Guest M. McRae Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Eurostar train smashes UK speed record By Peter Woodman, Transport Correspondent, PA News 30 July 2003 A Channel Tunnel Eurostar train broke through the 200mph barrier today to smash the UK rail speed record. After achieving a 186mph run through Kent, the 600-tonne train later went one better and reached 208mph (334.7km per hour). The test run was on the first section of the £1.9 billion Channel Tunnel rail link which will open for passenger services in September. The Eurostar train broke the old record of 162.2mph set by British Rail's ill-fated tilting Advanced Passenger Train in December 1979. Official rail expert verifiers were on the 320-metre long train to officially declare the record which was achieved as the train passed through the Nashenden Valley, south of Rochester. The driver was Alan Pears, aged 35, who has been with Eurostar for eight years and has 18 years on the railways. The train had set off from Ashford station in Kent on the first of three test runs, with around 100 media, rail experts and rail link staff on board. The first run, from Ashford to Singlewell near Gravesend in north Kent saw 186mph reached. This will be the speed that the Eurostar trains will be able to reach in England once the first section of the link - from Folkestone to Fawkham junction in north Kent - opens on September 28. The second test run was from Singlewell to Westenhanger, near Folkestone. On this run a speed of 168mph was reached. Finally, the final run from Westenhanger to Singlewell saw the 200mph mark passed. "This is a landmark event. Breaking the speed record is a celebration of civil engineering and a major step forward for industrial innovation in the UK," said Paul Charles, communications director of Eurostar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTFA Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Why would anyone wish to travel on something so big, going so fast, that close to the ground??? YIKES!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest YES BY Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Do people wear seatbelts on trains that fast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Never been on one but I am sure that some of our "well travelled" compatriots will fill us in. Of course the Japanese have been running "very high speed" trains for years with great success. Maybe theirs even make money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downsouth Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Took the Eurostar from Paris to London back in '97. At that time, it was already doing those speeds on the French side. The limitation in England was the track quality and the Eurostar had to contend with the same line used by the English local trains. Sounds like they are finally building a dedicated railbed. Doing 200 mph felt amazingly smooth....you really didn't feel the speed until you looked out the window Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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