Introduction

Eurostar is the high-speed rail service directly linking the UK to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel. The first service ran in 1994, providing city centre to city centre travel by rail.

Eurostar runs up to 18 daily services to Paris and nine to Brussels. In addition, up to nine trains stop en route at Lille in northern France, and up to three services at Calais Frethun.

Services to and from London Waterloo International ended on 13th November 2007. Eurostar launched services from its new London home, St. Pancras International station, on 14th November 2007, which also marked the completion of the second section of the UK's first high-speed line, HS1.

Following the move to London St. Pancras International, and the completion of the high-speed line, Eurostar's fastest journey times fell with travel between London and Paris now taking 2 hours 15 minutes, London and Brussels, 2 hours and London and Lille just 1 hour 20 minutes.

On 19th November 2007 Eurostar launched services from Ebbsfleet International in Kent. Ideally located just off Junction 2 of the M25, close to Bluewater Shopping Centre and the Dartford Crossing, Ebbsfleet International enjoys up to five daily services to Paris and four to Brussels.

Ashford International, also located in Kent, has three daily services to Paris, a daily service to Brussels, a service to Disneyland Paris on all days except Tuesdays and Saturdays (including a stop at Lille Europe) as well as seasonal services to Avignon and the French Alps.

Eurostar has carried over 130 million passengers since is started operating in November 1994. In 2012 alone, Eurostar carried nearly ten million passengers.

Beyond Paris and Brussels

Since it started operating in November 1994, Eurostar has more than doubled the total number of passengers travelling (by air or rail) between London and Paris and Brussels. Today, Eurostar serves many more destinations across Europe.

• There are direct services each day (except Tuesdays and Saturdays) from London St. Pancras and Ashford International to the gates of Disneyland® Paris
• During the winter holiday season, Eurostar operates a ski train with two services every week from London St. Pancras and Ashford International to Moutiers and Bourg St Maurice in the French Alps. During the 2012-2013 season, a new service between London and the Swiss Alps is also being tested, with travel to Aigle, Martigny, Visp and Brig.
• During Summer, Eurostar runs a direct, weekly service to Avignon in Provence. For 2013, a new direct service from London and Ashford to Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence is being trialled in May and June.

In addition to this, Eurostar offers connecting tickets to over 100 destinations across France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Marseille, for example can be reached in six and a half hours from London. Brussels Midi is the gateway for onward travel to the Netherlands and Germany, with easy connections to Amsterdam (about five hours from London) and Cologne (about five hours from London).

Eurostar also offers through fares from over 200 towns and cities across Britain to Paris, Brussels and Disneyland Resort Paris.

Ticket prices vary to meet all budgets. Leisure travellers enjoy the cheapest fares - with lead-in fares from £69 return.

Setting new standards for international train travel

Eurostar is at the leading edge of innovation in the rail industry, setting new standards for travel by train. It was one of the first rail operators to introduce business lounges and a loyalty programme and is proud to offer a number of advantages over other forms of transport. These include:

• Seamless city centre to city centre travel
• Upon arrival in city centre: no queues, no baggage reclaim.
• A high frequency of services
• Greater punctuality in service than competitors
• Time efficiency - door to door journey times are faster than air travel
• Cost competitiveness
• Fast and convenient check-in - just 10 minutes for Business Premier passengers.
• Comfort and space to work or unwind in
• Transparent and generous compensation policy, in the event of delay or cancellation
• Independent research commissioned by Eurostar has shown that, per passenger journey, travelling by Eurostar between London and Paris or Brussels generates up to 80% less carbon dioxide emissions than travelling by plane.