• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Finding Eurostar services operated by new e320 (class 374) trains

Status
Not open for further replies.

itfcfan

Member
Joined
7 May 2011
Messages
325
I understand the new e320 (class 374) trains will be in passenger use from late October / November this year (well within the current booking horizon).

Given they have 16 coaches rather than 18 coaches used on the current class 373 trains and the seat layout is different, it should be possible to identify them based on the seat plan available per train. However, on the Eurostar website, it's only possible to view the seat layout for a service once a ticket is purchased (within the booking management area).

Does anyone know an alternative way to find the seat layout for different services? Alternatively, does anyone know a source of information for the services intended to be serviced by the new trains?

Thanks in advance for any information.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Hophead

Established Member
Joined
5 Apr 2013
Messages
1,190
Man in Seat 61 says:

Seat plans for Eurostar's refurbished e300 trains due to enter service in the second half of 2015 are not yet available. However, for a seat map for Eurostar's all-new e320 trains due to enter service on a few London-Paris departures in late 2015, click here. If you see an online seat map at eurostar.com with 16 not 18 cars for dates from late 2015 onwards, then you are booked on a train which they tentatively plan to run with one of the new e320s! (links removed)

Search for heading "Choosing your seat... "
 

itfcfan

Member
Joined
7 May 2011
Messages
325
Search for heading "Choosing your seat... "

From the same page:

Man in Seat 61 says:
If you book your Eurostar ticket directly with Eurostar at www.eurostar.com, you can choose a specific seat from a detailed numbered seating plan. You used to be offered this choice before payment, but now you must buy your ticket and be allocated seats, then change your seat allocation using the Manage a booking feature on their website. Or book by phone, of course, and ask if a specific seat is free before you pay and find it's unavailable!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Can anyone recommend a rail booking agent that allows you to select your Eurostar seat before travel and is quite flexible?
 

jopsuk

Veteran Member
Joined
13 May 2008
Messages
12,768
there appears in coaches 3/14 to be two (per car) mini compartments with a two-person table
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,723
Location
Epsom
From the same page:
Can anyone recommend a rail booking agent that allows you to select your Eurostar seat before travel and is quite flexible?

If you're near enough to London, book direct in person with Eurostar at st Pancras. they can do the seat on the spot before the process finishes.
 

ItchyRsole

Member
Joined
15 Mar 2011
Messages
405
I know what services they are operating and I know exact times but I can't reveal too much apart from if you go for London-Paris in December onwards there is a good chance you will be on an e320, If you go in January you will almost defiantly be on an e320

Wrong.

Only 3 e320's will be in service by December and with approx 18-20 Paris services daily the chances of you being On an e320 is slim.

Eurostar are aiming for 8 e320's to be in service by May 2016

You may be mistaking for e300's. Still only a few of those operating too.

I've been on one a few times and they are beautiful.
 

grid56126

Member
Joined
4 Sep 2011
Messages
295
Wrong.

Only 3 e320's will be in service by December and with approx 18-20 Paris services daily the chances of you being On an e320 is slim.

Eurostar are aiming for 8 e320's to be in service by May 2016

You may be mistaking for e300's. Still only a few of those operating too.

I've been on one a few times and they are beautiful.

Is there actually any difference, apart from paint and seat covers, between an e300 and a 373 ?
 

ItchyRsole

Member
Joined
15 Mar 2011
Messages
405
Is there actually any difference, apart from paint and seat covers, between an e300 and a 373 ?

It's a complete refurb. The interior of the e300 is identical to the e320. It's not seat covers, it's the new seats, new everything. Plug sockets at every seat, new buffet cars, raised ceiling. The whole shabang.
 

gazthomas

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2011
Messages
3,036
Location
St. Albans
It's a complete refurb. The interior of the e300 is identical to the e320. It's not seat covers, it's the new seats, new everything. Plug sockets at every seat, new buffet cars, raised ceiling. The whole shabang.

Great, the current interiors are claustrophobic to me
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,723
Location
Epsom
It's a complete refurb. The interior of the e300 is identical to the e320. It's not seat covers, it's the new seats, new everything. Plug sockets at every seat, new buffet cars, raised ceiling. The whole shabang.

Have they moved the 1st class to the ends as well, or is it still in the middle?
 

londiscape

Member
Joined
1 Oct 2013
Messages
290
Location
SW London
Wrong.

Only 3 e320's will be in service by December and with approx 18-20 Paris services daily the chances of you being On an e320 is slim.

Eurostar are aiming for 8 e320's to be in service by May 2016

You may be mistaking for e300's. Still only a few of those operating too.

I've been on one a few times and they are beautiful.

I'm sitting in St Pancras almost sure I'm looking at one, are they in passenger service earlier than planned or is it a test run of some kind?
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,723
Location
Epsom
Driver training... there's at least one return trip to either Paris or Bruxelles ( on alternate days ) being made for this purpose every day at the moment.
 

jon0844

Veteran Member
Joined
1 Feb 2009
Messages
28,001
Location
UK
It's been so long seeing the new trains stabled and not really doing anything that it feels weird to actually see them in use!
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,723
Location
Epsom
Will they be running at 320 km/h from day one?

Might be difficult to find a good enough path along the LGV Nord in which to do that? It's a very busy route.

There's a surprising degree of slack built into the LGV timetable as it is - they can keep time without exceeding 160mph let alone doing the full 186; last time I went on Eurostar we were 5 late off St Pancras but for once did have a brilliant path and for the first time ever I had a run that was pretty much flat out at 180 - 186mph all the way ( apart from the tunnel and the restrictions through and below Lille ). We stopped to pick up at Ebbsfleet so didn't have the advantage of a fast start but we still ended up sitting outside Gare du Nord for 10 minutes waiting for a platform - which we pulled into right on time...
 

notadriver

Established Member
Joined
1 Oct 2010
Messages
3,653
Current TGVs have yet to operate at the 320 kph line speed. I would have thought the busy lgv nord would require 300 kph speeds in normal service. I've only seen lower speeds on Sundays.
 

33Hz

Member
Joined
2 Dec 2010
Messages
513
I agree there is a lot of slack in the timetable. I've left 20 minutes late from Toulouse and still been early into Paris before.

Maybe Eurostar 373s were the reason for the LGV Nord not going to 320 km/h? Else why bother ordering multi-system faster trains then running them at lower speed on your existing core route, while the e300 refurbs can't go to Holland or Germany.


Edit: I'm pretty sure Eurostar have said several times that these new trains will allow London - Paris in 2 hours. Or is that just journalists getting carried away?
 
Last edited:

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,723
Location
Epsom
Edit: I'm pretty sure Eurostar have said several times that these new trains will allow London - Paris in 2 hours. Or is that just journalists getting carried away?

They could in theory do that now if they could guarantee that:

a) It was a non stop working.
b) The path was completely clear throughout*.
c) The train could operate at line speed for the full distance.

*Meaning every other service through the Tunnel was exactly on path and the same with all the other services on the LGV Nord and the 395s on HS1 ( "LGV Angleterre" ).

So in practice trying to do it now is asking for trouble big time with the punctuality statistics. You just cannot not rely on all those factors coming together can you?

When the 374s enter service I would expect to see one non stop service each way booked for probably 1h59 for PR / headline purposes but the rest pretty much as at present, maybe a few running 5 - 10 minutes faster here and there.

Remember a two hour timing from London to Paris requires an average speed of only just over 150mph; there are only four bits of track that are below 186mph:

* St Pancras to Ebbsfleet - building up to 140mph from departure.
* Through the Tunnel - 100mph.
* Through Lille and the triangular junction below - 120 / 135mph.
* The last 10 miles to Paris when off the LGV Nord - 100moh and reducing.

The latter also involves a few miles of deceleration before you reach the end of the LGV.
 

33Hz

Member
Joined
2 Dec 2010
Messages
513
They could in theory do that now if they could guarantee that:

a) It was a non stop working.
b) The path was completely clear throughout*.
c) The train could operate at line speed for the full distance.


Didn't they try and fail on the PR run just after CTRL Phase 2 opened in 2007? They only managed 2h03m on a VIP special when they were given a clear path.
 
Last edited:

notadriver

Established Member
Joined
1 Oct 2010
Messages
3,653
Exactly that and that train was operating well above 300 kph. There was a rumour about a Lille cut-off line being devised which would not only shorten the distance but allow uninterrupted running at line speed. Im pretty sure the TGV-Rs and Thalys sets used on the TGV Nord line are 'only' rated for 300 kph.
 

flash

Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
128
Will they be running at 320 km/h from day one?

No. Maximum speed of any train is limited by the lower of line speed or train speed. In this case line speed will be the limiting factor.
 

33Hz

Member
Joined
2 Dec 2010
Messages
513
No. Maximum speed of any train is limited by the lower of line speed or train speed. In this case line speed will be the limiting factor.

What is preventing SNCF raising the line speed?
 

flash

Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
128
What is preventing SNCF raising the line speed?

Cost..... plus HS1 is a 300kmh railway! Just because a company has purchased higher tech kit doesn't mean infrastructure owners are going to up their linespeed.
 

D1009

Established Member
Joined
22 Feb 2012
Messages
3,166
Location
Stoke Gifford
Driver training... there's at least one return trip to either Paris or Bruxelles ( on alternate days ) being made for this purpose every day at the moment.
Except when the Belgians are on strike, which I believe they are tomorrow and Friday.
 

33Hz

Member
Joined
2 Dec 2010
Messages
513
Cost..... plus HS1 is a 300kmh railway! Just because a company has purchased higher tech kit doesn't mean infrastructure owners are going to up their linespeed.

So we have several parties saying they have aspirations to bring the headline Paris - London time down to 2 hours, all the rolling stock on that line will be 320 km/h capable if Eurostar are deploying the e320 on it and there are long stretches where they can run flat out between Paris and Lille, so pathing shouldn't be an issue. The TVM430 signalling can support higher speed. What are the major cost issues?
 

flash

Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
128
So we have several parties saying they have aspirations to bring the headline Paris - London time down to 2 hours, all the rolling stock on that line will be 320 km/h capable if Eurostar are deploying the e320 on it and there are long stretches where they can run flat out between Paris and Lille, so pathing shouldn't be an issue. The TVM430 signalling can support higher speed. What are the major cost issues?

Testing, maintenance..... plus all the stock on the line will not be 300kmh capable - thalys sets are 300kmh, SNCF réseau sets are 300kmh and then there will be the refurbished 373s that'll be 300 as well. As said earlier just because there are trains that can run faster doesn't mean the infrastructure owners will allow it!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top