The UK's first new railway in over 100 years, and first ever high

Since September 2003, the first section of the CTRL has been running as one of the country's most successful and reliable railways, rivalling any train service in the world for punctuality and sheer exhilaration. With a Eurostar top speed of 186mph, it is also the UK's fastest.

Highspeed 1

High Speed 1 (HS1)

On 14th November 2006, the CTRL was renamed High Speed 1 (HS1). High Speed 1 captures the adrenalin pumping excitement of true high speed rail. It also acts as a powerful reminder of what the railway is all about - the first true high-speed line in the UK.

High speed 1 terminal rendering

New Stations

More than just a railway, HS1 has leveraged more than £10bn of investment in regeneration schemes around the new international stations of Ebbsfleet, Stratford and St Pancras. Trains travelling on the high-speed line create up to ten times less carbon emissions than the low-cost airlines on equivalent journeys.

High speed 1 - trains in station

High Speed

With High Speed 1, the UK will be fully connected to the growing European high-speed network, a network that now stretches across 3,750 km (2,330 miles) from The Netherlands and Germany, to Italy, Spain and beyond. Now more than ever, high-speed rail is seen as the seamless, direct and environmentally friendly way to travel long distances.