British Rail Class 373

British Rail Class 373 Eurostar e300 TGV TMST
A refurbished Class 373 at Gare d'Albertville in 2018
The standard-class interior of a refurbished Class 373
In service	14 November 1994 – present
Manufacturer	GEC Alsthom Brugeoise et Nivelles
Built at	La Rochelle, France Belfort, France Washwood Heath, England Bruges, Belgium
Family name	TGV
Constructed	1992–1996
Number built	38 (31 × Three Capitals, 7 × North of London)
Number in service	11
Number scrapped	16
Successor	Class 374 (e320) TGV Duplex
Formation	20 cars per Three Capitals set 16 cars per North of London set (See § Set formation)
Capacity	Three Capitals as built: 750 seats Three Capitals refurb.: 758 seats North of London: 558 seats
Operator(s)	Eurostar
Depot(s)	Current: Temple Mills (UK) Technicentre du Landy (France) Former: North Pole (UK)[1]
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel
Train length	387 m (1,269 ft 8 in)
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)
Width	2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)
Maximum speed	300 km/h (186 mph)
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)
Traction system	GEC Alsthom GTO-VVVF
Traction motors	12 × Brush TM2151B asynchronous three-phase AC (max 1,020 kW (1,370 hp) each)
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]
Tractive effort	Starting: 410 kN (92,172 lbf) on 25 kV 350 kN (78,683 lbf) on 1.5 kV or 750 V Continuous: 220 kN (49,458 lbf) @ 200 km/h (124 mph) on 25 kV[2]
Electric system(s)	Overhead line:       25 kV 50 Hz AC       3,000 V DC       1,500 V DC Third rail, 750 V DC (removed)
Current collection method	Pantograph Contact shoes (removed)
UIC classification	(See § Set formation)
Safety system(s)	AWS KVB TBL TPWS TVM-430
Coupling system	Scharfenberg
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

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.

1. ↑ Milner, Chris (October 2008). "Eurostar's new home". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 154, no. 1290. pp. 23–26. ISSN 0033-8923.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Kaller, Roger; Allenbach, Jean-Marc (1995). Traction électrique (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.