Eurostar and ATOC announce more through fares.

[Donny Dave]

Eurostar, the international high-speed train operator, and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) today (Tuesday 6 May 2008) announced that over 130 British towns and cities now have through fares to mainland Europe.

Travellers can now obtain through fares from a further 65 stations across Britain to mainland Europe, on top of the first phase of 68 towns and cities offering through fares since 14 November 2007, the date when Eurostar launched 186mph services on High Speed 1 from St Pancras International.

Through fares are helping to drive up demand for Eurostar, with the number of Eurostar journeys by travellers living in the UK regions outside London increasing by an average of 45% in the first quarter of 2008.

First Great Western and National Express East Anglia are Eurostar’s latest through-fare partners, taking the total number of partnerships with domestic train operators to nine.

http://www.atoc-comms.org/dynamic/atocpress-story.php?atoc=997849

 

[me123]

Fantastic news Since HS1 opened, flying to Paris and Brussels from London simply is too slow, when you add in security and check in and waiting and more waiting and the fact that most airports are miles away from the cities... Anyway, the chunnel's better now. Through fares from the likes of York and Leeds are certainly going to be worth it for northern travellers, and the direct link from Bristol and the West must be alright as well despite the cross-city transfer involved.

 

[djw1981]

From the South West, Waterloo was quicker as the longer journey time was made up for by shorter transfers.....

Personally I'd like to see them reroute the FSR sleeper to Kings Cross so that you could leave Inverness or Fort William at 7pm, and be in Paris for 11am....

 

[me123]

From the South West, Waterloo was quicker as the longer journey time was made up for by shorter transfers.....

Personally I'd like to see them reroute the FSR sleeper to Kings Cross so that you could leave Inverness or Fort William at 7pm, and be in Paris for 11am....

Yeah, until the fast trains to Kent start from St. P, the South will be a loser in the current scenario and even then, the SE is only marginally better off than it was.

Out of curiosity, does routeing via the ECML decrease journey times particularly? I thought Euston, St. P and Kings X were all pretty much next-door neighbours.

 

[Nym]

Its about a 10 min walk for me, and I walk kinda fast

 

[jopsuk]

This should show the three in relation to one-another.
Would it even be theoretically possible to terminate at the "Regional" platforms at St Pancras, or are they not electrified and/or too short for the sleepers?

 

[me123]

Not electrified I don't think. If they are, there's only four of them for the MML at the moment, unless they used the currently unused Javelin platforms. Still, they'd be fully used when the 395s start running.

No platform space, then getting to St. P is also hard. I don't know id the approaches are electrified. From the ECML, you have to reverse twice over the Hornsey flyover and I think a similar situation exists with the WCML. Running down the MML is quite a long route and not electrified for the 90s.

Isn't practical and, due to conjestion at KX, the best place to terminate sleepers ATM is Euston.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I believe that all platforms at StP are electrified

 

[me123]

Ah, I wasn't entirely sure. Thanks. Still, the MML isn't and there's difficultes coming off the ECML due to the double-reverse needed at Hornsey. I think there's a similar issue on the WCML.

 

[djw1981]

Hence why I had not suggested terminating at St P... I know there are issues at KX in a morning, but....

 

[class 313]

I believe that all platforms at StP are electrified

They sure are! 319s terminate on the MML side quite often and weekends due to E/W.

 

[Donny Dave]

Still, the MML isn't and there's difficultes coming off the ECML due to the double-reverse needed at Hornsey.

There is going to be a link between St Pancras and the ECML built as part of the Thameslink upgrade, although I've no idea when it's going to happen though.

 

[class 313]

There is going to be a link between St Pancras and the ECML built as part of the Thameslink upgrade, although I've no idea when it's going to happen though.

The link is there, the tunnel is just north of the platforms at St Pancras LL! Just awaits track.

There's also a freight only line from the MML to the ECML just north of Kentish Town via the NLL. Then there's link to the ECML at St Pancras HL.

 

[williamn]

Given the evident demand surely there is now a case for Regional Eurostars to be looked again?

 

[class 313]

Given the evident demand surely there is now a case for Regional Eurostars to be looked again?

I highly doubt it,

Didn't the GNER Eurostars not like the ECML due to having both pans up? Also due to their length.

 

[theblackwatch]

Given the evident demand surely there is now a case for Regional Eurostars to be looked again?

Does Eurostar still have its paths on the ECML & WCML, or did it give them up?

 

[williamn]

This is from Wikipedia, and has references:

While there has not been any official announcement of plans to start Regional Eurostar services, during recent enquiries into capacity on the East Coast Main Line it has been mentioned that Eurostar (UK) still own several track access rights and the rights to paths on both the East Coast and West Coast Main Lines, hinting at the possibility of services at some point in the future

 

[class 313]

This is from Wikipedia, and has references:

While there has not been any official announcement of plans to start Regional Eurostar services, during recent enquiries into capacity on the East Coast Main Line it has been mentioned that Eurostar (UK) still own several track access rights and the rights to paths on both the East Coast and West Coast Main Lines, hinting at the possibility of services at some point in the future

The Eurostar sets are being used for regional routes in France though aren't they?

 

[me123]

This is from Wikipedia, and has references:

There's something you don't see every day

Certainly a few through service to Birmingham and Manchester on the WCML and some on the ECML to Leeds and maybe up to Newcastle would be valuable (although I feel Scotland's a bit out of reach unless they upgrade linespeeds). Unfortunately, due to border control issues, what would the deal be with passport control and all that and would it be worth the investment in the stations?

 

[Ben]

There's something you don't see every day

Certainly a few through service to Birmingham and Manchester on the WCML and some on the ECML to Leeds and maybe up to Newcastle would be valuable (although I feel Scotland's a bit out of reach unless they upgrade linespeeds). Unfortunately, due to border control issues, what would the deal be with passport control and all that and would it be worth the investment in the stations?

All Passengers could be checked at Paris/Brussels/Lille towards The UK & towards France, it could be St Pancras/Ebsfleet/Ashford.

 

[PR]

Fantastic news Since HS1 opened, flying to Paris and Brussels from London simply is too slow, when you add in security and check in and waiting and more waiting and the fact that most airports are miles away from the cities... Anyway, the chunnel's better now. Through fares from the likes of York and Leeds are certainly going to be worth it for northern travellers, and the direct link from Bristol and the West must be alright as well despite the cross-city transfer involved.

Not sure I agree!

If I want to travel London - Paris on Wednesday morning / lunchtime, E* offer me £154.50 one way.

From Luton Airport, Easyjet want £64.99 +taxes etc...

You still have to allow a hefty margin for connecting at St Pancras, many journeys can't really avoid hideous tube travel, and depending on where you live in the UK, the airports can shave a lot of time off the through journey.

For most non-London travel, the train is undoubtedly slower and even more expensive. Unlike in the UK, continental airports tend to have very good, affordable transport links.

 

[theblackwatch]

You still have to allow a hefty margin for connecting at St Pancras, many journeys can't really avoid hideous tube travel, and depending on where you live in the UK, the airports can shave a lot of time off the through journey.

Surely the hefty margin (check-in 1 hr beforehand) and 'hideous tube travel' (or bus, Heathrow Express, etc) also apply to many airports? That is, unless you want to spend £££s parking your car there! Eurostar also has the advantage of taking you from central London to central Paris - not some station a commute out of London into the suburbs of Paris.