Faster than a speeding bullet: London to Paris on Eurostar
Mar 15 '01 (Updated Dec 12 '03)
The Bottom Line Eurostar (the Chunnel train) takes you from central London to central Paris in three hours, and it's much more comfortable than flying.
Sorry, this isn't an epinion about getting around in the UK. It's about getting from London to Paris. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a better category for this epinion.
It’s amazing how many Americans take a European vacation that consists of a visit to London followed by a visit to Paris. In the old days, there were two ways to make that trek: the slow, scenic way by trains and ferry or hovercraft and the fast way, by jet. The former took about seven hours plus short taxi rides to and from the train stations at both ends, and the latter took an hour in the air plus longer rides between the airports and city centers, typically a total of three hours with carryon luggage and no immigration or customs delays.
Today, with the channel tunnel and high speed Eurostar train service, riding the train takes roughly the same amount of time as flying, and it’s much more comfortable.
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high speed passenger train service that connects London, Paris, and Brussels. The London-Paris route leaves from Waterloo (International) Station in the heart of London, and arrives three hours later at Gare du Nord in the heart of Paris. In the peak travel season, there can be 24 daily trains on this route and ten to Brussels. In addition, there is daily service to Disneyland Paris during the summer and twice daily service to the Swiss Alps during ski season.
Trains are standardized, and each one consists of 18 carriages with space for 206 first class and 560 standard class passengers. These trains have a maximum speed of 186 miles per hour which they achieve only on the continent; the UK hasn’t yet laid the high speed roadbed. Eurostar claims that 90 percent of the London to Paris trains arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
Classes of Service
Although there are two types of carriages, there are three classes of service: standard, first, and premium. All classes have reserved seats, and even standard class is considerably more comfortable and spacious than an airplane. There are group or club seating areas, where seats face each other, and you can book these when you make your reservation.
Although standard class is comfortable, amenities are minimal. Each seat has a small fold down table, and the club seating areas have a larger table where you can play cards with your buddies. You can buy snacks and drinks from food service carts that pass through the carriage, or you can go to the food service car for a larger selection of snacks and drinks and to stretch your legs.
First class has larger seats with foot rests, larger tables suitable for getting work done, meals served at your seat, free magazines and newspapers, and some other business amenities.
Premium first class adds higher quality and more choice in food and wines, access to Eurostar lounges at both ends of your trip, and a free taxi ride to your final destination. I’m sure I’m missing a few things, but you get the picture.
Ticket Prices
Let’s get this out of the way right up front: a one way premium first class ticket costs $369. Ouch!
The “full fare” is $279 first class and $199 standard class. It’s expensive because you can get a full refund even after the trip date if you don’t use the ticket.
Most tourists can make due with a “leisure fare” of $219 first class or $139 standard class. The down side is that you must cancel a leisure fare ticket at least two days before the travel date to get a refund.
Children get discounts to $109 first class and $69 standard class, and seniors get a discount to $189 first class but no standard class discount.
People holding pretty much any rail pass valid in the UK or Western Europe pay only $155 first class or $75 standard class. Note: like everyone else, rail pass holders must make reservations.
These prices are available in the US by ordering from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) as of March 2001. In addition, Rail Europe charges a processing/reservation fee of about $10 per ticket. If you wait until you get to London to buy your ticket, it may cost more or less depending on exchange rate fluctuations and random promotions or discounts.
Your Trip
The big friendly yellow and white Eurostar trains leave from the new international wing of Waterloo Station, just south of the Thames. Getting to the station is easy because it is served by three underground lines, the Bakerloo, Northern, and Jubilee. Have your ticket and passport, and be there 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
The departing train chugs slowly through London and its suburbs, then picks up speed as it winds through more picturesque countryside. After more than an hour, you enter the chunnel, which is a completely uninteresting black space. Fifteen minutes later you emerge in France where the train finally gets to go really fast for the long stretch up to the outskirts of Paris. A while later you arrive at Gare du Nord in the heart of Paris. Because the UK is not part of the EU, you will have to show your passport to someone before you are finally free to explore Paris.
Other Chunnel Trains
Eurostar is not the only service using the channel tunnel. Le Shuttle transports automobiles, motorcycles, recreation vehicles, and busses through the tunnel. Of course, there are also freight trains.
For More Information
The Eurostar web site is at www.eurostar.com . If you click on its “book ticket” function and say you want tickets sent to the USA, it will transfer you to Rail Europe at www.raileurope.com . The official channel tunnel web site is at www.eurotunnel.co.uk , and a commercial site that sells books, pamphlets, and other information about the chunnel is located at www.channeltunnel.co.uk .
If you’re already in London, you can buy tickets at Waterloo International Station, or call 0990 186 186. There are other ticket agents, but I’ve never had much luck finding or using them.
Even More Info for Train Freaks
Each standard Eurostar trainset has two "engines" and 18 other cars (6 first class coaches, 10 second class coaches, and 2 food service cars). The trains weigh 752 tonnes (about 1.7 million pounds) and are 394 m (nearly 1,300 feet) long. Together, the engines develop 12,200 kilowatts (16,300 horsepower). Seating in first class is 2+1 (i.e. 2 seats on one side of the aisle and one on the other), and second class seating is 2+2. Top speed is 300 kilometers/hour (about 186 miles/hour). Signal block length is about 1,200 feet, and at full speed the breaking headway is about 5 blocks.
For an amazing collection of technical details on Eurostar, TGV, and other European high speed trains, see: mercurio.iet.unipi.it/tgv/tgvindex.html .
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Other Related Advice on Transportation in Europe
-- Using public transit in Paris
-- Web Resources for Serious Train Riders
-- France and adjacent countries on the TGV, Eurostar, and Thalys
-- Getting from Charles de Gaulle airport into Paris
-- Paris to London on Eurostar, the Chunnel Train
-- London to Paris on Eurostar, the Chunnel Train
-- Using the Swiss transportation system
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