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Royal opening of St Pancras International will herald one week to go until start of Eurostar services

--Final preparations underway for Eurostar’s overnight move across London
--Tuesday 13 November – last train arrives Waterloo International just before 20.00
--Wednesday 14 November - first train leaves St Pancras International just after 11.00


The official opening of the beautifully restored St Pancras International by HM Queen Elizabeth II this evening (Tuesday 6th November) will herald one week to go until the launch of Eurostar services from the station.

The ceremony, attended by VIPs and dignitaries, will mark the opening of the station building and launch of High Speed 1, and will signal the final seven days of preparations to move Eurostar’s entire London operations overnight, to begin commercial services from St Pancras International on the morning of Wednesday 14 November.

Tonight’s royal event celebrates the culmination of a £5.8 billion engineering project, built by London & Continental Railways on time and within budget. St Pancras International will become Eurostar’s new London home from 14 November, while High Speed 1 will provide Eurostar with a dedicated, 68-mile (109km) high-speed line between central London and the Channel Tunnel. The new line will enable Eurostar trains to travel at their full speed of 186mph (300km/h), cutting journey times between London and the Continent by at least 20 minutes.

Notes to Editors

1. Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking Waterloo International (until 13 November), St Pancras International (from 14 November), Ebbsfleet International (from 19 November), Ashford International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps. Non-stop journey times from 14 November will be London-Paris 2h15, London-Brussels 1h51.

2. Services from Ebbsfleet International station, just off junction 2 of the M25 near the Dartford crossing and Bluewater shopping centre in north Kent, will begin on Monday 19 November. Journey times will be 10 minutes shorter than from St Pancras.

3. Eurostar and Eurotunnel are entirely separate companies. Eurostar operates high-speed passenger trains, while Eurotunnel operates a vehicle shuttle service and the Channel tunnel itself. Eurostar is Eurotunnel’s biggest customer.

4. The Royal opening of St Pancras International is being organised by London & Continental Railways. For more information about the event please contact the London & Continental Railways Press Office on 0207 391 4369.

5. To book tickets for Eurostar, or to find out more information, go to www.eurostar.com, call 08705 186 186 or contact your travel agent.

For more information:
Eurostar Press Office
+44 (0)20 7922 4494
press.office@eurostar.co.uk

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