Eurostar, the high-speed train operator that links the UK with the Continent, ran its first train from from Brussels into St Pancras International, Eurostar’s new terminal in the heart of London on Thursday 20 September 2007.

The high-speed train took just 1 hour and 43 minutes to cover the 232 mile (373 km) distance, travelling at 186mph (300km/h) on the UK’s new high-speed line, High Speed 1, and setting a new record for the journey between the Belgian and British capitals.

From 14 November, the scheduled non-stop time between St Pancras International and Brussels will be 1 hour and 51 minutes, cutting at least 20 minutes off the current journey time from Waterloo.

Today’s train was the first from Brussels to run the full length of HS1, the new railway between the Channel tunnel and central London.

The operation of services to and from St Pancras International from 14 November will give travellers from cities north and south of the capital a fresh and competitive alternative to travelling by air.

St Pancras International will offer excellent connections with Eurostar from seven mainline services including Virgin Trains, Midland Mainline, GNER and First Capital Connect. Through fares from some 70 UK cities to Paris, Brussels and stations across Belgium will be available from November. Sample return fares and centre-to-centre journey times include:

Birmingham – Brussels / Paris: from £79 return - journey times 4h25 / 4h45
Manchester – Brussels / Paris: from £84 return - journey times 5h10 / 5h30
York – Brussels / Paris: from £79 return - journey times 4h50 / 5h10
Newcastle – Brussels / Paris: from £82 return - journey times 5h50 / 6h00
Cambridge – Brussels / Paris: from £71 return - journey times 3h40 / 4h00

Eurostar and domestic train operators will also together offer a far greater frequency of connecting services to Brussels and Paris compared with regional airports, providing valuable flexibility for business travellers.

Richard Brown, Chief Executive of Eurostar, said: “Today’s journey puts London and Brussels firmly within the ‘two hour club’. Eurostar is quite simply the fastest, most convenient way to travel – avoiding wasted time and money in getting to out-of-town airports, lengthy check-in times, and baggage reclaim delays.The connections between domestic rail services and St Pancras International mean that travellers from across Britain will be able to reach Brussels, and cities throughout Belgium and France, in journey times that are competitive with flying, using trains that are more productive for business travellers, more relaxing for leisure travellers, and greener for all.”

Eurostar will launch services from St Pancras International on 14 November this year – in 55 days’ time - having run the final trains from Waterloo the previous evening (13 November). The new timetable will for the first time enable UK business travellers to reach the centre of Brussels before 9am, and Belgian travellers to reach central London by 8am, ready for a full day’s work. Leisure passengers will benefit from later evening departures, allowing them longer for their trips.

High Speed 1 runs for 68 miles (109 km) from the Channel Tunnel to St Pancras International. It passes through Eurostar’s new station at Ebbsfleet International in north Kent, just off junction 2 of the M25 and close to Bluewater shopping centre, before approaching St Pancras via tunnels under east London. At 186 mph (300km/h), Eurostar trains travel 50% quicker than even Britain’s fastest domestic rail services.