Eurostar disorganisation at Lille

[Taunton]

Boarding at Lille for London, there seems a significant issue with passenger seating. Most such services are through from Brussels, possibly a half load from each, the Brussels passengers regularly reseat themselves into "empty" seats; arrive at Lille a considerable disruption as passengers board to find their numbered reservations taken. Only needs a couple of these near the entrance door and it blocks back boarding passengers on the platform, and seems a regular cause of delay there.

Eurostar give no indication of what seats are reserved, or not, it being left entirely up to passengers to know these, and potentially liaise with others. It is of course a passenger norm that if reservations are squashed together, or even split up, they will rearrange themselves into vacant seats after departure.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I can't remember about the TMSTs but I'm fairly sure the E320s have reservation displays, just not in use. I wonder how big a project it would be to bring them into use to prevent this issue? It's not SNCF practice to use reservation displays, but it is useful for the reasons you state.

 

[James H]

Pretty sure that when I travelled earlier this year, there was an announcement before Lille to remind people to stay in their reserved seats as more passengers would be joining

 

[signed]

It's not SNCF practice to use reservation displays

Indeed, I don't think (from an outsider) SNCF's IT has the capabilities to deal with that.

Though the Lyria have working reservation sceens, I would expect they're dealt with on SBB's side.

 

[rvdborgt]

Indeed, I don't think (from an outsider) SNCF's IT has the capabilities to deal with that.

Though the Lyria have working reservation sceens, I would expect they're dealt with on SBB's side.

The TGV Marseille-Frankfurt also has working screens. That may also be the case for the other TGVs France-Germany. All these TGVs must be getting data from the SNCF system for domestic reservations in France.

 

[signed]

The TGV Marseille-Frankfurt also has working screens. That may also be the case for the other TGVs France-Germany. All these TGVs must be getting data from the SNCF system for domestic reservations in France.

Didn't know that

 

[stuu]

Pretty sure that when I travelled earlier this year, there was an announcement before Lille to remind people to stay in their reserved seats as more passengers would be joining

Yes there definitely was when I travelled that way last month, in all three languages

 

[Jim the Jim]

I have moved seats after Brussels before, but always make sure to be ready to move again at Lille (though in my experience few people get on there).

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Boarding at Lille for London, there seems a significant issue with passenger seating. Most such services are through from Brussels, possibly a half load from each, the Brussels passengers regularly reseat themselves into "empty" seats; arrive at Lille a considerable disruption as passengers board to find their numbered reservations taken. Only needs a couple of these near the entrance door and it blocks back boarding passengers on the platform, and seems a regular cause of delay there.

Eurostar give no indication of what seats are reserved, or not, it being left entirely up to passengers to know these, and potentially liaise with others. It is of course a passenger norm that if reservations are squashed together, or even split up, they will rearrange themselves into vacant seats after departure.

I did this once at Lille to sit next to my then girlfriend coming back from Brussels. As feared, at Lille, the passengers whose seat I stole boarded and in typical British fashion, apologised to me for sitting in her seat.

 

[gravitystorm]

Pretty sure that when I travelled earlier this year, there was an announcement before Lille to remind people to stay in their reserved seats as more passengers would be joining

I've travelled from Brussels several times in the last year, and they make this announcement every time. I guess some people don't listen and other people don't care.

The opposite situation is also true - it was a bit frustrating that my wife and I travelled in separate parts of the carriage from Brussels until Lille, just in case, but then nobody got on. If reservations had been shown we could have sat together from Brussels without any worries.

 

[rvdborgt]

The opposite situation is also true - it was a bit frustrating that my wife and I travelled in separate parts of the carriage from Brussels until Lille, just in case, but then nobody got on. If reservations had been shown we could have sat together from Brussels without any worries.

That's SNCF for you. They decide what customers want.
(I know it's Eurostar but a lot of what they do is inherited from SNCF.)

 

[iknowyeah]

You can easily change your reserved seats in the app at any point before you check in, not the issue a lot of people here are making out

 

[stuu]

You can easily change your reserved seats in the app at any point before you check in, not the issue a lot of people here are making out

Surely the point is that people may have been unable to book seats together online, and then when they get on at Brussels they think the seats actually are available, when they aren't?

 

[iknowyeah]

Surely the point is that people may have been unable to book seats together online, and then when they get on at Brussels they think the seats actually are available, when they aren't?

I have never used a eurostar that doesn't have at least one set of two seats together when I check just before departure, as I always try and find my preferred seat about 45 minutes before departure

 

[Taunton]

It's a separate point about whether you wish to squander your time trudging through some App to look for what the booking system was unable to provide. My original point was every coach at Lille having a doorway queue backing up onto the platform, while those first in renegotiate their allocated seats, and those in them cumbersomely rearrange themselves, all to the extent of actually delaying departure.

 

[gravitystorm]

I have never used a eurostar that doesn't have at least one set of two seats together when I check just before departure, as I always try and find my preferred seat about 45 minutes before departure

Times when I've been affected include when we get to the check-in gates and get issued a new seat reservation (due to train set swaps), and when we've been delayed overnight by DB and are being put on the first available train the next morning. So in those cases, you can't rely on previous seat reservations.

 

[riceuten]

Came back from Amiens via Lille a week or so back, via Lille Flandres and walking up past Euralille. Flandres was absolutely heaving - we had to force our way through, because t had been the "Braderie" that weekend. I did wonder why we had been provided with a 7 car TER (some of it double deck), but we had difficulties in getting off the train even, as people were trying to force their way on even before everyone had disembarked. Making slow progress to Europe, we eventually popped into Paul in the shopping centre and then had a carpet picnic till boarding time commenced. There were probably about 100 people getting on the train (quite a few for Lille), which was 15 minutes late. We were amazed to find our seats unoccupied, as otherwise the train was full. The only real problem I find is getting luggage space.

I note there was still a member of staff whose sole job it was to stand there with a sign warning not to bring WW2 memorabilia in the forms of disused shells and bullets many years on before embarkation

 

[Thames99]

I think the restriction on shells etc. relates to WW1 rather than WW2. The French have restrictions on cultural items depending on their age or value being taken out of the country without appropriate paperwork. WW1 items became very difficult to export once they were over 100 years old.

I bought a painting in Paris a few years ago (before Brexit) and checked out the rules thoroughly. Anything between 50 and 100 years is OK so long as it is below a certain value (50,000 Euros I think). My painting was of this age but needless to say well under that value! Over 100 years old regardless of its value you need to get permission from the Louvre and pay for the appropriate paperwork. In reality of course no-one checked any thing at GdN.

 

[Birkonian]

Pretty sure that when I travelled earlier this year, there was an announcement before Lille to remind people to stay in their reserved seats as more passengers would be joining

There is indeed.