Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The grand Masonic Hotel.
Napier Art Deco Historic Precinct
Military Cemetery for North Korean Soldiers
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts
Caesars Palace Spiral Escalators
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
about 21 hours ago
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
2 days ago
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?
2 days ago
How to Turn Your Road Trip Into a Nature Scavenger Hunt
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Valenciennes Abandoned Eurostar Train
Abandoned Eurostar Train is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Abandoned Eurostar Train

This is what trains will look like after the zombie apocalypse.

Valenciennes, France

Added By
Tony Dunnell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
  ATW Urbex / AdcaZz
A Eurostar 373 in 2007, similar to the abandoned train in France.   Phil Richards
  metarkhoss / Atlas Obscura User
The lost Eurostar.   De l'ombre à la lumière
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the north of France, on the outskirts of Valenciennes, sits a strange sight: an abandoned high-speed train that, not so long ago, was speeding its way through the Channel Tunnel.

The train in question is the Eurostar 373018, one of many Eurostar Class 373 trains that started operating in 1994. Capable of speeds up to 186 mph, the Class 373s were specifically designed to transport passengers between London, Paris, and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel.

Since 2016, however, many 373s have been withdrawn or scrapped, despite just 22 or 23 years in service. Eurostar 373018 is officially in storage, but the word “abandoned” seems more appropriate.

Branches from nearby trees now reach out and touch its windows. Weeds rise up from the rusting tracks on which it sits. Graffiti covers what were once the clean lines of the train’s streamlined form. It looks like the kind of place where Rick Grimes would butcher a bunch of zombies, or where Mad Max would go shopping if he wanted to buy a train.

What the future holds for this high-speed train is anyone’s guess. So far, 18 of the 373 Class trains have been sent to be scrapped by European Metal Recycling (EMR) at Kingsbury in the West Midlands region of England. Others have been scrapped in France, three have ended up in museums or colleges, and some lucky 373s have been refurbished and remain in service.

Eurostar 373018, however, remains in “storage” in the north of France, a fine nesting place for birds, an interesting canvas for graffiti artists, and an intriguing landmark for train enthusiasts, eagle-eyed users of Google Earth, and urban explorers like AdcaZz whose video exploration of the train you can check out on YouTube.

And if you’re wondering why these 373s were abandoned and not reused elsewhere, well, it seems like a few factors were in play. Technology had simply moved on, leaving these 22-year-old trains out of date. It was also more cost efficient to bring in a modern fleet rather than overhaul these existing trains, especially as the replacements had a greater seating capacity, meaning more money over less time. In the end, therefore, many of the 373s were deemed “life-expired.”

Update as of November 2019: It's believed that the engine is no longer at the site. The cars, however, still remain. 

Related Tags

Trains Abandoned Transportation Railroads

Know Before You Go

It appears from Google Earth this train has been removed.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tony Dunnell

Edited By

cpeash, erjeffery, thebodyinthelibrary, legotrain567...

  • cpeash
  • erjeffery
  • thebodyinthelibrary
  • legotrain567
  • potatolover
  • Meg
  • metarkhoss

Published

March 8, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://jalopnik.com/theres-something-incredibly-creepy-about-an-abandoned-h-1822522268
  • https://www.railmagazine.com/news/fleet/2016/09/20/eurostar-prepares-to-scrap-186mph-class-373s
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_373#Fleet_status
Abandoned Eurostar Train
Rue Ernest Macarez
Valenciennes
France
50.378467, 3.542801
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Le Caillou-qui-bique

Honnelles, Belgium

miles away

Bavay Ancient Forum

Bavay, France

miles away

Belfry of Tournai

Tournai, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 74

Nearby Places

Le Caillou-qui-bique

Honnelles, Belgium

miles away

Bavay Ancient Forum

Bavay, France

miles away

Belfry of Tournai

Tournai, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 74

Related Stories and Lists

The 10 Best Places of 2018

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • TY 51 locomotive.

    Krakow, Poland

    Kraków-Płaszów Train Graveyard

    This cemetery of rusting Soviet-era steam locomotives and train cars offers an apocalyptic glimpse into a bygone era.

  • View from above, on the entrance and driveway

    Houyet, Belgium

    Halte Royal d'Ardenne

    The private train station King Leopold II built for the Belgian royal family now lies abandoned.

  • Çamlik Railway Museum.

    Selçuk, Turkey

    Çamlik Railway Museum

    This beautiful train graveyard is one of the largest collections of steam locomotives in the Mediterranean and Europe.

  • The snow sheds.

    Truckee, California

    Donner Pass Summit Tunnels

    The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

  • Jersey City, New Jersey

    Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal

    Hidden in plain sight on the Hudson River is an abandoned train station where nature has taken over.

  • Canfranc, Spain

    Canfranc International Railway Station

    Abandoned Nazi train station turned underground astroparticle laboratory.

  • Obihiro, Japan

    Kofuku Train Station

    On an abandoned railway line, "happiness" station is still a popular destination for lovers.

  • Looking up at the Highball Signal.

    Delmar, Delaware

    Highball Signal

    This relic is one of the last survivors of the earliest eras of the American railroad.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.