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The re-opening of St Pancras Station

Fast track to Europe

You might not have felt the earth move, but North Yorkshire and the continent have just got closer! The new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, in London, means the journey time between York and the heart of Paris is now just over four hours.

Journey times

York - Kings Cross: 1hr 54mins

St Pancras - Paris: 2hr 15mins

St Pancras - Brussels: 1hr 51mins听

On the face of it, the opening of St Pancras International might not seem such a big deal, but it means anyone who wants to travel by train from North Yorkshire to the Continent no longer has to slog all the way across London with their luggage to get to Waterloo.

What's important about St Pancras is that it is right next door to Kings Cross Station, the terminus for services from North Yorkshire to the capital. The two stations couldn't be closer, making it much more convenient to consider the train as a way to travel by train to any number of European destinations.

Find out what happened when 大象传媒 Radio York's Richard Reynolds made the journey from York to Paris...

Anyone for tea in Paris? >

St Pancras is a direct replacement for Eurostar services from Waterloo, which cease on November 13th. Its opening also coincides with the opening of the UK鈥檚 first truly high speed rail line.

Eurostar services will be able to run at speeds close to 200mph between London and the Channel Tunnel (they鈥檝e been able to run at these speeds on the French side ever since the tunnel opened and services began).

大象传媒 Radio York's Transport Correspondent, Alan Whitehouse, explains the significance of the move to St Pancras and the new High Speed Rail link.

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The high speed line is Britain鈥檚 first new railway for more than a century and it has significantly reduced the journey time between London and Paris - it's now 25 minutes quicker. In 1994, when the Eurostar service first began, the trip between these two great capital cities was just a few minutes short of three hours, now it鈥檚 closer to two and a quarter hours.

For passengers from North Yorkshire, the shorter journey time, combined with the time saved from not having to travel across London means Paris really is a lot closer than than it used to be.

High speed to Paris, what about the rest of the country?

One question raised by the opening of the new high speed line out of St Pancras is why it has taken the UK so long to join Europe鈥檚 high speed rail revolution? France has had TGV鈥檚 for years, the Spanish, Germans and Italians have now got in on the act, so are we being left behind?

Journey times between York and London have barely changed for more than 20 years (infact they've actually got slightly slower)! The electric class 91 locomotives which haul many of the services on the East Coast Main Line are restricted to running at 125mph, despite being designed and built for a top speed of 140mph (these limitations are because of the condition of the track and limitations of the existing signaling system).

The new high speed line highlights what is possible and raises questions over why the infrastructure on flagship routes like the East Coast Main Line has been allowed to stagnate.

What do you think?

It is now possible to arrive in London from North Yorkshire, switch stations and be in Paris in less than five hours, what do you think of what is on offer?

We are being asked to reduce our carbon footprint and use public transport, but are train services fit for purpose?

What do you think of fares, the quality and range of trains on offer? How easy is it for you to get to and from the station and what changes would you like to see in the future?

last updated: 16/11/07

Have Your Say

Let us know what you think so we can include your views...

Monika Morgan
My husband and I spend last summer in York, we took the train from York to London and then to Brussels and Frankfurt, great experiance especialy comming from a little village in the South Island of New Zealand. We would do the trip again if we get back. We both love Yorkshire.

Daniel Hale
I live in Plymouth and it takes at least 3-4 hours to get to London even though the Journey between Plymouth and Exeter is simply breathtaking on Kingdom Brunnell's railway. So give the whole country a new high speed line or make the lines more accommodating for the new Virgin tilting trains. That way we can all get to Paris easier. Also what about if you live in a part of the country that has no Railway at all? Look at Dungerness and surrounding areas near Lydd in Kent, they have to bus all the way to Rye in East Sussex or Ashford in Kent. But they do have The Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Steam railway running close by.

Amanda
I can't understand why a second station wasn't opened and Waterloo left as it was for all of the people who have been using this service and for who Waterloo is direct instead of having to trek across to St Pancras as I now have too. I am not pleased about this change

adam
i think it would be great for the public

Helen
when is this happening in York?! I only study here and would love something to do (like hop on board a train to paris when york gets a bit boring)sounds exciting!!!

Peter Topham
Why can't a connection from York go direct to St Pancras? surely there is a route through Leeds and Sheffield?

Ken - North Yorkshire
I am looking forward to using this. I have previously used GNER then crossed London from Kings Cross to Waterloo and then used Eurostar. So this is much better.The only down side is the cost of a GNER ticket. The Eurostar tickets are very reasonable.GNER is not!

Don Dipper
We have a good train service from Knaresborough to York or Harrogate-onto-Leeds. BUT, there is extremely limited carparking at Knaresborough station. There is, however, a piece of railway land on the other side of the High Street which could be developed as a carpark, or even a multi-storey carpark IF a walkway was created either to cross the High Street. Better still, if one of the rail lines under the rail tunnel were closed then a safe walkway could be installed. A station carpark would make rail travel much more viable for the people in the Knaresborough environs, could increase revenues for the Rail Company and be a positive asset to Knaresborough.

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