The train, carrying journalists and VIPs, arrived at St Pancras, instead of Waterloo, for the first time. It took two hours, three minutes, 39 seconds.
The 68-mile line is expected to help cut times on the entire route by 20 minutes to two hours, 15 minutes when it opens to the public on 14 November.
Reuters - 33 minutes ago LONDON (Reuters) - Eurostar plans to set a Paris to London speed record on Tuesday with its first ever train on the UK's long-awaited high speed track.
The 9:44 a.m. service from Paris Gare du Nord will take its inaugural run down 109 kilometres (about 68 miles) of British track, known as High Speed 1, arriving for the first time in London's St Pancras International station rather than Waterloo.
The journey time will be cut from the usual 2 hours 35 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes on the new route.
"But we're hoping to do it even quicker on that first run," said a spokesman.
Eurostar carried its first passengers in 1994 after the delayed opening of the $15 billion (7.4 billion pounds) Channel Tunnel.
But while trains have cruised swiftly across France on high speed track at speeds of up to 186 miles (300 km) per hour, they have been forced to throttle back on the British side where they mingle with commuter services heading in and out of London.
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