London-Paris route's record set by Faster Eurostar

Photo: London-Paris route's record set by Faster Eurostar

A new record for train travel between Paris and London was set by Eurostar on Tuesday - an inaugural service completed the journey in just over two hours.

The 18-coach train left the Gare du Nord, France, at 10:44 a.m. French time and arrived at the newly refurbished St. Pancras train station in central London two hours, three minutes and 39 seconds later.

The train was the first to travel on the new 5.8 billion pound (US$11.7 billion, EUR8.6 billion) dedicated high-speed route which runs for 68 miles (109 kilometers) from the Channel Tunnel near the coastal city of Folkestone to central London.

The train traveled at speeds of more than 200 mph (320 kph) in France and reached the maximum of 186mph (298 kph) on the British section.

The journey was more than 30 minutes faster than the current two hours, 35 minutes time between Paris and London's Waterloo International. That route will close in November when services switch to St. Pancras.