How new 200mph Eurostar MkII could be too fast for our tracks

• New trains will slice 15 minutes off journey time to Paris
• But will they be able to run at top speed on our tracks?

A new generation of 200mph Eurostar trains that will whisk passengers from London to Paris in just two hours was unveiled yesterday.

They will link up with high speed bullet trains across Europe – including those planned for Britain – to slash journey times from major cities across the UK to the Continent.

But questions remain over whether the second generation Eurostar trains, which will be able to run across the European high-speed network, will be allowed to run at 200mph when they enter Britain.

One of the new Eurostar trains, having been brought over from Germany, is placed in front of the Albert Memorial, Kensington, today

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Pedestrians admire the new Eurostar train. Previously the trains stopped in Brussels and Paris where passengers had to change over to other networks. The new trains' ability to negotiate differing signalling equipment and power supplies now overcomes this

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At 3am this morning the Eurostar is brought to its final destination. The company has announced a £700million investment in ten new Channel Tunnel trains

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The arrival of the e320 trains, built by German company Siemens, could see London to Paris journey times reduced to just over two hours from the existing 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

But the speed limit on the UK stretch of the current line is 186mph – matching the top speed of the existing trains – though for much of the journey between the Channel and London they travel slower.

Eurostar said there was nothing ‘technically’ to stop that limit being raised to 200mph once the new trains come into service.

The company, which operates high-speed services to Paris and Brussels from London’s St Pancras station, is to buy ten of the German-built trains which will carry 900 passengers. 

This is a 20 per cent increase in capacity on the existing trains which will also be in service – once they have been overhauled and refurbished.

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This map shows the extent of the high-speed network across Europe. The new, faster, trains will mean that journey times to these cities will be reduced

French state-owned rail company SNCF is one of Eurostar’s three shareholders and the decision to opt for German trains will anger the French government.

It had been hoping for the contract to be awarded to French company Alstom.

But the Eurostar announcement was welcomed by UK Transport Secretary Philip Hammond who earlier this week announced details of the UK’s own new bullet trains, with work on the £33billion high-speed project known as High Speed 2 set to start in 2015.

No cars or cyclists to hold thanks to it being maneouvered into position in the dead of night

Eurostar chief executive Nicolas Petrovic (right) and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond (left) stand by the new Eurostar. Mr Petrovic said: 'Our sights are now set on expanding our business across Europe'

Studies are going on with a view to linking the proposed new British high-speed network to the existing London to Folkestone Channel Tunnel link.

At the Conservative party conference in Birmingham this week Mr Hammond said the linking up of Britain’s existing and proposed new high speed lines would create ‘a truly international service for passengers and business’.

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Travel times to current destinations will be even faster and the trains will be able to run across the European high-speed network

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The Eurostar was brought over from Germany to Tilbury docks, Essex, earlier this week and taken to the ExCel centre in London (pictured) before being taken to the centre of the capital this morning