The Channel Tunnel rail link will be the country's first really high-speed railway allowing Eurostar trains to travel at more than 150 miles per hour.

The £5.2billion project will halve journey times from central London to the Channel Tunnel when completed in 2007.

It will also give Kent commuters new high-speed trains to the capital.

International stations will be created at St Pancras, Ebbsfleet and Stratford.

For up-to-date news of CTRL progress, you can go to http://www.ctrl.co.uk where there are press releases, reports, flyers, photographs and artist impressions.

There is information in English, French and German about the benefits the CTRL will bring and the organisations behind the project. Detailed route maps show where the CTRL will run.

Teachers can download a CTRL schools educational resource pack.

Section 1, the 46 miles between the Channel Tunnel and Fawkham Junction in north Kent, is now over 78% complete and remains on time to open in September 2003.

The major civil engineering works for CTRL Section 2, the 24 miles between Southfleet in north Kent and St Pancras station in central London, began in July 2001.

Union Railways (South) is the client organisation responsible for the construction of Section 1 of the CTRL for future owners Railtrack.

Union Railways (North), a subsidiary company of London & Continental Railways (LCR), is responsible for the construction of Section 2. The major civil engineering began in July 2001.

Rail Link Engineering - a consortium of Arup, Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra - is the designer and project manager of Sections 1 and 2 of the CTRL.

Once open in early 2007, Paris will be around 2 hours 15 minutes and Brussels just 2 hours from St Pancras by non-stop Eurostar. http://www.ctrl.co.uk