what if I miss my Eurostar

[Alan1310]

Hi traveling to euro disney on Thursday morning via Eurostar but have to get from Cambridge to st pancras via train. what if my Cambridge train is delayed and I miss my Eurostar will they let me travel on the next available service
Cheers

 

[island]

Yes if your Cambridge to London tickets are marked CIV, no otherwise.

Note that there are no direct trains from Cambridge to St. Pancakes.

 

[Alan1310]

How do I get them marked CIV. Pardon my ignorance on this one

 

[yorkie]

What's the destination on your ticket from Cambridge?

How long have you allowed to interchange?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How do I get them marked CIV. Pardon my ignorance on this one

Buy them online from Raileasy, or Eurostar telesales, or at a ticket office.

 

[maniacmartin]

Only if you have a ticket to the specially-named destination of London International (CIV) or London Estar (CIV) and allow the massive minimum connection time.

The London Estar tickets can be cheaper than normal tickets anyway, and are only available for passengers connecting with the Eurostar. They're detailed in our Ticketing guide - If you already hold your Eurostar ticket, your best bet is to purchase the Cambridge to London Estar (Civ) ticket from Eurostar domestic sales on 01233 617913, though it's probably too late now to get them posted for Thursday.

You can ask at Cambridge station, but they will only be able to sell to London International (CIV), not London Estar (CIV). This still covers you, but the tickets cost a bit more.

With normal rail tickets to Kings Cross, I believe you are stuffed if there's a delay

 

[Alan1310]

Haven't got my ticket from Cambridge yet as was going to buy on the day at the ticket office

 

[Mojo]

Haven't got my ticket from Cambridge yet as was going to buy on the day at the ticket office

The advice would be not to. Contact Eurostar on the details in the above links.

 

[Alan1310]

Going to get the 07:15 from CBG Eurostar is the 10:15

 

[yorkie]

With normal rail tickets to Kings Cross, I believe you are stuffed if there's a delay

Officially, yes.

In practice, it is rare that is the case (if ever?)

But as others have said, it's usually cheaper to buy the correct tickets anyway, so it would be bonkers not to.

If the correct tickets are purchased, there is really no point allowing any more than the official minimum interchange time.

 

[Alan1310]

Oh it never is that easy is it. Glad the missus asked me what would happen and glad you guys know what your in about
Cheers guys

 

[island]

I think it's too late for Lndon Estar CIV tickets as AFAIK they can only be posted out and the OP is travelling on Thursday.

London Intl(Civ) tickets can be bought on the day from competent booking offices which should enter the destination LNE.

 

[Romilly]

I think that the answer is to buy Cambridge to "London Eurostar CIV" tickets from Eurostar Domestic Sales on 01233 617913 (Monday to Friday 9 to 5). You will need your Eurostar booking reference(s) to hand when you call them. You can then collect the tickets from a Ticket Vending Machine at Cambridge Station. "CIV" refers to the International Conditions of Carriage, which include provision for being put on the next train if a connecting service runs late.

Alternatively, you can also buy tickets to London International CIV from a station or from the Raileasy website (although I've never used that site). Lots more details on the www.Seat61.com website.

I note that island suggests that London Eurostar CIV tickets can only be posted out, but when I bought tickets from them back in September for travel in October I simply got an 8-character reference to enter into a station ticket machine in order to collect the tickets in the usual way.

Apologies for duplicating some of the earlier entries - I spent too long being distracted while typing.

 

[CyrusWuff]

For reference, the Cambridge - London International Euro Open Return (needed as the OP is travelling in the peak) is £44.00, but tickets to London Eurostar (sold as Singles) are £10.00 for the Open Single or £6.00 for the "High Saver" Single (valid for arrivals into London after 0915, and not valid leaving London between 1630 and 1830), so it's definitely worth giving Eurostar Telesales a call in this case!

Also, the minimum connection time between Kings Cross and St Pancras for Eurostar purposes is 65 minutes (30 for purely domestic connections) so the OP could theoretically leave Cambridge on the 0815 (timetabled to arrive at Kings Cross at 0909) and still make the connection.

 

[Oscar]

Tickets to/from Lndon Estar (CIV) could only be posted out or collected from Eurostar ticket machines at St. Pancras until a few months ago. Eurostar Domestic Sales have recently changed their policy to collect from National Rail or Eurostar ticket machines only, apparently due to issues with tickets being "lost in the post". The advice in the Fares Guide is now out of date. Eurostar Domestic Sales and National Rail ticket offices also don't seem to take notice of the minimum connection times listed in the NRT and often sell Advance tickets from King's Cross for trains departing 15-20 minutes after Eurostar arrivals. In this situation I can't see that either Eurostar or TOCs would have any grounds to refuse carriage on a later service if a passenger missed a train in this circumstance. However, in the case of walk-up tickets, I think that theoretically including the NRT minimum connection times in an itinerary is necessary to gain this protection, however in reality staff are likely to base a decision on whether the planned connection time is reasonable. The Advance Fares FAQ also states that TOCs guarantee the same protection to holders of tickets to/from London Terminals as London Intl (CIV) or Lndon Estar (CIV).

The CIV (see page 8) were written many years ago at a time when through ticketing in Europe was much more widespread and do in fact not mention combinations of tickets, though they have recently been updated with the European delay compensation stipulations. They simply state that passengers need to be looked after appropriately if connections are missed. You can read this as implying that passengers should be put on the next train or that an overnight stay should be paid for in the case of split ticketing (there are no through tickets for many international journeys involving a change) but sometimes European rail companies claim that it only applies for through tickets (Deutsche Bahn, as I imagine have other companies, has expressed both of these views on different occasions, though luckily the first seems more common). See the relevant page on Seat 61 for more information. I presume that a ticket to/from Lndon Estar (CIV) or London Intl (CIV) is considered a through ticket, but tickets to/from London Terminals are considered separate tickets. The CIV

 

[Alan1310]

I phoned Eurostar on the number given by you lovely people and spoke to a very very helpful man who sold me 2 returns for 32 quid bloody bonus and I can collect them from the TVM at CBG in the morning

Thanks again all who helped