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Another Eurostar problem (21 Feb)
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First ScotRail
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Wonder if It Is now - should be...
Was on Eurostar yesterday, but the one before. We were delayed for about 3 hours at Paris with absolutely no explanation, no apology or anything. Most Eurostar staff had gone in to hiding. The police were trying to control the queue, which had stretched from Eurostar check-in almost to Gare de L'Est!!
There was one poor guy trying to ask what staff there were how he could get back to his car in Ebbsfleet. It took me to advise him to get on the next St. Pancras train and get a SouthEastern 395 back to Ebbsfleet as no Eurostars seemed to be stopping there. For some reason E* staff didnt want to tell him that.
The E* staff I came across were sullen and unhelpful. We were given coloured boarding tickets- my request for an approximate boarding time once we had checked in was "it'll be a couple of minutes, just wait". In fact it was nearly an hour- I wasn't sure if I had time even for a toilet stop!!!
We have been offered a 50% reduction on our next Eurostar ticket. This is not goodwill from Eurostar- this is what European law requires them to do. I think a 100% refund and re-imbursement of my taxi fare across London is in order (my lift couldn't wait any longer at St. Pancras).
After the Xmas debacle, the CEO of Eurostar said it would never happen again. Well it has, less than two weeks after he said that. The staff are poor, the service is poor. I'm sure if a UK franchised rail operator behaved like this they would be stripped of any right to run trains in this country. It's about time Eurostar were shown the door and another operator handed the keys to the 373s.
There was one poor guy trying to ask what staff there were how he could get back to his car in Ebbsfleet. It took me to advise him to get on the next St. Pancras train and get a SouthEastern 395 back to Ebbsfleet as no Eurostars seemed to be stopping there. For some reason E* staff didnt want to tell him that.
The E* staff I came across were sullen and unhelpful. We were given coloured boarding tickets- my request for an approximate boarding time once we had checked in was "it'll be a couple of minutes, just wait". In fact it was nearly an hour- I wasn't sure if I had time even for a toilet stop!!!
We have been offered a 50% reduction on our next Eurostar ticket. This is not goodwill from Eurostar- this is what European law requires them to do. I think a 100% refund and re-imbursement of my taxi fare across London is in order (my lift couldn't wait any longer at St. Pancras).
After the Xmas debacle, the CEO of Eurostar said it would never happen again. Well it has, less than two weeks after he said that. The staff are poor, the service is poor. I'm sure if a UK franchised rail operator behaved like this they would be stripped of any right to run trains in this country. It's about time Eurostar were shown the door and another operator handed the keys to the 373s.
Old Timer
Established Member
Nice to see our French adversaries are still as unhelpful, rude and arrogant as always.
90019
Established Member
Old Timer
Established Member
A wise man who was well travelled once advised me against travelling by Air France for the very reasons set out above.Well, what else did you expect
I know colleagues who have taken the AF option to that of KLM, and in every case have found the diffference in attitude and approach staggering.
AF now manage the KLM frequent flier programme and dear God do we not now know it. They have taken an excellent programme and are rapidly destroying both it and the passenger goodwill that went with it, by changing the rules at short notice, and always to THEIR advantage.
I recently did a double flight with a change at Schiphol to discover that AF have now without an prior warning or advice unilaterally decided that even though on landing you might have exceeded the points required for the next tier you cannot then have the following flight points credited because the tier needs to be registered first.
A totally abhorent rule yet somehow SO very French.
It has caused much upset to KLM passengers I am told and I have written to AF and told them that on that basis alone I shall never do business with them, even if it involves me paying more. The poorly written reply failed to address the points made, and appears to have been generated by a computer or else a totaly illiterate money in a zoo somewhere in Paris.
No Fault Found
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Any news on what happened? I've heard that the London end cab of the failed unit and the following vehicle came into Ashford coupled up to another unit. So did it become detached in traffic?
gordonthemoron
Established Member
the sooner the DB ICE Frankfurt-Brussels service is extended to London the better. Friendly informative staff who speak english (and French, Dutch & German).
33056
Established Member
Having just travelled to Germany using Eurostar, I am not impressed at all. Trains were not going to Brussels due to the accident last week so it was a case of going to Lille and finding an alternative route, though E* appeared to be doing their best to put people off travelling.
What trains were actually running were not put on their website to very late the previous day; admittedly they did give details of the alternative service from Lille Flandres via Gent, but the promised staff to give directions to Flandres were conspicuous by their absence. Good job that I know my way round there.
On the way back, there was better information about what was running, but we called into Brussels to see what was going on. The (very polite) lady behind the desk said that there was an express bus service to Lille but, initially, seemed to be rather confused when we flatly refused this and said we wanted to travel by rail. When we told her exactly which services that we were using, it turned out that she did actually know the time of the next train to Gent and even what platform it would be on!
Whilst waiting we did take note of the few passengers passing through, presumably to go on the coach service, and did notice one particular gentleman who turned up at Lille about half an hour after we did - so the coach was not that quick.
Staff at Lille were quite efficient with re-allocating the seats, though we had a poor run back, nearly getting stopped in the tunnel and following a "Javelin" service from Ashford. The train manager also announced that we would be stopping in Calais Frethun through which the train went storming past. Part way through the tunnel, he announced that we would be stopping additionally at Ashford
It was also noted that there was a full E* set minus the London end power car sitting in the yard at Dollands Moor, no sign of the missing bit.
In conclusion, E* appear to have totally lost the plot, all fine and pretty efficient when everything is in order but go into meltdown when things go wrong.
EDIT - agree with gordonthemoron, the sooner DB get through the tunnel the better - I will make a point of using them rather than E*!
What trains were actually running were not put on their website to very late the previous day; admittedly they did give details of the alternative service from Lille Flandres via Gent, but the promised staff to give directions to Flandres were conspicuous by their absence
. Good job that I know my way round there.On the way back, there was better information about what was running, but we called into Brussels to see what was going on. The (very polite) lady behind the desk said that there was an express bus service to Lille but, initially, seemed to be rather confused when we flatly refused this and said we wanted to travel by rail. When we told her exactly which services that we were using, it turned out that she did actually know the time of the next train to Gent and even what platform it would be on!
Whilst waiting we did take note of the few passengers passing through, presumably to go on the coach service, and did notice one particular gentleman who turned up at Lille about half an hour after we did - so the coach was not that quick.
Staff at Lille were quite efficient with re-allocating the seats, though we had a poor run back, nearly getting stopped in the tunnel and following a "Javelin" service from Ashford. The train manager also announced that we would be stopping in Calais Frethun through which the train went storming past. Part way through the tunnel, he announced that we would be stopping additionally at Ashford
It was also noted that there was a full E* set minus the London end power car sitting in the yard at Dollands Moor, no sign of the missing bit.In conclusion, E* appear to have totally lost the plot, all fine and pretty efficient when everything is in order but go into meltdown when things go wrong.
EDIT - agree with gordonthemoron, the sooner DB get through the tunnel the better - I will make a point of using them rather than E*!
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marku51
Member
Although some of you might bite your tongues to say this, I think that the increased EU liberalization of international train travel is probably a good thing. I'd love to see a DB ICE in London, I've always felt that they are some of the best looking trains out there.
Hopefully the series of problems, as bad as they have been, will encourage others to take advantage of the situation and pick up the slack from Eurostar. I don't think that the problems are really to blame on the French--I think Eurostar as a whole has organizational problems, problems which realistically come from its international background. Although that is no excuse for the French being sullen at Gare du Nord. But what can you do, they are French. And I totally agree with Old Timer's thoughts on AF--any time French bureaucracy is involved, things go down the drain. Although I've had several bad experiences with KLM also.
mark u
Hopefully the series of problems, as bad as they have been, will encourage others to take advantage of the situation and pick up the slack from Eurostar. I don't think that the problems are really to blame on the French--I think Eurostar as a whole has organizational problems, problems which realistically come from its international background. Although that is no excuse for the French being sullen at Gare du Nord. But what can you do, they are French. And I totally agree with Old Timer's thoughts on AF--any time French bureaucracy is involved, things go down the drain. Although I've had several bad experiences with KLM also.
mark u
gordonthemoron
Established Member
Thalys ain't much cop either
Update: Had a chat with Eurostar Customer Services about the treatment of passengers are Gare Du Nord- was effectively accused of lying!!!!! The gentleman on the other end of the phone was defensive to the point of rudeness, and refused to apologise for Sunday. I was calm and polite to him throughout the conversation, but to no avail.
So I subsequently phoned up the Daily Mail- I really don't like that paper, but you can rely on them to stir up the muck. One of their journalists is calling me back this week- they are planning on running a big story on the recent shambles of Eurostar and want my input.
So I subsequently phoned up the Daily Mail- I really don't like that paper, but you can rely on them to stir up the muck. One of their journalists is calling me back this week- they are planning on running a big story on the recent shambles of Eurostar and want my input.
woolwinder
Member
Rumour has it as a bolt broke in a coupling - just one bolt holding it altogether?
Electrostar
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Does anyone else wonder if part of Eurostar's problems stems from us British being sold from its conception the idea of an incredible railway. There's no denying the Channel Tunnel is a feat of engineering. We were suddenly able to make a non-stop rail journey to mainland Europe on TGV-style trains. We finally received a high-speed link - another novelty for us - and not one but two swanky award-winning termini, albeit not operational at the same time. Our Eurostar fares have long been higher than our French and European counterparts. All this adds up to the powers that be building up a romantic image of the service.
Did France spruce up Gare du Nord for Eurostar? Did it heck. IIRC they only grudgingly extended the platform canopies because Brits alighting from the international train complained about getting wet. It probably wouldn't have spent the money on what little it did provide in the terminal if it wasn't for British insistence of security checkpoints and immigration lines. After all trains from all over Europe stop in regular platforms throughout France. To mainland Europeans there's nothing special about catching a train to a neighbouring country.
Likewise the French staff who shrug their shoulders probably don't give a stuff that it's an international train which goes under the Channel. In their mind it's just another train. Why was it at Christmas that staff at St Pancras were arranging Javellin's, ferries and coaches to get the elderly and those with young children home but the service wasn't recipricated in the opposite direction?
Perhaps we've all been misconceived by Eurostar. It's not a luxurious or romantic way to travel, just the high-speed train service our continental neighbours have enjoyed for donkey's years at a much higher price.
Hopefully the combination of the single company Eurostar and the threat of competition will knock them into shape. C'est la vie!
Did France spruce up Gare du Nord for Eurostar? Did it heck. IIRC they only grudgingly extended the platform canopies because Brits alighting from the international train complained about getting wet. It probably wouldn't have spent the money on what little it did provide in the terminal if it wasn't for British insistence of security checkpoints and immigration lines. After all trains from all over Europe stop in regular platforms throughout France. To mainland Europeans there's nothing special about catching a train to a neighbouring country.
Likewise the French staff who shrug their shoulders probably don't give a stuff that it's an international train which goes under the Channel. In their mind it's just another train. Why was it at Christmas that staff at St Pancras were arranging Javellin's, ferries and coaches to get the elderly and those with young children home but the service wasn't recipricated in the opposite direction?
Perhaps we've all been misconceived by Eurostar. It's not a luxurious or romantic way to travel, just the high-speed train service our continental neighbours have enjoyed for donkey's years at a much higher price.
Hopefully the combination of the single company Eurostar and the threat of competition will knock them into shape. C'est la vie!
EM2
Established Member
I think it's a shame that the last fifteen-odd years are being forgotten by the media, amidst the problems of the last three months.
Has any other fleet of 31 sets covered as many miles as the 373s with as few major problems?
Has any other fleet of 31 sets covered as many miles as the 373s with as few major problems?
Electrostar
Member
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Perhaps the 373's are playing up because they're missing the old Southern region third rail!
You're right the trains have done well but perhaps customer service and other parts of the company like onboard catering aren't perceived to be up to scratch. Passengers have high expectations of Eurostar because of stylish St Pancras, waiting in security lines, the promise of high speed etc. If they set a benchmark then passengers expect them to exceed it. Fly Ryanair, expect the worse, and enjoy the surprise when it goes well. Take a Virgin train, expect it to run to time but on the occasion you are delayed on a Pendolino you remember the post-privatisation days of delays and rail replacement buses, and you soon start huffing about Branson!
You're right the trains have done well but perhaps customer service and other parts of the company like onboard catering aren't perceived to be up to scratch. Passengers have high expectations of Eurostar because of stylish St Pancras, waiting in security lines, the promise of high speed etc. If they set a benchmark then passengers expect them to exceed it. Fly Ryanair, expect the worse, and enjoy the surprise when it goes well. Take a Virgin train, expect it to run to time but on the occasion you are delayed on a Pendolino you remember the post-privatisation days of delays and rail replacement buses, and you soon start huffing about Branson!
That's a matter of perspective. If the service is being sold as a best of the best, premium, luxury, fully commercial service, then these failures are much less acceptable than on an underinvested, held together with duct tape, semi-state-run rail network where stock continues to run until its practically dead. It's also being compounded by very poor recovery times and extremely poor customer service (after a horrific journey of that magnitude, 100% refund, plus expenses, plus a free ticket equivalent to the original is more in line with what a premium service provider should be doing).
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gordonthemoron
Established Member
what is it with suffixing everything with -star? Eurostar, Turbostar, Electrostar, Red Star (rip)
It's got to be marketing. "Star" conjures up a variety of images, almost all of which are good, and very few bad. Bright, shining, fast, mysterious, famous, important, successful, popular, "reaching for the stars", romance, navigation, to list a few things that can readily be associated with the word. The only bad image that springs to mind, from a western perspective, would be communist and/or totalitarian oppression (please could nobody derail the thread by expanding on the politics of this, it's just a possible image that could be associated for some, rightly or wrongly).
gordonthemoron
Established Member
what was the brand BR used for short breaks?
EM2
Established Member
Golden Rail, wasn't it?
gordonthemoron
Established Member
That's it. Did they ever change it to Gold(en) Star?
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