Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Eurostar to double their frequency to Paris from 1st June, two trains a day will run in each direction. Still only one a day to Brussels/Amsterdam though.
tell me about eurostar
- Thread starter Pingu
- Start date
Riklet
procrastinación
Fucking Eurostar are greedy cunts, I hope they do go bust and other operators get to run the routes. Had an interrail pass before and still had to pay 27 quid extra to book a Eurostar journey. They are shocking chiseling cunts. The man in seat 61 must be easily impressed too cos the food and wine were both shit last time I splashed out.
Still... good news people can get the train again I guess. As long as they can do it without getting covid! Got a friend coming back from Marseille in June that way in fact, he much prefers it to flying.
Oh as for changing in Paris, Eurostar being greedy cunts they havent arraged a deal with Paris metro so you have to pay extra for the metro to complete your journey! Fuck that!! I had extra time between trains before and ive cycled and walked across Paris to gare du nord... way more fun tbf! Montparnasse was a good trek tho! I can see why people are hugely put off if there's a change.
Still... good news people can get the train again I guess. As long as they can do it without getting covid! Got a friend coming back from Marseille in June that way in fact, he much prefers it to flying.
Oh as for changing in Paris, Eurostar being greedy cunts they havent arraged a deal with Paris metro so you have to pay extra for the metro to complete your journey! Fuck that!! I had extra time between trains before and ive cycled and walked across Paris to gare du nord... way more fun tbf! Montparnasse was a good trek tho! I can see why people are hugely put off if there's a change.
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Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Their food and drink used to be great, in standard premier I now take my own, in business premier it is just about passable if you’re hungry enough. They are and always have been gouging fuckers and their booking system is shit. If heading south try for a connection via Lille, no need to schlep across town then. Or fly.
Riklet
procrastinación
Lol their booking system is beyond atrocious, you can supposedly book tickets from any UK destination but this rarely works. Pages break and fuck up constantly too. And the railcard booking section was also shitty. I dont believe they were losing money consistently before - more siphoning off profits to the various investors and pension funds that partly own them. But if they were - it's entirely their own fault. 200 quid single tickets, crap booking system, taken them yeaaaaaaars to get beyond a handful of destinations, stupid offputting changes in Paris (get a taxi across town... yeah right!), mega busy trains, no freebees or treats like on AVE or other high speed operators, no super budget discount tickets, no railcard or other price exemptions. Theyve even dropped various stations now due to COVID... another screw you to the passenger. Oh and the toilets were filthy last time I travelled. The list goes on!
What do we expect really when trains are being run for profit. Eurostar is basically (or was meant to be) a shlepppy cash cow for SNCF anyway... no wonder DB didnt have a chance. I totally agree with the UK government refusing to bail them out tbh. Oh aside from some cushy deal ive read about whereby if they lose money then gov money via southeastern railways helps them out anyway!
What do we expect really when trains are being run for profit. Eurostar is basically (or was meant to be) a shlepppy cash cow for SNCF anyway... no wonder DB didnt have a chance. I totally agree with the UK government refusing to bail them out tbh. Oh aside from some cushy deal ive read about whereby if they lose money then gov money via southeastern railways helps them out anyway!
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Last time I went to Paris it was cheaper to fly including taxis to/from the airport. They really need to sort it out if they want my business again.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Yes, lots of things that are rubbish about Eurostar; all those mentioned above are true.
One reason I was disappointed that DB never got their trains running - a bit of competition is needed. I wouldn't necessarily expect agreement on urban75 that some free market dynamics to get a mainly state owned operator to sort out its act is the way forward though.
SNCF mess up a load of things for the tunnel, including difficulties using it properly for freight. Should have built the tunnel to Belgium instead.
One reason I was disappointed that DB never got their trains running - a bit of competition is needed. I wouldn't necessarily expect agreement on urban75 that some free market dynamics to get a mainly state owned operator to sort out its act is the way forward though.
SNCF mess up a load of things for the tunnel, including difficulties using it properly for freight. Should have built the tunnel to Belgium instead.
davesgcr
Reading books
True about a race to the bottom on food in quality and quantity, as in no hot breakfast and the demise of such great meals as the Gascon fish pie, they did not clean the trains very well either , especially externally
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Actually I would imagine most people here would agree with you. Well, I and plenty of others would prefer nationalised railways altogether, but if we must have privatised railway operations let them at least compete with each other, rather than giving monopoly status to TOCs in the form of franchises.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Yeah, that’s the other issue, if you like a drink you’ll be steamboats after 11 hours on trains...
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Exactly my concern! I have had some hairy moments flying short haul business to Cyprus when it’s possible to put away at least 8 mini bottles of wine
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
We used to have train beers every Friday on the Eurostar home when I worked in Paris for a year. Take your seats and the second the wheels started turning we hit the bar and spent the entire journey standing in there getting hammered. Was great fun.*
But yeah 11 hours would be stretching it a lot. 3 was bad enough. * hic *
If you do get the Eurostar regularly sign up to their frequent traveller programme, better lounge access and you get points. I got a Mont blanc pen with mine, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt pencil. I don;t know if they still do this, it's been a while, I'm sure Herr Strasse will know what it's like now (in normal times, not now now).
Changing in Lille is a PITA on the way back from Marseille, everyone and their luggage has to detrain and go through PP control. It's worth it though, i much prefer it to the plane. And I really like planes.
*I've probably told this story before on here but I'm getting old and don't remember everything dear. What's that? Yellow?
hash tag
Books, not bombs
It might be a little faster now, I was on one of the first trains to Avignon and it took about 8 hours and it was fine. Could wander about, hang out the the bar...no probs. Rather be stuck on a train than a plane for 8 hours.
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Good point. I’m not sure about a journey that long full stop though. Hopefully there’s a flight option to, ideally one I can use points for as the cost of the match tickets and 2 nights in an Ibis was obscenely high!
mx wcfc
Well-Known Member
You'd need to take your own booze these days - we went to Avignon, September 19, and the train ran out of beer somewhere in mid-France.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
The difference being that 8 hours on the train got you to Avignon, whereas 8 hours on a plane gets you to India.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
On the ski trains they claim to limit the amount you can take, guess there's been a few rowdy journeys on that one...
hash tag
Books, not bombs
The difference being we like train travel & Mrs tag hates flying.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Yes. I was pointing pointing out your false equivalence though.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Looks like there could be some competition (finally) for the London-Paris route from Spanish operator Renfe in the future
www.cityam.com
Spanish operator Renfe to operate Paris – London service to rival Eurostar - City AM
Renfe is reportedly seeking to operate a new service between Paris and London, initiating talks with the Spanish ministry of Finance.
www.cityam.com
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Gromit
International Man of Misery
Brexit would have been a nail in the coffin for that one.DB was a shame yeah. How I'd have loved a through train to Frankfurt
Less bankers needing to travel between the two with the Frankfurt property market getting a boom based on speculation that it would become the new capital of finance in Europe instead of London.
Not that I think it would have stolen much trade from the airlines in my opinion. Price point is king.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Well exactly. I'd happily travel anywhere in Western Europe by train if the prices were favorable against flying, but they rarely are. But then more competition may help here?
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
We now have Avlo and Ouigo low cost rail here. Unfortunately they are nowhere near us, but seem to offer prices that are very competitive. The government is planing to stop all short, less than 600km IIRC, internal flights over the next few years.Looks like there could be some competition (finally) for the London-Paris route from Spanish operator Renfe in the future
Spanish operator Renfe to operate Paris – London service to rival Eurostar - City AM
Renfe is reportedly seeking to operate a new service between Paris and London, initiating talks with the Spanish ministry of Finance.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Meanwhile, they literally announced yesterday that they’ll cut airport duty on internal flights in the U.K. it’s absolute nonsense why flying should be cheaper than taking the train for domestic travel in a countries as small as the U.K./Spain
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
The UK government only pays lip service to environmental issues these days. Look at what they've done about raw sewage dumping. Sad. So sad.
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