Eurostar gauging trials in Scotland (1997)

[oldman]

How long did the connecting services to Waterloo run and did anybody actually use them? I travelled on one once from Newcastle to Edinburgh when normal services had been disrupted; it must have been late 1990s. I don't think there was any effort to promote it.

 

[w1bbl3]

Yes, that also seems to be my recollections of what BR and Customs officials stated they were planning at the time for north of London routes

IIRC the original 1986 British railways board prospectus described Eurotunnel passenger system having a "frontier station at Kensington Olympia" for services bypassing London / Waterloo. I can only assume this was intended at the time to a simple passport/documents check either on train or off and back on before continuing onwards to Paris / Brussels. The later 1989 report also refers to Kensington Olympia as the international gateway for London bypass services.

Now this was in an era when major international airports didn't scan all hold baggage and passenger screening was interesting, if not positively lax.

I do honestly suspect that had regional services not been a requirement of the channel tunnel act then the north of london sets and night star would not ultimately have been ordered by BR as was.

 

[SHD]

Security infrastructure aside, it does sound like a Eurostar link would be technically feasible in the e300 units, certainly up to Birmingham and the North of England, but they would go round London. The journey time would be too long from Scotland though. Though it is unlikely any station will be retrofitted for border controls with this for a set of units that are going to be scrapped.

Surely some of the new stations on HS2 would be wise to have this infrastructure in place, but would a European loading gauge train be able to go from HS1 to HS2 without a cross-London link?

E300s had their 750 V equipment removed 10 years ago anyway...

 

[Carlisle]

IIRC the original 1986 British railways board prospectus described Eurotunnel passenger system having a "frontier station at Kensington Olympia" for services bypassing London / Waterloo. I can only assume this was intended at the time to a simple passport/documents check either on train or off and back on before continuing onwards to Paris / Brussels. The later 1989 report also refers to Kensington Olympia as the international gateway for London bypass services.
.

Yes, I can remember leaflets issued at places like Waterloo containing schedules of channel tunnel related plans including Kensington Olympia International and Mid Kent Parkway stations

 

[Steamysandy]

I also remember seeing class 373 stopping markers on platforms 20& 21 at Edinburgh Waverley Which is the outside island and was used for certain North Berwick services.

 

[dubscottie]

How long did the connecting services to Waterloo run and did anybody actually use them? I travelled on one once from Newcastle to Edinburgh when normal services had been disrupted; it must have been late 1990s. I don't think there was any effort to promote it.

There was a good article in the Railway Magazine at the time about them. IIRC they did appear in the timetables but it was made clear they were for EPS passengers only. Very few people used them as it took a age to get from the ECML to Waterloo. You could save a hour by getting a regular train and crossing London on the tube.

 

[hawk1911]

How long did the connecting services to Waterloo run and did anybody actually use them? I travelled on one once from Newcastle to Edinburgh when normal services had been disrupted; it must have been late 1990s. I don't think there was any effort to promote it.

I used the service once (after returning from Brussels) between Waterloo and Stafford.