Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: Class 373

After changing trains via the London Underground widened lines from Paddington to St. Pancras, to took the Eurostar to Brussels-Midi. For several years, these were the fastest trains I had ever ridden, as they operate at 190 m.p.h. in Britain. I recently found out through research (not my stopwatch) that I broke my record several months after I took this video, as I had unknowingly ridden at 330 km/h, or 205 m.p.h., on the TGV Duplex between Strasbourg and Paris. I remember the ride was fast, but that's it. The train was very overcrowded, I didn't have a window seat, and ultimately I didn't take any photos or video, which is a shame.

This was after arrival at St. Pancras International. This station was thoroughly renovated in 2004-2007 to accomodate the Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, after many years of Eurostar services using the old South Eastern Railway Mainline from London Waterloo. This renovation received international attention, even in America, as St. Pancras for years had been a very second-rate station traffic-wise, even if the building, trainshed, and hotel frontage were spectacular.

This was as I was about to board the Eurostar in Bruxelles-Midi. On the Belgian and French side of the Chunnel, the high speed lines are rated for 300 Km/h, or 186 m.p.h., and the Eurostar sets still achieve this very easily. On the British side they can hit 190 m.p.h., at least until they have to slow for St. Pancras.

This is yet another shot of the spectacularly restored, and originally spectacular, London Saint Pancras Station, now St. Pancras International. That trainshed must have been one of the bigger jobs, as I remember when it was caked in soot back in the 1990's.

This was my second breakfast of the day, actually, as I had also had breakfast on the Phoenix. When I travel, I don't usually turn down food, though. That's real wine on the left, as this was, after all, France.

Here it's easier to tell we're in France. The large number of tracks is the giveaway, as well as the land even flatter than Belgium. Other than on the Shinkansen system, there aren't any other networks that I can think of as well suited to highballing as the post-1990 SNCF LGV system.

The Eurostar doesn't really pick up speed until it's well out of Brussels, although I don't know off hand if this was before or after crossing into France and taking the CTRL at Lille. I've just said "France," for the sake of convenience. The Eurostar is, at least, a French train. That we were at full cruising speed was and is, however, obvious.

I didn't get a picture of the ICE that took me to Brussels, as indeed the novelty of high speed trains has partly been wearing off lately. However, it occurred to me that the last time I had taken the Eurostar, one of the greatest high-speed trains ever, I hadn't taken any photographs. I made a point this time of at least taking a few.