British Rail Class 373
| |
|---|---|
A refurbished Class 373 at Gare d'Albertville in 2018 | |
The standard-class interior of a refurbished Class 373 | |
| Stock type | Electric multiple unit |
| In service | 14 November 1994 – present |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Built at |
|
| Family name | TGV |
| Constructed | 1992–1996 |
| Number built |
|
| Number in service | 11 |
| Number scrapped | 17 |
| Successor |
|
| Formation |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Operators | Eurostar |
| Depots | Current:
|
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Steel |
| Train length | 387 m (1,269 ft 8 in) |
| Car length |
|
| Width | 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in) |
| Wheel diameter | 900 mm (2 ft 11 in)[2] |
| Maximum speed | 300 km/h (186 mph) |
| Weight |
|
| Traction system | GEC-Alsthom GTO-VVVF |
| Traction motors |
|
| Power output | |
| Tractive effort | |
| Gear ratio | 1 : 2.19[2] |
| Electric system(s) |
|
| Current collection |
|
| UIC classification | (See § Set formation) |
| Safety system(s) |
|
| Coupling system | Scharfenberg |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The British Rail Class 373, known in France as the TGV TMST and branded by Eurostar as the Eurostar e300, is a French designed and Anglo-French built electric multiple unit train that is used for Eurostar international high-speed rail services from the United Kingdom to France and Belgium through the Channel Tunnel. Part of the TGV family, it was built with a smaller cross-section to fit the smaller loading gauge in Britain, was originally capable of operating on the UK third rail network, and has extensive fireproofing in case of fire in the tunnel. It is both the second longest—387 metres (1,269 ft 8 in)—and second fastest train in regular UK passenger service, operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph).
Known as the TransManche Super Train (TMST) or Cross-channel Super Train before being introduced in 1993, the train is designated Class 373 under the British TOPS classification system and series 373000 TGV in France. It was built by the Anglo-French company GEC-Alsthom at its factories in La Rochelle (France), Belfort (France) and Washwood Heath (Britain) and by Brugeoise et Nivelles (BN, now part of Alstom)[5] in Bruges (Belgium).
Since the introduction of the new Class 374 e320 units from Siemens in 2015, refurbished versions of the Class 373 or TGV-TMST sets have been officially referred to as e300 by Eurostar to distinguish them from the new Velaro fleet.[6]
- ^ Milner, Chris (October 2008). "Eurostar's new home". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 154, no. 1290. pp. 23–26. ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ a b "SNCF TMST" (PDF). traction-electrique.ch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Kaller, Roger; Allenbach, Jean-Marc (1995). Traction électrique (PDF) (in French). Lausanne: Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes. p. 8.5.12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "'Eurostar' Walk-Around". Modern Locomotives Illustrated. No. 227. Stamford: Key Publishing. October 2017. pp. 14–21.
- ^ "BN history" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
- ^ "Passenger volumes up at Eurostar". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
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