Eurostar History

Eurostar's history is testament to its lasting appeal.

Date	Event
17 May 1993	Completion of Waterloo International Terminal
20 June 1993	First test train arrives in the UK through the Channel Tunnel
6 May 1994	HM The Queen officially opens Waterloo International and then travels on Eurostar to Calais Coquelles for the official inauguration of the Channel Tunnel with President Mitterrand of France.
14 November 1994	Eurostar services are launched between London Waterloo International station, Paris Gare du Nord, Brussels Midi and Lille Europe. Eurostar is jointly operated by EPS, a subsidiary of British Rail, SNCF and SNCB.
8 January 1996	Eurostar services launch from a second railway station in the UK, Ashford International.
1 June 1996	European Passenger Services (EPS), a subsidiary of British Rail of which the UK operation of Eurostar is part, is sold to London & Continental Railways (LCR).
29 June 1996	Start of Direct services to Disneyland Paris
October 1996	LCR renames European Passenger Services (EPS) as Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd (EUKL).
14 November 1996	Eurostar Frequent Traveller, Eurostar's Loyalty programme launched
13 December 1997	Start of ski train services to the French Alps
14 December 1997	HSL 1 (55 mile long high speed line in Belgium) is opened, reducing travel times between London and Brussels to two hours and 40 minutes.
June 1998	London & Continental Railways (LCR) awards a contract to InterCapital and Regional Rail Ltd (ICRR) for the management of Eurostar (UK) Ltd (EUKL) until 2010. ICRR is a consortium comprising the National Express Group (40% shareholding), SNCF (35% shareholding), SNCB (15% shareholding) and British Airways (10% shareholding). BA is a sleeping partner.
1 October 1998	Start of work on the UK high speed rail line between the Channel Tunnel and London
11 March 1999	Formation of Eurostar Group is announced to drive the commercial direction and strategy of the business. Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd, SNCF and SNCB are each represented on the Board of Eurostar Group.
20 July 2002	Start of direct services from Waterloo and Ashford to Avignon
30 July 2003	Eurostar sets UK rail speed record of 208 mph, 334.7 kph.
16 September 2003	CTRL1 opens on time and on budget
28 September 2003	Passenger services begin on CTRL1
23 August 2004	Eurostar sets a new punctuality record with 97.35% of trains arriving on time or early during the week of 16-22 August 2004
7 September 2004	Eurostar launches its first refurbished train
28 September 2003	The first section of High Speed 1 in the UK, formerly known as the CTRL 1 opened, reducing journey times to Paris to two hours 35 minutes and to Brussels to two hours 20 minutes.
14 November 2004	Eurostar celebrates its 10th birthday
5 January 2005	Record passenger figures, sales revenue and punctuality announced
1 September 2005	Eurostar reinvents first class, splitting business and leisure travellers with the launch of Business Premier and Leisure Select
14 Nov 2006	Eurostar announces that services from St Pancras International will begin on 14 November 2007
17 April 2006	Eurostar launches the ‘Tread Lightly’ initiative. This means that all Eurostar journeys to/from St Pancras International will be carbon neutral. Eurostar also pledges to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 25% by 2012
11 July 2007	Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh travel with Eurostar to Brussels
4 September 2007	Eurostar makes its inaugural run between Paris Nord and St Pancras International. The journey takes only 2 hours 3 minutes
20 September 2007	Eurostar makes the inaugural run from Brussels Midi to St Pancras International in only 1 hour 41 minutes
2 October 2007	Temple Mills International Depot is officially opened in east London.
13 November 2007	The last Eurostar services arrive and depart from Waterloo International
14 November 2007	St Pancras International becomes new London home in a move from Waterloo International. The second section of the UK high speed rail line, High Speed 1, is completed. The journey time from London to Paris is reduced to two hours 15 minutes, and London to Brussels journey time, one hour 51 minutes. All Eurostar journeys to / from St Pancras become carbon neutral.
19 November 2007	Services are launched from Ebbsfleet International, Eurostar’s newest station located just off Junction 2 of the M25 in Kent
29 January 2008	Dame Kelly Holmes officially opens Ebbsfleet International, Eurostar’s new station in Kent.
14 April 2008	Eurostar sells Oyster cards onboard trains
22 April 2008	Eurostar and the National Gallery launch Station Masters at St Pancras International
11 September 2008	Fire on Eurotunnel freight shuttle train closes the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar has to suspend high-speed passenger services.
13 September 2008	Eurostar starts operating but a limited timetable and longer journey times because of the single-line working in the Channel Tunnel.
1 October 2008	Eurostar launches a new timetable which will operate until the work on the Channel Tunnel has been completed in the first quarter of 2009. Journeys are longer and there are gaps in the timetable because of the single-line working in the Channel Tunnel.
3 December 2008	Eurostar carries 10 million travellers on High Speed 1
23 February 2009	Eurostar resumes a full timetable with journey times reduced to pre-incident levels. London – Paris 2h15, London – Brussels 1h51 and London – Lille 1h20.
23 February 2009	Direct services between Ashford International and Brussels are reinstated.
6 April 2009	Eurostar issues its Travel Nation Report which explores changing travel behaviours given the new economic climate.
7 April 2009	Eurostar appoints Pininfarina as designer for the interior refurbishment of the Eurostar fleet.
28 April 2009	Eurostar issues its 2009 Tread Lightly Report and up-date on its 10 point environmental plan.
29 May 2009	Eurostar announces connecting fares to Switzerland.
17 June 2009	Eurostar introduces single fares from just £35.00 return – greater flexibility and end of stay away conditions.
28 August 2009	Eurostar carries its 100 millionth customer.
31 December 2009	Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd (EUKL) changed its name to Eurostar International Ltd (EIL).
1 September 2010	The new corporate structure for Eurostar International is launched and the company moves from being an unincorporated joint venture into a single, unified corporate entity.
7 October 2010	Eurostar announces a £700 million investment in its rolling stock including the purchase of ten new trains from Siemens and the overhaul and redesign of its existing fleet.
19 October 2010	Deutsche Bahn announces its plans to run daily direct services from London to Frankfurt and Amsterdam from 2013.
5 April 2011	Eurostar gets a fresh new look, marking the changes to business in preparation for onrail competition and a new chapter of growth for the company.
7 June 2011	Eurostar issues its train managers with a world's first - bags created entirely from recycled Eurostar staff uniforms and antimacassars.
16 June 2011	Eurostar launches the next phase of its pioneering environmental programme, Tread Lightly, and announces a range of ambitious new targets and initiatives.
27 July 2011	Lord Sebastian Coe joins Eurostar in welcoming hundreds of European Olympic fans and athletes in St Pancras International to mark ‘One year to Go’ to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games
23 August 2011	Eurostar launches a free mobile application allowing passengers to book journeys on-the-go and receive tickets direct to their phones.
July – August 2012	Eurostar, the official international rail provider to the London 2012 Olympic Games, carried French and Belgian athletes to London to participate in the Games
03 July 2012	Eurostar unveils specially adapted services to carry French and Belgian Paralympic teams to London 2012
14 July 2012	Curated by internationally renowned DJ Gilles Peterson, Eurostar hosts an original one-day summer festival, Eurostar presents Traction, as part of the 2012 Festival
5 October 2012	Eurostar launches new weekly ski service to the Swiss Alps
31 October 2012	Eurostar announces the appointment of world renowned Michelin starred chef, Raymond Blanc as its Culinary Director.