Eurostar

The **Eurostar** is an electric locomotive in the game Railroad Tycoon II. It becomes available in the year 1994, and is a fast locomotive with solid specifications all round that allow it to be a good option for all long-distance passenger services. It is however very expensive to build, and it can take a few years before the initial cost of the locomotive is returned to the player. It can haul a 6 car passenger train at around 135mph.

## Strategy

When the Eurostar becomes available in 1994, it is a considerable replacement for previous 'bullet' locomotives such as the Shinkansen or the TGV. It is much faster than these two locomotives locomotives and there is only a slight increase in running costs. Whenever the Eurostar is used. One should ensure that the locomotive is always hauling six passenger/mail cars, and the route should be at least 70-100 tiles in distance. Shorter routes should instead be covered by the Class E111, or FP45. The Thalys Bullet comes out in the same year, and both locomotives in reality can be used just as effectively in each other's place. Though the Eurostar is slower in top speed and has a lower free weight than the Thalys, the Eurostar does make up for it in terms of reliability, with the mean breakdown distance over 4 times than that of the Thalys (at least 10-12 years of service). The Eurostar does have an expensive initial cost that may be too high of an investment for a newer company. In those types of cases, using the Thalys or reverting to the TGV may be a better option. However, out of those three locomotives, the Eurostar will make the most return in the long run, as one locomotive can last 15-20 years without having either ridiculous maintenance costs or reliability problems. The Mag-Lev TBX-1 becomes available in 2008, and this locomotive is much faster, but also ridiculously more expensive. Under normal circumstances, the player should continue to use the Eurostar (or Thalys Bullet) beyond that point just because less micromanagement is required compared to the Mag-Lev.

## History

The **British Rail Class 373** or **TGV TMST** train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's inter-city 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 the smaller loading gauge in Britain, was originally able to operate on the UK third rail network, and it has extensive fireproofing in case of fire in the tunnel. It is both the second longest—387 metres (1,270 ft)—and second fastest train in regular UK passenger service, operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph). It is beaten in both aspects by the Class 374 (e320) which is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and has a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour (199 mph), though this is never achieved on HS1 in Britain.

Known as the **TransManche Super Train** (TMST) or Cross-channel Super Train before entering service 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 French company GEC-Alsthom at its sites in La Rochelle (France), Belfort (France) and Washwood Heath (Britain) and by Brugeoise et Nivelles (BN, now part of Bombardier Transportation) in Bruges (Belgium).
Since the delivery of the new Class 374 ***e320*** units from Siemens in 2014, refurbished examples of the Class 373 or TGV-TMST sets have been officially dubbed as ***e300s*** by Eurostar to distinguish them from the new Velaro fleet.