| British Rail Class 374 Eurostar e320 | |
|---|---|
 A Eurostar Class 374 in theSavoie Alps | |
 Standard class interior | |
| In service | 20 November 2015 – present |
| Manufacturer | Siemens Mobility |
| Built at | Krefeld, Germany |
| Family name | Velaro |
| Replaced | Class 373 |
| Constructed | 2011–2018 |
| Number built | 17 units |
| Formation | 16 cars per unit |
| Capacity | 902 seats[1] |
| Operators | Eurostar |
| Depots |
|
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length | 390.2 m (1,280 ft) |
| Car length |
|
| Maximum speed | 320 km/h (200 mph) |
| Traction system | SiemensIGBT-VVVF |
| Traction motors | 32 × Siemens 500 kW (670 hp) 3-phase AC induction motor |
| Power output | 16 MW (21,000 hp) |
| Electric system(s) | |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′ |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 374, also referred to as theEurostar e320, is a type ofelectric multiple unit passenger train used onEurostar services through theChannel Tunnel to serve destinations beyond the core routes toParis andBrussels. Passenger services began in November 2015.[2] The trains, owned byEurostar International Limited, are sixteen-coach versions of theSiemens Velaro. Each train is 390.2 m (1,280 ft) long. The trains are compliant with theTechnical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI).
Eurostar International's older fleet ofClass 373 "Eurostar e300" trains, introduced in 1994 when theChannel Tunnel opened, could not be used on the15 kV ACoverhead line (OHLE) electrification system used in Germany, and most of the older trains could not be used on the 1.5 kV DC OHLE used in the Netherlands, and the trains did not have sufficient space onboard to install ERTMS signalling. This meant that Eurostar could not run its Class 373 units on services to these countries, and the Class 374 was designed and built to overcome these problems and enable Eurostar to run services to these locations. However, on the trains finally ordered, the option of 15 kV AC supply was not included.[3][4]
When the Class 374 trains are used in Britain, they can only run onHigh Speed 1, which has been designed to accommodate larger trains from mainland Europe, having a largerloading gauge compared to the domestic British rail network.
The original order for ten sets was increased to seventeen sets in November 2014.[5] As of June 2018, the Class 374 has replaced the majority of Class 373s, with most Class 373 trains having since been withdrawn and scrapped in the UK.
Siemens Velaro high speed EMUs are derived from theICE 3 first used byDeutsche Bahn (DB) in 2000. Variants includeDB Class 407, intended for international services including through theChannel Tunnel.[6]
In 2009,Eurostar announced a £700 million project to update its fleet, with approximately £550 million for new trains able to operate away from the core London-Paris/Brussels network.[7] In October 2010, Eurostar announced that Siemens had been selected, with the Velaro platform to be used. TheVelaro e320, named because of plans to operate at 320 km/h (200 mph), would be 16 cars long, to meet the Channel Tunnel safety specifications but would have distributed traction with thetraction equipment along the length of the train, not concentrated inpower cars at each end.[8]
The nomination of Siemens saw it break into the French high-speed market, as all French and French subsidiary high-speed operators up to that point used TGV derivatives produced byAlstom.[9] Alstom attempted legal action to prevent the contract, claiming that the Siemens sets would breach Channel Tunnel safety rules,[10] but their claim was rejected by theHigh Court.[11] Alstom said that it would "pursue alternative legal options to uphold its position", and on 4 November 2010 it lodged a complaint with theEuropean Commission over thetendering process, who then asked the British government for "clarification".[12] Alstom then announced it had started legal action against Eurostar in the High Court in London.[13] In July 2011, the High Court rejected Alstom's claim that the tender process was flawed and the resulting contract "ineffective" under the Utilities Contracts Regulations,[14] and in April 2012 Alstom said it would call off pending court actions against Eurostar.[15]
The trains were constructed at the Siemens plant atKrefeld in Germany,[5] with the first rolled out for testing at theWildenrath test circuit in early 2013 as Class 374,[16] with the first unit bearing thisUIC identification mark.[17] The intention was for the first unit to enter service in 2014, but the approval was delayed. As a consequence, Eurostar did receive its first unit in 2014 for presentation but operation could only start a year later.[18]
At the presentation of the first train in London in November 2014, Eurostar announced that they had ordered seven additional train sets, and that the first e320 service would be at the end of 2015.[19] By November 2014 nine of the ten original order trains had been built, and all ten were scheduled to be delivered by April 2016.[19] The seven trains in the second order were all operational by March 2018.[20][21]
By April 2013, testing had started atSiemens Mobility'sWegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre.[citation needed]
On 27 January 2014, set 4007+4008 was hauled across Belgium by B-Logistiks'TRAXX E 186 199,[22] and on the night of 29/30 January 2014 was delivered toTemple Mills Depot.
Following tests, the French Railway Safety Board (EPSF) granted an authorisation to run the train in France on 16 October 2015; the approval for operating through the Channel Tunnel was granted on 19 November by the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC).[23] At the beginning of January 2016 the Belgian authority SSICF authorised the operation in its country.[24]
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Eurostar have used the trains to expand its core operation betweenLondon St Pancras International,Paris Gare du Nord andBrussels Midi/Zuid. To meet the prospect of increased competition through the Channel Tunnel (primarily from DB), it intends to use them to expand its network toAmsterdam, Frankfurt andCologne, and more destinations in France.[25] The first Class 374 set entered service in November 2015, ahead of the full launch of the new type in December 2015, utilising the type on a small number of services for in-service testing.[26] In September 2013, Eurostar announced that its new service between London and Amsterdam, intended to begin operation in December 2016, would be operated by the trains.[27] In April 2018 the scheduled service to Amsterdam started with two e320 trains per day.[28] Due to remodelling of Amsterdam Central the direct reservice was paused from summer 2024 to February 2025, and thereafter its frequencey and passenger capacity increased.[29] Following Eurostar's merger withThalys, the trains have also been used for routes in Mainland Europe, as a replacement for the ageingPBKAs.[30]
In early 2018, the tracks and international platforms atAshford International underwent a £10-million refurbishment to allow compatibility with Eurostar's e320 trains from 1 April 2018.[31] On 3 April 2018, the Secretary of State for TransportChris Grayling met the first e320 that called at the station after the works have been called "completed" by the local authority.[32] Problems with "power spikes" which damaged equipment of the new trains, however, initially prevented Class 374 trains from calling at Ashford, with the problem resolved in December 2019.[33]
| Class | Units | Operator | No. built | Year built | Cars per set | Services operated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 374 | 4001–4020[a] | Eurostar | 10 (20 half-sets) | 2011–2013 | 16 | London-Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam[34] |
| 4021–4034 | 7 (14 half-sets) | 2016–2018 |
Each set is formed of 16 coaches:
Its traction system is designed to operate on 25kV AC and 1.5kV / 3kV DC voltage systems.
Media related toBritish Rail Class 374 at Wikimedia Commons| Stations |
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