British Rail Class 374

British Rail Class 374 Eurostar e320
374008/374007 on High Speed 1
In service	20 November 2015 - present
Manufacturer	Siemens
Family name	Velaro
Constructed	2011–2015
Number under construction	11 trainsets
Number built	6 trainsets
Formation	16 cars
Capacity	902 seats
Operator(s)	Eurostar
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium
Train length	400 m
Car length	25.7 m (Leading) 24.2 m (Trailing)
Maximum speed	320 km/h (200 mph)
Power output	16 MW (21,000 hp)
Power supply	25kV AC & 1.5/3kV DC
Electric system(s)	25 kV 50 Hz AC 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC 3000 V DC 1500 V DC Overhead lines
Current collection method	Pantograph
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′ +2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′ +2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Class 374electric multiple unit high speed train, branded as Eurostar e320, provide Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel to serve destinations beyond the core routes to Paris and Brussels. They began to run passenger services in November 2015. The trains owned by Eurostar International Limited are sixteen-carriage variants of the Siemens Velaro, each measuring 400 metres long. The trains are designed to be compliant with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) and the original order for ten sets was subsequently increased to seventeen sets in November 2014.

Eurostar International's existing fleet of Class 373 "Eurostar e300" trains, which date from the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1993, cannot operate under the 15 kV AC overhead line (OHLE) electrification system used in Germany, most cannot operate under the 1.5 kV DC overhead line (OHLE) electrification system used in the Netherlands and they do not have sufficient space to install ERTMS signalling. Therefore, Eurostar cannot use its Class 373 units on services to these countries and the Class 374 was designed and built to go where the Class 373 could never go. The Class 374 has replaced around half of the Class 373s, with some Class 373s being scrapped in the UK after the introduction of the new trains.

Siemens Velaro high speed EMUs are derived from the ICE 3 first used by Deutsche Bahn (DB) in 2000. Variants include DB Class 407, intended for international services including through the Channel Tunnel.

In 2009, Eurostar announced a £700m project to update its fleet, with approximately £550m for new trains able to operate away from the core London-Paris/Brussels network. In October 2010, Eurostar announced that Siemens had been selected, with the Velaro platform to be used. The Velaro e320, named because of plans to operate at 320 km/h (200 mph), would be 16 cars long, to meet the Channel Tunnel safety specifications but would have distributed traction with the traction equipment along the length of the train, not concentrated in power cars at each end.