- British Rail Class 373
- Eurostar e300
- TGV TMST
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The standard-class interior of a refurbished Class 373
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In service
| 14 November 1994 – present
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Manufacturer
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Built at
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Family name
| TGV
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Constructed
| 1992?1996
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Number built
| - 38
- (31 ×
Three Capitals
,
7 ×
North of London
)
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Number in service
| 11
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Number scrapped
| 16
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Successor
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Formation
| - 20 cars per
Three Capitals
set
- 16 cars per
North of London
set
- (See
§ Set formation
)
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Capacity
| - Three Capitals
as built: 750 seats
- Three Capitals
refurb.: 758 seats
- North of London
: 558 seats
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Operator(s)
| Eurostar
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Depot(s)
| Current:
Former:
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Car body construction
| Steel
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Train length
| 387 m (1,269 ft 8 in)
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Car length
| - Driving vehicles:
- 22.15 m (72 ft 8 in)
- Vehicles with one full bogie:
[ex 1]
- 21.84 m (71 ft 8 in)
- Intermediate trailers:
- 18.70 m (61 ft 4 in)
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Width
| 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)
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Maximum speed
| 300 km/h (186 mph)
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Weight
| - Three Capitals
empty:
- 752
t
(740
long tons
; 829
short tons
)
- Three Capitals
loaded:
- 815 t (802 long tons; 898 short tons)
- North of London
:
- 665 t (654 long tons; 733 short tons)
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Traction system
| GEC Alsthom
GTO
-
VVVF
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Traction motors
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Power output
| - On 25 kV: 12.24 MW (16,414 hp)
- On 3,000 V: 5.70 MW (7,644 hp)
[2]
- On 700 V: 3.40 MW (4,559 hp)
[2]
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Tractive effort
| - Starting
:
- 410
kN
(92,172
lb
f
) on 25 kV
- 350 kN (78,683 lb
f
) on 1.5 kV or 750 V
- Continuous
:
- 220 kN (49,458 lb
f
) @ 200 km/h (124 mph) on 25 kV
[2]
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Electric system(s)
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Current collection method
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UIC classification
| (See
§ Set formation
)
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Safety system(s)
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Coupling system
| Scharfenberg
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Track gauge
| 1,435 mm
(
4 ft
8
1
⁄
2
in
)
standard gauge
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The
British Rail
Class 373
or
TGV-TMST
train is an
electric multiple unit
that operates
Eurostar
's
high-speed rail
service between
Britain
,
France
and
Belgium
via the
Channel Tunnel
. Part of the
TGV
family, it has a smaller cross-section to fit within the constrictive British
loading gauge
, was originally able to operate on the UK
third rail
network, and has a lot of
fireproofing
in case of fire in the tunnel. This is both the second-longest?394 metres (1,293 ft)?and second-fastest train in regular UK passenger service. In 2015, the new Eurostar class 374 (e320’s) started being rolled out making the class 373’s going for scrap. As of 2017, 11 sets remain in service. In 1997, Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) ordered a few trains for use on the ECML and were retired in 2005. TGV hired these trains on their lines. As of 2016, all units remain in storage with no plans to return to service. These trains also ran on third rail towards London Waterloo. As of 2017, all but a few TGV TMST’s are in new Eurostar Blue livery.
Further information:
TGV accidents
On 5 June 2000, 373101/102 on a Paris to London service derailed on LGV Nord near Arras, France at 180 mph (290 km/h). 14 people were treated for light injuries or shock, with no serious injures or fatalities. The articulated design was credited with maintaining stability during the incident and the train stayed upright. After investigation, the incident was blamed on a component of the transmission between the motors and axles coming loose. To reduce the
unsprung mass
, TGV trains have the motors attached to the train rather than the
bogies
. In order for the train to be able to go around curves a sliding "tripod" assembly is used, which became dislodged.
There have been several minor incidents. In October 1994, there were teething problems relating to the start of operations. The first preview train, carrying 400 members of the press and media, was delayed for two hours by technical issues. On 29 May 2002 a set was accidentally routed towards
Victoria
instead of London
Waterloo
, causing it to arrive 25 minutes late. The signalling error that led to the incorrect routeing was stated to have caused "no risk" as a result.
During the night of 18?19 December 2009, there was heavy snow causing widespread disruption to roads, railways and airports across northern Europe. Five trains (one of which was 373217 + 373218) broke down inside the Channel Tunnel because snow in the engine compartment was melted by warmer temperatures in the tunnel, the resulting water causing electrical and control system faults. Eurostar commissioned an independent report to evaluate what went wrong and how future events could be prevented or better managed. The report's recommendations included:
- Increased number of diesel rescue locomotives with exhaust filtration to be on standby at each end of the tunnel.
- Major changes to the power cars to prevent snow ingress into electrical compartments.
- Better staff training.
- Improved communication internally and with other stakeholders (Eurotunnel and emergency services).
- Better information provision to passengers.
The majority of the recommendations were implemented by 23 October 2012.
Eurostar 373211/373212 on
LGV Interconnexion Est
, near
Chennevieres-les-Louvres
,
Val d'Oise
, France
All Class 373 sets were built as
tri-voltage
, able to operate on
25 kV 50 Hz AC
(
LGVs
,
Eurotunnel
,
High Speed 1
, UK
overhead electrified lines
) and 3 kV DC (Belgian classic lines) using
pantographs
, and 750 V DC (UK
third rail
network) using
third-rail pickup shoes
. The shoes were retracted when switching to overhead power. After the opening of
High Speed 1
in 2007, overhead electrification is used throughout and the third rail shoes had been removed. Five of the SNCF-owned sets are quadri-voltage, able to operate from 1,500 V DC (French
lignes classiques
) in the south of France, used on London?Avignon and ski services.
A Class 373 passes
Herne Hill
; from 1994 until 2007, Eurostar ran its services to and from London Waterloo/Waterloo International, using the
third rail network in Southern England
The trains are powered by asynchronous
traction motors
. There are four powered axles in each power car and two powered axles in the outer bogie of the front passenger coach (a layout used on the original
SNCF TGV Sud-Est
(PSE) sets) giving 12 powered axles. Each set draws up to 16MW with 12
MW
(16,000
hp
) of traction power, but the lowest
power-to-weight ratio
in the TGV family.
The class uses five different standards of
overhead
: domestic catenary in each of Belgium, France and the United Kingdom; fixed-height catenary on
LGV
lines and HS1; and taller catenary in the
Channel Tunnel
, designed to accommodate double-deck car-carrying trains and roll-on roll-off heavy goods vehicle trains. The driver must manually lower and then raise the pantograph during the transition between catenary systems.
- ↑
Milner, Chris (October 2008). "Eurostar's new home".
The Railway Magazine
. Vol. 154, no. 1290. pp. 23?26.
ISSN
0033-8923
.
- ↑
2.0
2.1
2.2
Kaller, Roger; Allenbach, Jean-Marc (1995).
Traction electrique
(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
.
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AC units:
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AC units
(pre-
TOPS
):
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DC units:
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DC units
(Original TOPS):
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DC units
(pre-TOPS):
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Southern Railway
designations:
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Families:
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Diesel and
gas-turbine
multiple units
| Diesel units:
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Trailers:
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Turbotrains:
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Electric
multiple
units
| DC:
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AC:
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Dual-voltage:
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Bi-mode units:
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TGV:
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