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| First outing for faster Eurostar | First outing for faster Eurostar |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Eurostar is set to make its inaugural journey from Paris to London via a new 186mph (300km/h) high-speed UK line. | Eurostar is set to make its inaugural journey from Paris to London via a new 186mph (300km/h) high-speed UK line. |
| The train - carrying members of the media - will also arrive at St Pancras International station, instead of Waterloo, for the first time. | The train - carrying members of the media - will also arrive at St Pancras International station, instead of Waterloo, for the first time. |
| The new line is expected to cut journey times from Paris to London by 20 minutes to 2hr 15min and will open to the public on 14 November. | The new line is expected to cut journey times from Paris to London by 20 minutes to 2hr 15min and will open to the public on 14 November. |
| Construction of the line and revamping St Pancras cost £5.8bn in public funds. | Construction of the line and revamping St Pancras cost £5.8bn in public funds. |
| The high cost of the project is partly due to some major engineering challenges, including laying track to pass over the River Medway, under the River Thames and through 11 miles of tunnels beneath London. | The high cost of the project is partly due to some major engineering challenges, including laying track to pass over the River Medway, under the River Thames and through 11 miles of tunnels beneath London. |
| 'High-speed club" | 'High-speed club" |
| The 306-mile test-run is expected to set a new record for the journey time between Paris and London. | The 306-mile test-run is expected to set a new record for the journey time between Paris and London. |
| The train will leave Paris at 0944 BST and is expected to reach speeds of up to 186mph - 50% faster than domestic rail services. | The train will leave Paris at 0944 BST and is expected to reach speeds of up to 186mph - 50% faster than domestic rail services. |
| It will join the new 68-mile (110km) line, known as High Speed 1, at the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone, before arriving at St Pancras at midday. | It will join the new 68-mile (110km) line, known as High Speed 1, at the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone, before arriving at St Pancras at midday. |
| The train will pass through the new £100m Ebbsfleet International station near Dartford, in Kent. | The train will pass through the new £100m Ebbsfleet International station near Dartford, in Kent. |
| Seven services to Paris and five to Brussels will start running from Ebbsfleet from 19 November and a ticket office has been opened at Bluewater Shopping Centre two miles from the station. | Seven services to Paris and five to Brussels will start running from Ebbsfleet from 19 November and a ticket office has been opened at Bluewater Shopping Centre two miles from the station. |
| It's as quick and more frequent and we will be matching airline prices Richard BrownEurostar chief executive | It's as quick and more frequent and we will be matching airline prices Richard BrownEurostar chief executive |
| Trains have always travelled along the French section of the route at high speeds, but were forced to slow down on the British side because they shared a track with commuter services in and out of London. | Trains have always travelled along the French section of the route at high speeds, but were forced to slow down on the British side because they shared a track with commuter services in and out of London. |
| Richard Brown, chief executive of Eurostar, said: "Today marks Britain's entry into the European high-speed rail club. | Richard Brown, chief executive of Eurostar, said: "Today marks Britain's entry into the European high-speed rail club. |
| "We can now run trains at high speed all the way from the Channel Tunnel to London, making journeys between cities quicker, more convenient and far greener than flying." | "We can now run trains at high speed all the way from the Channel Tunnel to London, making journeys between cities quicker, more convenient and far greener than flying." |
| He said journey times to Paris, even for people travelling from Yorkshire, would be broadly the same as for those flying due to lengthier check-in times at airports. | He said journey times to Paris, even for people travelling from Yorkshire, would be broadly the same as for those flying due to lengthier check-in times at airports. |
| "It's as quick and more frequent... and we will be matching airline prices." | "It's as quick and more frequent... and we will be matching airline prices." |
| The new St Pancras | The new St Pancras |
| Nigel Harris, managing editor of Rail Magazine, said he was thrilled to be among the first passengers to travel on the new high-speed line. | Nigel Harris, managing editor of Rail Magazine, said he was thrilled to be among the first passengers to travel on the new high-speed line. |
| He said it would mean hundreds of thousands of people from the North would be able to travel to Paris without facing the drag of travelling across London on bus, Tube or train to get to Waterloo. | He said it would mean hundreds of thousands of people from the North would be able to travel to Paris without facing the drag of travelling across London on bus, Tube or train to get to Waterloo. |
| London and Continental Railways (LCR), the company behind the construction of the new line, said it was the first new railway for 100 years and Britain's largest single construction in history. | London and Continental Railways (LCR), the company behind the construction of the new line, said it was the first new railway for 100 years and Britain's largest single construction in history. |
| A spokesman for LCR said it would be a "very powerful catalyst" for regeneration. | A spokesman for LCR said it would be a "very powerful catalyst" for regeneration. |
| He said LCR had a commitment to repay some of the £5.8bn in government money from profits generated from large areas of land bought around the track. | He said LCR had a commitment to repay some of the £5.8bn in government money from profits generated from large areas of land bought around the track. |
| St Pancras station, which has undergone an £800m refurbishment, will eventually be linked to the site of the 2012 Olympics at Stratford, east London. | St Pancras station, which has undergone an £800m refurbishment, will eventually be linked to the site of the 2012 Olympics at Stratford, east London. |
| Will you be travelling on the new Eurostar? Do you think the higher speed line will encourage more people to use the service? Send your comments and experiences using the form below: | |