Eurostar e320 test runs in the Netherlands

[Densha]

I seldom take the effort to go see any special runs in the Netherlands, but when I heard the Eurostar e320 was coming I couldn't miss out on it. Coming from Belgium and heading for Amsterdam, I photographed the train on the conventional, non-high speed line at the station of Schiedam Centrum. From there it will start doing test runs to get approval for the Dutch railway network. The Eurostar e320 is scheduled to start running on the Amsterdam - London Eurostar services from December 2017, using the HSL-Zuid (High Speed Line South) between Amsterdam and Antwerp (Belgium).

 

 

Also, a (slightly) zoomed in version of the first photo:

 

[serotta1972]

Oooh, that's a nice looking train!  Let's start a petition to have Kato make this model and have it released when it goes into service on December 2017.  :)

Edited May 5, 2016 by serotta1972

[warnerj01]

Wow. Those are so new they look like models.

[Suica]

Oooh, that's a nice looking train!  Let's start a petition to have Kato make this model and have it released when the it goes into service on December 2017.  :)

And while they're at it they can just use the same molds to make an ICE 3 Class 407. :D

[Densha]

Also, these trains are an astonishing 16 cars or 400 meters long, just like the 16 car Shinkansen trains running in Japan. Years ago I vaguely saw a first generation Eurostar (Class 373) sitting on a siding in Brussels, but although being of the same length, it appeared much smaller due to the shorter cars on jacobs bogies and smaller British loading gauge. These Eurostar Velaro e320 sets have standard full length cars and the larger European mainland loading gauge (the latter possible because of the opening of the UK's HS1). Never been to Japan to see the Shinkansen myself yet, this was the first time I saw such a long EMU with my own eyes. It's also the longest EMU in the Netherlands ever, because the largest we're used to are the 8-car ICE 3M Class 406s.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Densha

[Suica]

These Eurostar Velaro e320 sets have standard full length cars and the larger European mainland loading gauge (the latter possible because of the opening of the UK's HS1).

I guess the main reason for this would be costs, as the basis for this train already exists as the ICE 3 class 407. That and the fact they will mainly be used on the mainland routes anyway. e320 services will likely be extended to Cologne and Frankfurt.