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 hea- vily 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 pas- sage of double deck car carriers and HGV 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 ex- clusively the domain of Eurostars
The small sign on our left marks the end of SNCF and the start of Eurotunnel
With a plethora of signs to look at including a neutral section
the diamond sign indicates a radio change to channel 13 for the Eurotunnel Rail Control Centre
Eurotunnel Shuttles converge here
Opposite, we can see a heavy goods vehicle shuttle, half a mile long
Eurostar and Eurotunnel are two completely separate organizations
The latter being the owner of the tunnel and the operator of the HGV and vehicle shuttles
The rail control center is located in the basement of this building in the Eurotunnel compound at Folkestone
Here, all trains passing through the tunnel are monitored on various computer screens
And more impressively on a large track diagram, spanning the width of the back wall
Our train number is 9025
4 types of train are able to use a tunnel
Eurostars beginning with the number 9
Lorry shuttles begin with a number 7
Car shuttles with 6 and interna- tional freight trains begin with a 4
The large bore of the tunnel is receiving
Although it doesn't look it, we are actually doing 160 km/h or 100 normally
Passenger shuttles are restricted to 140 kph
Where the tunnel lights on, you can see the low platform and walkway
that stretches the whole distance of the tunnel and would allow easy evacuation of a stalled train
either onto another train or into the ser- vice tunnel running alongside to our right
9025 is rapidly approaching the first of two tunnel cross- overs, 150 feet beneath the surface of the English Channel
and consisting of two of the largest caverns ever excavated underwater
However, we shall barely notice
with the large doors closed for safety and ven- tilation reasons, all we shall see is a point work
The first crossover is just here
A Channel Tunnel was first proposed as far back as 1802
By 1875, it really looked as though the tunnel would become a reality
but a military committee vetoed the plan believing it to be a threat to national security
Construction eventually began on 15th of December, 1987
and just under 3 years later, England and France were linked for the first time since the Ice Age, 10,000 years earlier
The chosen alignment of the Channel Tunnel between Sangatte and Shakespeare Cliff was favored by engineers
partly because the channel is at its narrowest point here and partly because a layer of chalk marl runs almost all the way across
The marl is a mixture of chalk and clay and is almost waterproof
To prove the point, back in 1880, engineers had actually made a start on the Channel Tunnel
digging over a mile out to sea before it was abandoned and sealed up
A century later, the old workings were uncovered and amazingly
the tunnel was found to be totally dry even though it had never been lined
The tunnel was a massive engineering achievement
It was constructed by means of giant purpose-built tunnel boring machines, able to excavate over half a mile a month
Around 2400 tons of spoil were extracted by each of the TBMs every hour and this was carried away by supply trains
The tunnel was inaugurated by Her Majesty The Queen and French president François Mitterrand on 6th of May, 1994
The tunnel had cost 9 billion pounds to construct
Back inside the RCC, 9025 is shown passing the second crossover
These proved their worth when part of the tunnel was shut for repair after the disastrous lorry fire of the 18th November, 1996
It is now only a short distance to the tunnel exit and the Eurotunnel Terminal complex at Folkestone
Surrounded by security screens, we exit the tunnel and see the diverging junction for the shuttles
The TVM temporarily slows our progress before giving the all clear
Incidentally, our train develops a maximum attr- active power of 12,200 kW or 16,400 horsepower
All axles on the power cars are equipped with traction motors along with the first two axles on each adjacent passenger coach
making 12 per train
Whilst in the Channel Tunnel, one power car is capable of extracting an entire 18-coach train
including the rear power car in the event of failure or emergency
This is the end of Eurotunnel and the start of the new High Speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link or CTRL1
It's fortunate that the British track gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches was adopted in France and much of Europe
although, of course, the loading gauges vary
The construction of the CTRL is to full European standards
to allow for the possible passage of full-size international trains in the future
The two center tracks here, signalled conventionally lead to Dollands Moor Freight Yard, coming up on our right
As we run briefly alongside the Dover to Ashford main line we get the TVM authorization to accelerate to 200 km/h
We now fly over the aforementioned line, electrified on the former Southern Region 750 V third rail system
The speed is increased to 230
The line converging from the right is an emergency chord from Dollands Moor
As we parallel the main line again, notice the difference bet- ween Victorian tunnel engineering and that of the present day
The station at Westenhanger has definitely seen better days and is now unstaffed
Peter now goes through the process of res- etting the pantographs to the UK 25 kV system
The TVM beeps 270
And now we can travel at 300 km/h, the first time 186 mph is authorized in the UK
In places, the Victorian bridges have been replaced during the construction of the high-speed line
Speed through the Kentish town of Ashford is 270 kph for non-stopping trains such as ours
Stopping Eurostars branch off here onto the Ashford chord
Meanwhile, we climb up onto a flyover bypassing the Ashford station area
Many Eurostars call at the renamed international station down to our left
As an example of this, the next train to use the flyover in this direction is in 3.5 hours time
Lenham Loops
Crews from either England, France or Bel- gium operate each service from end to end
The journey times involved make an ideal out and back shift per crew
With Eurostar services operated by British, French and Belgium crews most end up in their country of origin at the end of each working day
However, some crews lodge for operational reasons
The line now runs alongside the M20 at Harrietsham
Motorists must be astonished to be overtaken by a train going over 100 mph faster than they are
An out-of-use neutral section
This is Boxley Tunnel
This is North Downs Tunnel, the longest on the new line at 3.2 kilometers or just under 2 miles
Above to our right, we are parallel by the M2 motorway
The most notable feature on the CTRL1 is a viaduct over the River Medway at Rochester
The impressive concrete structure is just over three quarters of a mile long, 1.25 kilometers
We are now reducing speed for the end of Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
These are the Singlewell Loops
We are now down to 100 kph for the turnout at Southfleet Junction
The lines straight ahead are not in use
but will form the start of CTRL2, running all the way to St Pancras via Ebbsfleet and Stratford, due to open in 2007
You can see the temporary buffers on the future line just before the overbridge carrying the down Waterloo connection
We pass over a test magnet, which sounds the horn on the British Automatic Warning System or AWS
which is now incorporated into the more advanced TPWS
Signal VS296 marks the resumption of conventional sign- alling, controlled from the Victoria Area Signalling Centre
Just ahead, it's a start of the 750 V third rail
The pantographs are now lowered and the third rail shoe is deployed as the CTRL ends and Network Rail begins
Confirmation that we are now picking up current and are running on 750 V
The overhead line has now ended and we're now on the third rail all the way to Waterloo
This is Fawkham Junction, where we join the Chatham main line with a top speed of 90 mph
The speedometer has now switched to miles per hour the change taking place with a switch to the third rail
This is Swanley
The original Channel Tunnel Route number 2 or CTR2 converges here
Now there are 4 tracks as far as Shortlands Junction
We use a Chatham slow line but it is cleared for 90 mph
This is St Mary Cray, we pass a Class 375 Electrostar on a Ramsgate service
Advanced warning the 60 mph limit
This is the blanket speed for the Inner London approaches of the former Southern Region due to signal spacing and headways
To our right, the down loop line from Charing Cross and Chislehurst joins
We passed a Class 465 Networker, still in Network SouthEast livery, some 10 years after its demise
Now he passed beneath the main line Sevenoaks from Tunb- ridge, connection with which converges here at Bickley Junction
This is Bickley station
Bromley South and the AWS sound as we get a double yellow aspect
Unfortunately, due to the slowing in France, we are running 6 minutes late and have lost our path
This is Shortlands
The red signal protects the oncoming Networker from Vic- toria, which is crossing Shortlands Junction just ahead of us
We've now moved to the west of Shortlands Junction, where the Catford Loop diverges
We are now passing through Beckenham Junction
The line and platform to our far left is a terminus of one of the branches of the Croydon Tramlink
A tram can be seen heading for Croydon
Next to it, the former down line runs via Birkbeck to Bromley Junction, just to the south of Crystal Palace
Meanwhile, we turn from west to northwest and gain a pair of loop lines just ahead of Kent House station
The unmistakable shape of the Cry- stal Palace TV mast comes into view
This contains a main television trans- mitter to the whole of Greater London
We pass through Penge East
Just to the south of Penge Tunnel, we passed beneath the line from New Cross Gate to Croydon
A Class 455 conveniently showing the way
Penge Tunnel is 1 mile 381 yards long, or 1.95 kilometers
Sydenham Hill is 5.75 miles from Victoria
This is West Dulwich
Our stallion of a train is limited to a mere trot of 45 mph through Herne Hill
The lines from Tulse Hill come in on our left
The Thameslink lines from Black- friars and Bedford go off to the right
The complexity of the former Southern Region's network is amply demonstrated here at Brixton
Firstly with the convergence of the Catford Loop at Brixton Junction
and secondly by the convergent of the so-called Atlantic lines at Shepherd's Lane Junction
We are passing by Clapham High Street station with platforms only on the Atlantic lines
This is Voltaire Road Junction
This is Wandsworth Road, once again without platforms on the fast lines
The complexity continues at Factory Junction
The route indicator is set for the 35-mph Waterloo Curve at Lindford Street Junction
Right behind, it can be seen the former Battersea Power Station, now a listed building
The flyover, purpose built for the start of Eurostar international services
takes our train across 7 of the 8 tracks between Clapham Junction and Waterloo
It's located next to the New Covent Garden site, which in turn occupies a former railway land of Nine Elms steam sheds
We join the Windsor Reversible line
We are now under the control of Wimbledon Sig- nalling Centre for the last 2.5 miles into Waterloo
This is Vauxhall
We've now got a single yellow and route indicator into platform 24
And so, the modern purpose-built international ter- minal, adjacent to Waterloo station, comes into view
Waterloo International was completed in May 1993 at a cost of 130 million pounds
Construction took 2.5 years
And involved the demolition of part of the northern side of the former London and South Western Railway station
Designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, the grand steel and glass structure houses 5 platforms above ground
and 3 further levels below, containing security, passenger lounges, shops and cafes
In an almost reverse situation to Gare du Nord, passengers come up to the platforms by means of escalators or lifts
Peter secures a traction side of the train
After a 3-hour break, he will be acting as a train manager returning on the 17:09 to Ashford, Calais and Paris
Service 9044