Eurostar merger latest

[Citybreak1]

So I got a Eurostar blue from Brussels to Paris. How do they manage this without new rolling stock? I assume they can sell double the tickets? I believe any new trains are still 5 years off.

 

[StephenHunter]

So I got a Eurostar blue from Brussels to Paris. How do they manage this without new rolling stock? I assume they can sell double the tickets? I believe any new trains are still 5 years off.

The e320s are cleared for that route and also their lines to Germany.

 

[Citybreak1]

The e320s are cleared for that route and also their lines to Germany.

Have they run any to Germany yet? Be interesting to see if they can get one to run from London to Germany or maybe even Brussels to Cologne.

 

[StephenHunter]

Have they run any to Germany yet? Be interesting to see if they can get one to run from London to Germany or maybe even Brussels to Cologne.

Not yet. DB have units in the same family (Siemens Velaro) that do the latter route; they ran one into St Pancras some years back as a test.

 

[DanielB]

So I got a Eurostar blue from Brussels to Paris. How do they manage this without new rolling stock?

Due to the lacking customs facilities in the Netherlands at the moment, a Eurostar blue from London into the Netherlands does a return working from Amsterdam to Paris instead. That requires less stock than running additional services on top of the full Amsterdam to London timetable.

 

[StephenHunter]

Due to the lacking customs facilities in the Netherlands at the moment, a Eurostar blue from London into the Netherlands does a return working from Amsterdam to Paris instead. That requires less stock than running additional services on top of the full Amsterdam to London timetable.

More passport control than customs in that case. They're distinctive things, handled by different bodies in some countries. Passport control is generally an Interior Ministry or Defence responsibility (the Marechaussee are part of the latter). Customs is usually a finance ministry task due to import duties being a major element of government revenue before free trade agreements like the EU.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Not yet. DB have units in the same family (Siemens Velaro) that do the latter route; they ran one into St Pancras some years back as a test.

Not in "live" mode I don't think.
Hauled for the PR event at St Pancras.

 

[TheWierdOne]

Not in "live" mode I don't think.
Hauled for the PR event at St Pancras.

It was displayed there during evacuation trials. DB got surprisingly close to running a London-Germany service, going so far as to acquire clearance from the Intergovernmental Commission to run ICE D sets through the Channel Tunnel and do those safety tests.