Video: My first ever ride onboard a fully refurbished Eurostar Class 373 TGV TMST e300 unit from London St Pancras International to Lille Europe. The hype was certainly real from the moment I got to the high level at St Pancras and saw this Class 373 standing at platform 7, so I had to make the most of it as these units are very rare to get on and sadly very limited in terms of how many units will survive and get this refurbishment.
This was a refurbished e300 set (3015/3016) which was the first ever unit to get the full refurbishment, operating service 9110 to Brussels Midi/Zuid calling at all stations Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Calais & Lille. As usual I sat in seat 15 coach 1, but this time in the refurbished layout it was far better aligned with the window giving me a much better view of the journey. With this being the early morning stopper, I got a chance to really hear these great sounding traction motors at there best, particularly upon arrival into Ashford Intl sounding beautiful.
My opinion on the refurbished e300, I think its great I do like the blue, yellow, brown and grey colour scheme, it certainly livens up the interiors a lot. Though, I personally never had a problem with the original interior looks, sure it looked quite dated and dull to some people, but it was smart and very comfortable.
On that topic, was it comfortable? Yes I think so, more comfortable than the new e320 train seats (with regards to the cushioning), but not as much as the classic interiors. The seat-to-window config is far better aligned and improved with less 2+2 seating (unless in the very centre) and more solo 2 seats giving more legroom and privacy. Things I did not like were that the seat backs seemed a bit smaller than before and the head cushions were a bit too firm (though I imagine that will change over time). A few more positives, the train finally has WiFi (something that should have been on classic 373s years before this upgrade), seat back plug sockets and new passenger information screen, though this unit had some technical issues unfortunately. And finally worth noting the refurbished 373s have brand new door opening/release alarms so listen out for it at each stop.
Overall I was very impressive with the upgrades and it shows what can be accomplished from refurbishing these trains (though I understand this was probably costly), its a shame that only 8 units with see this upgrade (minus 3007/3008 seemingly as that still has the classic interior).
STATIONS CALLED AT/THE JOURNEY:
START - London St Pancras International (+ Beginning tour of St Pancras Intl, the refurbished Class 373 e300 and its new features & the train crew announcements | 0:00 - 5:56)
HS1 / CTRL (5:56 - 21:15)
- Ebbsfleet International (21:15 - 22:03)
HS1 / CTRL (22:03 - 38:59)
- Ashford International (38:59 - 41:34)
HS1 / CTRL (41:34 - 53:33)
Channel Tunnel (53:33 - 1:15:08)
LGV Nord (Exit Channel Tunnel | 1:15:08)
- Calais-Fréthun (1:17:51 - 1:19:25)
LGV Nord (1:19:25 - 1:46:50)
END - Lille Europe (1:46:50)
End tour of the outside of the train, exterior tour of Business Premier & the Bar-Buffet, and watching the train depart Lille Europe for Brussels Midi (1:47:31)
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Camera: Panasonic HC-V130 (HD)