So I’m stuck.
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Finally close to Paris.
2 hours 30 mins late, for no fault of my own.
And I’ve got no idea if or when I can continue my journey towards Maastricht. 11:51 from Nord, ideally, but contingent on a friendly train manager…
The train manager was friendly. So I’m on my #CrossBorderRail to Liège. In the bar for now…
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The train manager was friendly. So I’m on my #CrossBorderRail to Liège. In the bar for now…
@jon But you're right, having to rely on the courtesy of train staff is a terrible position to be in. That's what makes people take their car instead.
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The train manager was friendly. So I’m on my #CrossBorderRail to Liège. In the bar for now…
Also I increased the chances of this working by knowing what type of Eurostar - Thalys runs the Köln service, and waiting right beside it before the platform was announced. That meant I was the first to see the train manager. That ought not be necessary! #CrossBorderRail
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Also I increased the chances of this working by knowing what type of Eurostar - Thalys runs the Köln service, and waiting right beside it before the platform was announced. That meant I was the first to see the train manager. That ought not be necessary! #CrossBorderRail
@jon this is why I say we should never book a train ticket, but buy a train ticket.
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Also I increased the chances of this working by knowing what type of Eurostar - Thalys runs the Köln service, and waiting right beside it before the platform was announced. That meant I was the first to see the train manager. That ought not be necessary! #CrossBorderRail
I tried the ticket office for Eurostar first. But there were 3 desks open and a crazy queue. That would not have worked. #CrossBorderRail
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I tried the ticket office for Eurostar first. But there were 3 desks open and a crazy queue. That would not have worked. #CrossBorderRail
@jon I was told at the ticket desk in Paris that I would need to talk to the train manager, after waiting for 15 minutes
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@jon I was told at the ticket desk in Paris that I would need to talk to the train manager, after waiting for 15 minutes
@webhat the problem is you can’t always get to the train manager! But yes, if you can it’s the best - for Eurostar. They have more power than SNCF ones.
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@webhat the problem is you can’t always get to the train manager! But yes, if you can it’s the best - for Eurostar. They have more power than SNCF ones.
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@jon So you wait before the closed barriers, waiting for attendants to show up, and then you ask them to get the train manager for you? I don't suppose you had a valid ticket to actually get next to the train before that
@bentorfs Correct. I showed my ticket for the 09:46 at the barrier, and asked to go see the train manager. And am on the 11:51.
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Also I increased the chances of this working by knowing what type of Eurostar - Thalys runs the Köln service, and waiting right beside it before the platform was announced. That meant I was the first to see the train manager. That ought not be necessary! #CrossBorderRail
@jon I'm taking this Sunday evening.
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@jon I'm taking this Sunday evening.
@hub hopefully under better circumstances than my trip today!
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@jon People in Germany like to rant about Deutsche Bahn, they don't know SNCF/Eurostar ...
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@hub hopefully under better circumstances than my trip today!
@jon it can be late 2:30 hours and I'll be winning. (long connection for the ICE in Cologne)
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@bentorfs I had a decent amount of time to transfer. But I was 2 hours 30 mins late into Paris! I didn’t give myself that much
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@jon So you wait before the closed barriers, waiting for attendants to show up, and then you ask them to get the train manager for you? I don't suppose you had a valid ticket to actually get next to the train before that
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And it is at moments like this that you realise that
COMPULSORY RESERVATION TRAINS ARE SHIT
I will happily stand the whole way from Paris to Liège, because better that than not getting there at all
But as the Eurostar is compulsory reservation I am likely not allowed on it
My need to get to my destination is higher than the mild inconvenience to some other passenger if I am standing beside them in an aisle
@jon i always assumed this was a liability / safety issue but yes, it is annoying.
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@bentorfs I had a decent amount of time to transfer. But I was 2 hours 30 mins late into Paris! I didn’t give myself that much
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@jon i always assumed this was a liability / safety issue but yes, it is annoying.
@mvexel it is in part, but not wholly - if it’s TOO overloaded it can be, esp as axle load of double decker TGVs is limited. But it’s taken to an excessive extreme by SNCF and Eurostar, to drive up ticket costs on peak trains.
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I tried the ticket office for Eurostar first. But there were 3 desks open and a crazy queue. That would not have worked. #CrossBorderRail
Apart from the speed of the train when it’s running, and - from Eurostar’s point of view - the ticket prices, EVERYTHING else is inefficient. Staffing. Boarding. Seating. Timetables. Ticket offices. Catering. Luggage stowage. #CrossBorderRail
