The service to Lyon is pretty standardised if not hourly (and would be better if Ouigo reverted to Inoui) - but then SNCF will only offer hourly if there is a massive demand (off-hand I think only Lyon and Lille meet that criterion).
Agreed. I wonder if there is enough demand for these trains to start at Calais, a parkway station for those who have taken a car through the tunnel.
I just found a crossing from Portsmouth to Cherbourg for £15 each way (return trip) but it is a 5h30 journey.
Hasn't been a fast cat for a few years now - its on the Guernsey route. Fastest now is 4 hours Poole- Cherbourg, one a day
Thank you, I had no idea
that's a shame in some ways. Cheers!
Not sure if still the case, but I've used Lille Flandres on regular inOui TGV services in the past.
All the Paris services plus some "cross-country" ones.
Europe is quiet and rather impersonal. Flandres is a busy 'proper' station. I'd say 7 minutes walk maximum from Europe. Flandres has plenty of bars over the road for refreshments. There are many better bars elsewhere in the city, but the ones nearest to the station stock acceptabe local/Belgian beers.
I've walked from Europe to Flandres. It couldn't be easier. Go down the escalator and keep walking. Easier and quicker than, for instance, finding your way to the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras from the tube.
www.railmagazine.com
~350m to the side entrance at Flandres. Shorter than a Eurostar. About 5 mins on foot. Obvious and visible. No roads to cross. Can be mostly under cover if desired, first under the elevated highway spans of Ave Le Corbusier, then cutting across to the higher level walkway beneath the office and hotel blocks on the north west side of the huge shopping centre. It's MUCH nicer than St Martins Queensway and you don't feel pressured into wasting time and money going through the shopping centre, though it's there, just to the side if you need to buy something or have some time to kill.
Great news actually, the lack of silence means things have been productive. I would expect dramatic headlines if Eurostar weren't playing ball. I suspect the biggest obstacle will be SNCF agreeing to track access on the LGV Nord given they're not too keen on competition even if by EU law they have to allow it.Well after a period of silence Eurostar appears to have learnt how to share their toys with Virgin Trains. Rail magazine reporting today that a draft depot access agreement has been submitted to the ORR. No word on any details of the agreement but it is said the ORR will be getting things moving within a few weeks on directing the contract.
"First milestone met" as Eurostar and Virgin submit Temple Mills depot agreement
Operators submit draft agreement to Office of Rail and Road for Virgin to use Temple Mills depot alongside Eurostar.
It Eurostar have capitulated I would hope SNCF, being the majority owner of Eurostar, have given up on trying to completely shut down any competitors. Blocking access to LGV Nord would almost certainly provoke a legal challenge, and in any case SNCF didn’t try to pull that with Trenitalia on LGV Sud-Est so I’d be surprised if they start now, even if they’re up against a private company rather than a state-backed operator.
The impression I've gotten is that SNCF aren't too keen on competition, though to be fair it's an understandable view given that they're financing an entire network while open-access operators are cherry-picking the profitable routes (though this has worked both ways, especially in Spain). I might be overestimating their view on competition though so my word is about as reliable as anyone else's. If Jon Worth told me otherwise tomorrow I'd believe him.
Eurostar still has capacity as an independent company even if it is owned largely by SNCF. But in any case I think you're right. Again I might be overestimating their reluctance to accept competition.
