Eurostar www.eurostar.com

Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train operator linking the UK and the Continent, launched services from the wonderfully restored St Pancras International station on November 14th 2007 making it Eurostar’s new home in central London.  The first departure, bound for Paris, marked the start of a new era in faster and greener rail travel between the UK, France and Belgium, bringing Europe’s neighbors even closer together.  The first train left at 11:01 AM saluted by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.  

St. Pancras International

Eurostar www.eurostar.com

In a ceremony before departure, Eurostar Chief Executive Richard Brown and Friends of the Earth executive director Tony Juniper named the train ‘Tread Lightly’ – the title of Eurostar’s initiative to reduce its environmental impact. The naming marked Eurostar becoming the world’s first train operator to offer carbon neutral journeys, at no extra cost to travelers.

Eurostar ready for take off

‘Tread Lightly’ for the journey on the UK’s first 186 mph railway were 400 members of the public, invited to travel in recognition of their efforts to reduce environmental impacts at a national level or in their local communities. Under its ‘Tread Lightly’ initiative, Eurostar has set a target of reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per traveler journey by 2012. Independent research has already shown that a Eurostar journey between London and Paris/ Brussels generates one-tenth of the carbon dioxide produced by an equivalent flight Eurostar’s move to St Pancras International cuts journey times between London, Paris and Brussels by at least 20 minutes, creating an even more attractive alternative to short-haul flights for millions more people across Britain.

Map of St. Pancras International

The new station, together with next door King’s Cross and nearby Euston, can be accessed by rail from both north and south of the capital, with connections to seven mainline services and six London Underground lines.  A trip from London to Brussels now just takes 1 hour and 51 minutes while a trip from London to Paris is 2 hours and 15 minutes and London to Lille is only 1 hour and 20 minutes.  

St. Pancras International train station

Travellers can book through fares from 68 UK towns and cities - such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Edinburgh - to Brussels, Paris, Disneyland Resort Paris, and Lille; and onward to 75 connecting destinations across France and to any station in Belgium.

A sculpted kissing couple in the center of St. Pancras International

Eurostar’s new central London launching pad, St Pancras International has been restored to its full 19th century glory and is now a ‘destination station’ for 21st century use.  It boasts Europe’s longest champagne bar, which runs for 97 metres right alongside the new Eurostar platforms.  Over the coming weeks the champagne bar will be joined by a range of independent shops, a gastro-pub and a world-class brasserie. 

Entrance to St. Pancras International

Inside the beautiful St. Pancras

Tony Juniper, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: “Today is a landmark day for green travel and the first step towards making short-haul flights a thing of the past. Eurostar shows that short-haul rail travel is not only better for the environment than flying, but that it can also be quicker, easier and more comfortable as well.  “The Government should now do all it can to encourage people to switch from planes to trains for the short distances between Europe’s great cities. It must include emissions from aircraft in its proposed Climate Change Law. We need a revolution in the way we travel in order to tackle climate change and rail is the way forward.”

Eurostar www.eurostar.com

Eurostar operates up to 17 daily services from St. Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International to Paris. 

To book tickets for Eurostar, or to find out more information, go to www.eurostar.com
call 08 705 186 186 or contact your travel agent.

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