So I’m stuck.
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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
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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
Damn how we need competition against Eurostar. Both to London and on ex-Thalys routes. I’m not even necessarily a fan of competition but it’s the only hope here. #CrossBorderRail
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Damn how we need competition against Eurostar. Both to London and on ex-Thalys routes. I’m not even necessarily a fan of competition but it’s the only hope here. #CrossBorderRail
And all I need now: my second #CrossBorderRail to run on time later on Liège - Maastricht
But it’s a Drielandentrein 🫣
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Damn how we need competition against Eurostar. Both to London and on ex-Thalys routes. I’m not even necessarily a fan of competition but it’s the only hope here. #CrossBorderRail
@jon Prices on Eurostar are just insane. Even for families it is often cheaper to fly than to go by train. Competition alone won't fix it though without extra infrastructure, no? You would know better, but my status is that there isn't more capacity through the channel tunnel than what they already do.
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@jon Prices on Eurostar are just insane. Even for families it is often cheaper to fly than to go by train. Competition alone won't fix it though without extra infrastructure, no? You would know better, but my status is that there isn't more capacity through the channel tunnel than what they already do.
@leo a few years ago I calculated it for Paris - Bruxelles. If you run the current peak timetable all day, run 16 carriage trains all day, and run double deckers you get 186% more seats. On existing infra! That’s before even factoring in if there’s extra space on the lines.
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And all I need now: my second #CrossBorderRail to run on time later on Liège - Maastricht
But it’s a Drielandentrein 🫣
Also I forgot to add a rather tragic conversation from the Eurostar ticket office earlier, where I’d tried queuing.
American behind me, to the security guard at the door: “I want to go to London today!”
Security: “You’ll have to wait!”
Him: “Isn’t there a train every hour?”
Me to him: “Honestly try on your phone instead.”
Him: “But they all say ‘No availability’”
