Poster: A snowHead
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Eurostar has announced it is to spend £700m on 10 new trains capable of reaching 200mph and 'interoperable' allowing them to provide direct routes to more destinations across Europe. The new Eurostar e320² trains will reduce the journey time to Paris to 2 hrs and deliver direct London to Geneva in 5 hrs.... With a capacity of 900 passengers plus luggage, they will have 20% more capacity than current Eurostar trains.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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London - Geneva in 5 Hrs will be good if it ever actually happens, anyone remember being told that Eurostar trains would go beyond the straight connection between London and the Tunnel ? Never happened
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Don't hold your breath, snowHeads. Eurostar want to buy Siemens trains. The French are mightily upset that Areva are not being given the order (they are the current Eurostar supplier). Bit of serious Eurozone infighting to be settled before manufacture even starts.
As DGO points out, loads of promising promises about new train services in UK have been regularly broken.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I had cause to complain to Eurostar for bungling my booking, (though all turned out ok in the end) and I also complained about the luggage arrangements. For the unaware, there is a fairly small luggage rack at the end of the carriage for large bags. Small-med sized are supposed to go in the overseat racks. Actually there is a goodish amount of space between seat-backs further down the carriage but until you get there you don't know how much space there is or indeed what size of bag will fit. We found the first few people on board randomly stuck their bags large, medium and small, in the end of coach racks & everyone else then log-jammed getting on. Our seats were the far end of the carriage, near the next carriage door, yet we had been instructed to board by our carriage's door, meaning we had to drag bags the full length inside and hope there was somewhere for them.
Part of the response to my complaint was to sympathise, the manager writing had experienced similar problems himself. He assured me the new stock will be far better in this respect. We shall see.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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5 hours sounded good to me, but when I think about it it's no advantage. I live an hour from Heathrow, and if I allow an hour before my flight then I land in Geneva in less than 4 hours from home. Book early with BA and you get reasonable prices. I know that doesn't take fog, French air traffic controller strikes etc. into account and I will have to pay for skis, but a sButterfly says Eurostar isn't perfect for skis, even if they are free.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Edit - the French built trains are by Altshom, not Areva. Sorry
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News today that Deutsche Bahn will be running trains throught the tunnel to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne and Rotterdam.
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Now, if they'd just run a sleeper service from London to Munich!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Bring back a sleeper service from London to Interlaken please ....
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Brilliant news. And it was rumoured to cost €59 a person, making it only £20 more expensive than my return trip to Manchester, a grand total of 80 miles.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Although the Siemens verses Alstom issue is true and interesting the only concern it raises is when as whomever supplies the trains will be required to meet the same interoperable requirements.
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