- Why are we moving?
- Why St Pancras International?
- What is High Speed 1?
- Why not keep Waterloo International open as well?
- Has Harry Potter really used St Pancras International?
- Waterloo is really handy for me. Is St Pancras International easy to get to from there?
- What's St Pancras like?
- What about Stratford International and the 2012 Olympics?
1. Why are we moving?
High Speed 1 - Britain's first high-speed railway - is the largest rail project to take place since railways were first introduced more than 150 years ago. Work commenced on the first stage of the new route CTRL1 in 1998 and was completed in 2002. The second stage, which includes St Pancras International Station plus intermediate stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford International, commenced in 2001 and will be completed in 2007. High Speed 1 will enable Eurostar to link to the rest of the UK and offer a high speed passenger service to all of our destinations.
2. Why St Pancras International?
St Pancras International will have fantastic connections to London and the UK - far better than Waterloo International.
It will be served by six Underground lines - Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan - so getting to St Pancras will be a piece of cake.
And if you're coming from further a field, there will also be seven rail companies connecting you to the rest of the UK, operating from St Pancras International, King's Cross and nearby Euston.
3. What is High Speed 1?
High Speed 1 is the UK's first high-speed line linking London and the UK to the European high-speed rail network. The first part of the project was known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), but the finished line is to be called High Speed 1.
The first section of the high-speed line was brought into service in September 2003, enabling Eurostar to operate at 186 mph/300 km/h in the UK for the first time.
But if you think that's fast, on 30 July 2003, Eurostar set a new UK high-speed rail record of 208 mph/334.7 km/h!
Now you can see why we're excited about High Speed 1?
4. Why not keep Waterloo International open as well?
We thought long and hard about this one but eventually decided it would be too confusing, costly and complex to keep Waterloo International open. There would be potential issues over different timetables, as well as high costs of running and maintaining a second terminal and depot.
Waterloo station can return to serving domestic travellers in even greater numbers because of the extra space available once Eurostar moves.
5. Has Harry Potter really used St Pancras International?
Absolutely. Well, sort of. In the Harry Potter books, the Hogwarts Express departs from platform 9¾ at King's Cross railway station. But in the movie, the filmmakers decided to use the stunning Victorian Gothic architecture of next door St Pancras. Poor old King's Cross simply couldn't compete with St Pancras' film star good looks.
In fact, St Pancras Station and St Pancras Chambers have featured in a number of film and television productions, including Batman Begins and the Spice Girls' first music video.
6. Waterloo is really handy for me. Is St Pancras International easy to get to from there?
Yes, there are plenty of quick and easy connections to St Pancras International from Waterloo.
For travellers arriving at Waterloo or Waterloo East domestic stations, Eurostar will work closely with London Underground to ensure the best possible tube connection between Waterloo and St Pancras International, with a journey time of about 15-20 minutes. Users of Vauxhall or London Bridge railway stations will also have the option of direct tube connections to St Pancras - it's about a 15-20 minute journey from both stations.
In addition, the First Capital Connect service will operate a direct connection to St Pancras International from December 2007.
There are also plenty of taxis at Waterloo - by road it should take around 15-20 minutes to St Pancras International.
7. What's St Pancras like?
There's already been massive investment in regenerating the whole King's Cross and St Pancras area and the magnificent new station will help to transform it into a vibrant urban quarter.
Featuring Europe's longest champagne bar, a fresh daily farmer's market, cafés and brasseries, upmarket shops and landscaped outdoor areas, St Pancras International will become the place to meet, eat, drink and be entertained.
8. What about Stratford International and the 2012 Olympics?
Eurostar services at Stratford International will only begin when good quality road and public transport connections are in place. It won't be possible to launch passenger services in 2007 as the new station is located in the midst of a massive construction site for the Stratford City and Olympic developments.
However, we're working closely with the local authority and developers and expect to launch services as soon as good transport links are up and running.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on our e-mail address eurostar4agents@eurostar.co.uk or telephone us on 0870 6000 792.
