Eurostar at 25: Exclusive interview with Lionel Stevenson, driver on the first commercial London-Paris journey in November 1994
Eurostar at Waterloo
On November 14th 1994, the Eurostar high-speed train service completed its first commercial journey from London to Paris through the Channel Tunnel. With Robert (Bob) Priston and Lionel Stevenson at the throttle, the inaugural journey took just under three hours and attracted the attention of the world’s media eager to capture this historic moment in transnational rail travel. In an exclusive interview, historian Dr Tosh Warwick speaks with Lionel Stevenson, one of the two drivers of the inaugural Eurostar services 25 years ago:
In a recent interview your co-driver Bob Priston recalled thinking about the pressure when it was confirmed he was rostered on the first journey. What were your feelings when you heard the news that you would be part of history?
Before the first official commercial passenger journey in November we had driven numerous trains to Paris and Brussels during testing. We both didn’t realise what was actually planned on the day or the extent of the significance of it being Eurostar’s first official paying passenger train to go through the Channel Tunnel to France.
What recollections do you have of the day of the first commercial Eurostar journey?
When we found that we were to be the first commercial journey drivers it was “All in a day’s work”. It was only when Bob Priston and I arrived on the platform at London Waterloo that we were met with a live band playing music and we thought to ourselves that this may be something special. Prior to departure numerous TV crews and newspaper journalists tried to interview us. Even en route to Paris, different TV crews were given access to the driving cab to interview both of us whilst driving the train!
The Associated Press: The first fare paying passengers on a train using the rail tunnel linking Britain with mainland Europe, are on their way to Paris this morning. More than six (b) billion dollars over budget, and running 18 months late, the first fare paying passengers finally have their chance to travel this morning on the high speed rail link between Britain and the European mainland through the Channel Tunnel.
In the lead up to the first commercial journey Eurostar had experienced a number of delays and hitches. During that first journey did you experience any difficulties?
The only thing that makes me laugh from the day in terms of hitches was when our top boss came to the leading cab and questioned why my colleague and I were not wearing our uniform hats! It was highlighted that one of us should go back to our lockers and fetch them! Imagine the headlines ‘EUROSTAR DEPARTURE DELAYED AS DRIVERS WERE NOT WEARING THEIR BUNNETS”!
How did being at the throttle for Eurostar compare to your previous experience driving?
It was a totally different experience. Driving Eurostar was awesome - the length of the train, power and the speed of the train was unlike anything that I had experienced before. Of course, the speed of the train is irrelevant unless you have the braking capacity to stop it!
Do you have any souvenirs or anything you treasure from the day?
My family have a few souvenirs from the day, including newspaper cuttings from UK newspapers and material from the Los Angeles Times. They also have some postcards and a video recording as I appeared on GMTV on the morning of the departure.
Waterloo Station (Credit Ron Hann)
The Times reported that Priston and yourself were besieged by passengers seeking autographs. Are you often recognised by members of the public as one of the two first drivers of the commercial Eurostar?
A low profile and the ageing process helps! Driving the first Eurostar is something my friends joke about sometimes as my reason for ‘celebrity’ status. Unfortunately, before I retired, I was never able to replicate that scenario signing autographs for 45-50 minutes. It is something no doubt my fellow colleague and I are proud of and the experience of the world’s media taking an interest in your shift is not something many train drivers have!
In your time on the cross-channel route, were there any stand out journeys or memories for you?
The testing of the new Eurostar e300 (373 / TMST) units was quite interesting. On numerous occasions, you left Waterloo or the North Pole Depot in West London heading to Paris or Brussels and were booked to arrive back on the same day. However, it never happened as the train failed and drivers invariably ended up staying overnight in Lille. The local shops did a roaring trade in selling a clean pair of breeks (breeches) to Eurostar drivers unexpectedly staying overnight!
What were the biggest challenges of driving the Eurostar?
We underwent extensive training and support throughout the process in preparing for driving Eurostar across several countries. Every part of it proved to be a new challenge but the people involved with the training, including the language lessons and communicating with railway systems in France and Belgium, gave us the confidence that we could do it.
In almost a decade at Eurostar you were involved in a number of roles as well as driving including training drivers, traction inspection and investigating incidents. Outside of the first journey, what was your proudest moment?
I had the utmost respect for the individuals who taught me the rules and regulations to drive to Paris and Brussels as this had never been done before in Britain. For me, to teach someone the rules and regulations to drive to these destinations on the other side of the English Channel was awesome. Departing Waterloo and returning, I felt an inner pride and respect for the drivers who drove those trains.
The 25th anniversary has generated a lot of new and renewed interest in the Eurostar. How do you think the first journey might be remembered 25 years further down the line?
Hopefully I will still be about! Even though we didn’t realise it immediately, history was made back in 1994 and it allowed Europe to become closer. I’m glad that I was involved in a very special history-making moment and hope that we are still remembered fifty years on from the day.
Dr Tosh Warwick interviewed Lionel Stevenson as part of Heritage Unlocked’s ‘Features’ section which includes interviews and reports on heritage and history news and projects across the UK. More information can be found at www.heritageunlocked.com.