So when do the fast trains to Amsterdam finally start?
- Thread starter lang rabbie
- Start date
It's a shame that, for those who live in London, the Eurostar thing becomes so much less of an option. I hate the whole cattle class thing of flying, but just looking at planning a trip to Amsterdam from West Wales, I'm stuck with a long (and expensive) 5-6 hour train journey into London before I even start.
I could drive to Ebbsfleet - that'd probably take about 5 hours and, two-up, would be cheaper than Saver Returns on the train. But then I have to pay nearly forty pounds for parking
I am going to try and plan some kind of long-weekend-in-Amsterdam thing anyway, and I really, really want to do it as a train journey. But I've a feeling abandoning the car at Cardiff and flying is going to end up being the most cost-effective option by such a margin that I'll struggle to justify the train to an already-train-sceptical Herself. Perhaps there ARE through-ticketing deals that make it worthwhile...*heads off to seat61*
I could drive to Ebbsfleet - that'd probably take about 5 hours and, two-up, would be cheaper than Saver Returns on the train. But then I have to pay nearly forty pounds for parking
I am going to try and plan some kind of long-weekend-in-Amsterdam thing anyway, and I really, really want to do it as a train journey. But I've a feeling abandoning the car at Cardiff and flying is going to end up being the most cost-effective option by such a margin that I'll struggle to justify the train to an already-train-sceptical Herself. Perhaps there ARE through-ticketing deals that make it worthwhile...*heads off to seat61*
teuchter
je suis teuchter
It's a shame that, for those who live in London, the Eurostar thing becomes so much less of an option. I hate the whole cattle class thing of flying, but just looking at planning a trip to Amsterdam from West Wales, I'm stuck with a long (and expensive) 5-6 hour train journey into London before I even start.
I could drive to Ebbsfleet - that'd probably take about 5 hours and, two-up, would be cheaper than Saver Returns on the train. But then I have to pay nearly forty pounds for parking
I am going to try and plan some kind of long-weekend-in-Amsterdam thing anyway, and I really, really want to do it as a train journey. But I've a feeling abandoning the car at Cardiff and flying is going to end up being the most cost-effective option by such a margin that I'll struggle to justify the train to an already-train-sceptical Herself. Perhaps there ARE through-ticketing deals that make it worthwhile...*heads off to seat61*
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/travel_information/interlining.jsp
At the least, you can ask for a CIV ticket to "London International" (from anywhere in UK I thin) if you are using the Eurostar, which means you can travel on peak-time (and otherwise very expensive) UK trains at a reduced price.
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
To be fair it's a short and easy ride away from Brixton tube by at least 4 different bus routes.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Minimum check in time is 30 mins, or 10 mins for Business Premier passengers.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
I now have to get the Victria line from Vauxhall. Fuck me, in the rush hour I need to let 4 or 5 trains go by before I can get on with no luggage. How many people live in Brixton & Stockwell???
Happily this provides me with an excuse not to go to Eurodizzy, as negotiating that tube with baby Bahn and all her crap would be fucking impossible at that time of day.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
This is what they say, and obviously safest to stick to it if you can, but I've shown up "late" previously and not had a problem.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Blame the northern line people, coming to our tube line at Stockwell and taking all our seats.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
editor
hiraethified
You can repeat that all you like, but the fact is that it took me and Eme about five minutes to go through. I'm not recommending that people turn up with five minutes to go obviously, but that's how long it took us.
Took about 20 mins at the scuzzy Brussels station - still miles less than the plane and a whole load less hassle.
editor
hiraethified
Assuming you arrive and get straight on the waiting train, of course. I've had some horribly delayed journeys to Gatwick. Nearly missed my flight once.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Will repeat it as it's the official line that I am duty bound to repeat
But have shown up at Waterloo with 5 minutes to go and still got on
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Mind you, I've had a punter who's Eurostar took 14 hours to get from Paris to London.
roryer
道可道非常道，名可名非常名
I second this option. Nothing beats arriving in Hook v. Holland at 7am, well slept, well fed and ready to go, clutching a rail ticket to anywhere in Netherlands valid all day. Rail Ferry to Holland on the Stenna line is by far the most comfortable way to travel. If you are carrying a bike remember to pay the surcharge for it.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I've not tried this route myself yet even tthough I'm always suggesting it to people who want to get to the continent cheaply. I've done similar from Hull or Newcastle when I lived in Scotland though.
Do you get your own cabin, then, or do you share with a snoring stranger?
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Were you wearing an Urban 75 "baby-eating anarchist" tee when you went through? I was.
Of course, we were also on the first train out that morning, so the security people weren't up to speed.
Last time I flew from Gatwick, with no luggage, hence using the 'fast check in', it took TWO fucking hours to clear all the procedures.
No exagerration.
The fastest I've done it is an hour.
Eurostar security at the UK end is indeed taking longer (it's a tunnel+terrorism driven, not border driven by the way), and now it's more difficult for me to take tools (I generally need a claw hammer when I go to Paris), but it's still massively preferable to air travel.
As an experience in itself, there's still some cool journeys to do. Top of my list at the moment is the Caledonian Sleeper, specifically... Get on at Euston, then in the morning get off at the halt that was the scene of Renton's brilliant "it's shite being Scottish" monologue. It's a request stop. No road goes there.
From 7 million people to wilderness, with just a few drinks and a snooze inbetween
No exagerration.
The fastest I've done it is an hour.
Eurostar security at the UK end is indeed taking longer (it's a tunnel+terrorism driven, not border driven by the way), and now it's more difficult for me to take tools (I generally need a claw hammer when I go to Paris), but it's still massively preferable to air travel.
As an experience in itself, there's still some cool journeys to do. Top of my list at the moment is the Caledonian Sleeper, specifically... Get on at Euston, then in the morning get off at the halt that was the scene of Renton's brilliant "it's shite being Scottish" monologue. It's a request stop. No road goes there.
From 7 million people to wilderness, with just a few drinks and a snooze inbetween
I'm scarded
lang rabbie
Je ne regrette les gazebos
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Cool. From December 13th it will be 1h 53m from Brussels (from 2h 42m previously).
Journey times from London to Brussels are 1h 51m, so that means in a little over four hours including the change at Brussels you can get from central London to central Amsterdam.
That's very good indeed, and frankly I don't think there is much difference at all (if any) with the comparable plane journey door to door. Not to mention being an infinitely more pleasurable travelling experience.
*awaits Cobbles' arrival*
Journey times from London to Brussels are 1h 51m, so that means in a little over four hours including the change at Brussels you can get from central London to central Amsterdam.
That's very good indeed, and frankly I don't think there is much difference at all (if any) with the comparable plane journey door to door. Not to mention being an infinitely more pleasurable travelling experience.
*awaits Cobbles' arrival*
not-bono-ever
meh
thats good - I drove last time for the Scotland game - its full on 6 hours run
train next time for me
train next time for me
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Thalys trains should also be able to use the high speed track between Brussels and Liege in a few months which is good - it will make connections through to Germany and beyond a bit better than they have been.
Cologne should also be reachable from London in a bit over the magic 4hrs at which point it becomes seriously competitive with air travel.
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/line-3-completes-high-speed-network.html
Cologne should also be reachable from London in a bit over the magic 4hrs at which point it becomes seriously competitive with air travel.
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/line-3-completes-high-speed-network.html
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
Booking and timetables still need matching up tho; I just looked at Estar/Thalys to Amsterdam from St Pancras and the 06:59 Estar gets into Bruxelles Midi 5 minutes after the Thalys departs for the 'Dam, leaving a 2 hr wait til the next service.
I might just phone Eurostar up tho - I'm shite with online railway ticket booking...
e2a:
OK, cheapest cheapest rtn from LSP-Amsterdam Cetraaaaaal via Buxelles Midi is £94 all in, but that's taking really early trains, and that would be booking today. No bad at all.
I might just phone Eurostar up tho - I'm shite with online railway ticket booking...
e2a:
OK, cheapest cheapest rtn from LSP-Amsterdam Cetraaaaaal via Buxelles Midi is £94 all in, but that's taking really early trains, and that would be booking today. No bad at all.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
What I was just thinking.
Possibly an issue with running a Eurostar right through would be the security arrangements which would mean that, say, an Amsterdam-LSP train would only be able to pick up passengers at stops with security control facilities (like you have at the moment in Lille and Brussels). And even if you had security facilities at Amsterdam, you wouldn't be able to offer tickets from say Amsterdam to Brussels unless those passengers were happy to go through the security thing unnecessarily if you see what I mean. So it would probably only be feasible if there were enough people wanting to go the entire Amsterdam-LSP route to fill up most of a train.
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
It ups the journey time by 80, not 120, minutes - total is 5h01m, 80mins spent sat at Bruxelles...
teuchter
je suis teuchter
ah that damn schengen problem again
Still, missing the connection by 5 minutes isn't very clever!
I think it's more to do with the tunnel/bomb threat thing than Schengen. If it was just a matter of checking passports rather than also scanning bags, then the checks could easily be carried out on board whilst the train was moving, as is the case on many cross-border journeys elsewhere.
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