jamesontheroad
OBS Chief
BACKGROUND
What is it with me a taking trains to and from French cities? I must be the next in a long line of Brits who have fallen in love with the language and culture of our Gallic neighbours. After a year based in Montréal, working in French for the first time (and travelling around North America lots... you'll find those trips elsewhere on this forum) I headed back to England to complete a masters degree.
Then late last year, the opportunity arose for me to swap a semester in England with one in France. Any student enrolled at a participating university anywhere in Europe can apply for an exchange through the Erasmus-Socrates programme of the European Union. It's very simple: through the programme universities can establish relations and agree to allow a certain number of each others' students to spend a semester or year at the other school. No matter if one university sends more than the other; it's a goodwill arrangement facilitated by the fact that the student continues to pay his or her fees at the 'home' university, and that the credits he or she earns are recorded on a credit transfer certificate that is recognisable throughout Europe. If he or she decides to take a whole year abroad, then all tuition fees are waived. Regardless of how long the student is away, the European Union provides a monthly allowance to support the cost of relocation - in my case €270 a month, or about US$350.
So, having decided to move to France, I decided to do the relocation by train. Ryanair, the big brother of low cost airlines, could fly me from London Stansted to Karlsrühe in Germany, just across the border from Strasbourg, for £10 (about US$20) each way. But then I don't live near Stansted, and Karlsrühe is not Strasbourg. When you start adding up the cost and time of airport transfers, taking the train becomes a whole lot more attractive.
The title of this travelogue is a little deceptive, since I'll include the two trains that got me to London, from Sheffield in the county of South Yorkshire via a quiet rural corner of the county of Norfolk, in the region of East Anglia. This diversion was to see family before leaving the country.
So...
Sat 3 February: dep. Sheffield 11h38, arr. Thetford 14h37 (Central Trains)
Tue 6 February dep. Downham Market 07h06 arr. London King's Cross 08h45 (First Capital Connect)
Tue 6 February dep. London Waterloo 10h40 arr. Paris Gare du nord 14h17 (Eurostar)
Tue 6 February dep. Paris Gare de l'est 15h46 arr. Strasbourg 19h46 (SNCF)
(France is one hour ahead of Great Britain)
For the first two trains I was able to use my Young Persons Railcard. The first train ticket was bought online well in advance for a deeply discounted £8.60 one way. From Downham Market to London I paid £17.90 for a standard one way to London (including my tube transfer to Waterloo). The combined ticket from London to Strasbourg was a youth fare (available to anyone aged 25 or under) and purchased as a return, which worked out as £39.50 one way.
So, for the whole trip, £66 or about US$129 one way.
SHEFFIELD - THETFORD
Central Trains is the privatised operator of most regional and inter-regional services in the Midlands, and for many years now I've been an occasional user of one of their most depressing services, the east-west cross country route that runs about eight times daily Liverpool - Manchester - Sheffield - Nottingham - Grantham - Peterborough - Ely - Thetford - Norwich.
Whereas Richard Branson's co-venture in Virgin Trains has seen a massive investment in new long distance DMU 'Voyager' trains for the north-south cross-country routes, equipped with first class and on board shops, my trip (would take five hours if followed from end to end) is served by the runt of post-privitisation rolling stock: the class 170 Turbostar. These two and three car single class DMU trains were some of the first new units to enter service after British Rail was privatised, and a distinct lack of vision is their design is evident. These trains continued the pre-privatisation policy of replacing the locomotive hauled trains of many lesser used cross country routes with shorter multiple units. Frequently overcrowded, and hopelessly under provided with luggage space or on board facilities, they're also noisy and uncomfortable to ride in, with an engine hooked up beneath each car.
The train was about half an hour late arriving, but the journey itself was beautiful. The 'journey home' is special no matter who you are or where you're going, and my journey home from my adopted home in Sheffield to my family in the east of England is a scenic trip from the undulating and industrial midlands to the flat reclaimed agricultural lands of the Cambridgeshire fens. The segment of the journey between Peterborough and Ely is possibly one of the most beautiful in the country, simply because the once submerged fenland landscape is so unusual, and the sudden appearance of a huge sky above you reminds you of this empty landscape.
The train is exceptionally busy as far as Nottingham, and then empties out as the train continues east. This has not gone unnoticed by the train operators, and when this service is re-assigned to a enlarged rail franchise for the midlands in the next couple of years, it may be split into two separate services from the hub at Nottingham.
DOWNHAM MARKET - LONDON KING'S CROSS
Another re-organisation of franchises means that since I last used this service, almost all trains from King's Lynn, Downham Market and on to Ely, Cambridge and London King's Cross are operated by First Capital Connect (isn't our privatised railway colourful?). This early morning departure from another station close to my family home is operated by one of a fleet of hard working class 365 trains. These four coach EMU trains shuttle back and forth on the busy commuter routes between London - Peterborough and London - Cambridge - Ely - King's Lynn. The expanded franchise has united these services north of London with the cross-capital Thameslink trains that operate between Bedford - Luton - London - Brighton through the soon to be refurbished Thameslink corridor, the only existing continuous route through the capital.
I enjoy these early morning departures, since I'm possibly one of the few people on the train beginning a contintental journey. Everyone else is en route to the office, and looks pretty glum about it as well. We're crossing the fens from north to south this time, and the fields are still frosted under a pink sky. At Cambridge the train couples onto the back of another four coach unit, but it's still standing room only as the train begins its limited stop service to London King's Cross. We whisk towards London at almost 100mph, and arrive in the main train hall of King's Cross station on time.
ACROSS LONDON...
My ticket is for London zones 1-2-3, so includes onward London Transport travel by bus or tube to anywhere in central London. However I have lots of luggage and decide to get a cab. The whole area around King's Cross and the neighbouring St. Pancras terminal is being redevloped for the iminent relocation of the London Eurostar terminus to St. Pancras on Wednesday, 14 November 2007. St. Pancras (on the left of that aerial shot) is being expanded with a new train shed extending the platforms and a new set of side platforms for Midland Mainline services to the Midlands and Yorkshire. Building work is also progressing between the two terminii on a new underground station for cross-capital Thameslink trains, and in a short while through services from King's Lynn, Ely and Cambridge will be running through the capital and on to Gatwick and Brighton. So I'm doing this trip just a few months before it becomes much quicker and easier: from next November I'll only have to walk from King's Cross to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar, and it'll also shave twenty minutes off the Eurostar journey time to Paris.
Unfortunately it's just before 09h00, and outside King's Cross there's a line of people waiting for cabs that doesn't appear to be moving. So I turn right around and head back to the entrance to the tube. With one huge backpack, two soft bags and suitcase on wheels, I manage to get through the tube with some difficulty. An elevator and escalator gets be down to the Piccadilly Line. I have to change lines at Leicester Square, which requires several flights of stairs and twisting corridors between the platforms. I managed it, but I'd recommend anyone else to get a taxi instead - there is no direct bus route between King's Cross and Waterloo either.
LONDON WATERLOO - PARIS GARE DU NORD
Even with all my luggage in tow, it only takes me about thirty minutes to get to Waterloo station. A separate escalator carries Eurostar passengers up into the dedicated international terminal, which is located in a sunken concourse next to the main train hall. The platforms themselves snake out alongside Waterloo station - the Eurostar is the longest passenger train in operation in Britain right now. As you can see from this aerial view the International terminal is a huge structure, and very soon it's going to be made obsalescent, as all Eurostar services move to St. Pancras station.
It might seem odd to relocate the Eurostar terminal to the other (north) side of London, but the new high speed rail line that will link St. Pancras to the Channel Tunnel will in fact significantly increase the speed of the Eurostar from London to the tunnel: right now the train has to pootle along at less than 100mph for most of the way to the coast on tracks that it shares with domestic suburban trains. It's just a real shame that the planned Regional Eurostar services were stillborn: with the low cost airlines now suffering increases in fuel costs and aviation taxes, and public opinion swaying away from the heavily polluting airline routes, the new terminal on the north side of London really makes a new case for through services from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham to the continent. Between London - Brussels and London - Paris, Eurostar is now the most popular provider of service, carrying somewhere between 60% and 70% of all passengers on the two city pairs. Eurostar is now so competitive against the plane, that just a few weeks before my departure, the Heathrow based airline bmi announced that it would be withdrawing all services between London and Paris from the end of March 2007.
The environmental case for travelling by train to Europe is not missed by Eurostar: on their website and in recent publicity the company has emphasised the significantly lighter carbon impact of travelling to Europe by train. The company is also taking advantage of the expanded TGV network in France to appeal to indirect passengers who can now connect in Lille, Brussels or Paris for dozens of other destinations in Europe.
Checking in is a doddle. I booked online and had my tickets mailed to me, but you can also pick them up from the ever familiar automatic ticket machines, varieties of which can now be found in railway stations the world over. To check-in, I just put my ticket into a ticket gate. The Eurostar website advises passengers that the machine "will hold onto it exactly long enough for you to start to panic, just a little bit" before returning it. Security is rapid and easy, much like at an airport but without the queues or hassle, and then pre-clearance for arrival in France is handled by French Police who are permanently based in London. For an EU passport holder such as myself, this took less than six seconds.
The departure lounge with shops, bars and cafés is located directly beneath the four tracks that Eurostar occupies at Waterloo. A business lounge (redesigned by the Frenchman Phillipe Starck) is off to one side. Departures on the screen that morning included a handful of services to Paris and Brussels, and the daily service to Disneyland Paris... one train I hope I never find myself on :lol:
Economy passengers need to be checked in thirty minutes before departure; business class passengers need only ten minutes. Boarding usually begins twenty minutes before departure. All was going smoothly until a lady asked me about her ticket for the 10h10 train to Paris, which she couldn't find on the screens. I was afraid that she might have missed it, and sent her towards the information desk. But as I walked down myself, it emerged that things were getting complicated. Complicated in that the 10h40 train to Paris (my service) had been cancelled, and that the 10h10 train to Paris had been delayed by thirty minutes. This information took some time to come out, as the screens were not updating correctly, saying at various intervals that both trains had been cancelled or that the wrong train had been cancelled. Apparently this had been known about in advance, but I and many other passengers had still be able to check-in. The three harassed looking staff at the departure lounge information desk were repeatedly telling passengers on the 10h10 train to relax and wait for their delayed train, and trying to find all 10h40 passengers to rebook them onto the delayed 10h10 train. This was basically necessary because when mergeing the two trains, Eurostar had to ensure that no-one was booked into the same seat.
Confused? Well, so were we, but it was all sorted out fine in the end, and boarding commenced at around 10h20. Different escalators and inclined travelators carry passengers up to the platforms close to their booked coach, so it's important when boarding to note which coach you're in. As mentioned above, every passenger has a specific reserved seat which has to be occupied so as not to cause problems if the train picks up more passengers at Ashford International. You are able to specify a window/aisle/table preference when you book the ticket.
On board, the Eurostar is very similar to the TGV from which it is derviced. Standard class features two seats either side of the aisle, most in pairs and some around tables. Business class features 2+1 reclinable seating which more room and at seat service. There's plenty of luggage space in the vestibules and at either end of the coach, with two overhead racks above the window seats, one shallow shelf for coats and handbags, another depper one for soft bags above that. Individual reading lamps are throughout the coach, and small waste bins are fixed beneath the tables or seats in front of you. The seats that are arranged in groups of four sit around tables that fold out in front of you, making getting in and out of the seats easy. Standard class passengers have access to one of several café/service coaches, which sell the usual hot/cold beverages and snacks in euros and sterling.
We departed on time, and slipped out from beneath the elegant steel and glass Eurostar terminal, leaving London on suburban rail lines. Through the suburbs of London and as far as the first section of the CTRL highspeed rail line, the train is really just warming up. But once onto the high speed line that carries the train into the Channel Tunnel, things really begin to speed it up. It takes just 20 minutes to pass beneath the Channel, and we arrived in a grey and damp looking France soon afterwards. The standard class coach that I was seated in was filled with a mixture of young people, business men and women and mid-week city break tourists either going on holiday or coming home. Once past Calais-Fréthun station, we were heading up towards the train's top speed of 300 km/h (186.4 mph). With the imminent conclusion of work on Britains first dedicated high speed rail line, these speeds will be maintained for much of the journey from London to Paris and Brussels, decreasing journey times and increasing capacity on the British side of the line to eight trains per hour in both directions. Eurostar has promised more services, but remains silent about whether any more direct services to new destinations will be included. Our train ran fast after stopping at Ashford International, so the station at Lille-Europe was nothing more than a brief flash of lights in a fast moving blur...
...Paris approached, and the next step of my journey approached.
PARIS GARE DE L'EST - STRASBOURG
Eurostar arrives at Paris Gare du Nord, along with TGV services to Lille and northern France and Thalys services to Belgium. It's a short walk of about 300 metres from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'est, which allowed me to stop en route and grab a bit to eat in one of the bistros on rue Faubourg St. Denis. If you're hunting for something to eat near either of these stations, take a few moments to walk away from the stations to get away from the pricier cafés that cater for tourists.
Gare de l'est is being spruced up in expectation of the TGV Est Européen. This is the latest TGV project to come on line, a new dedicated high speed railway that'll connect Paris with Nancy and Strasbourg, with additional TGV service to Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel and dozens of smaller French towns. TGV trains don't run on tracks that are shared with other services, so this is a massive infrastructure project that will mean the suspension of all other SNCF intercity services between the same city pairs. It'll also mean that the once proud Orient Express will from this summer only operate from Strasbourg to Vienna, rather than from Paris as it does now. If you want to experience the Orient Express before it suffers another cut, then you need to catch it before 9 June 2007.
In advance of the opening of TGV service on 9 June, SNCF have introduced a number of new TGV trainsets onto existing 'slow' service between Paris and Strasbourg. The train I'm taking today, however, is not a TGV, but one of the trains that will soon be rendered obsolete. Train 1007 from Paris Est to Strasbourg is operated by a Corail Téoz train. These locomotive hauled passenger trains are an evolution of the Corail class of train: an intercity train that can operate at up to 200km/h on the 'grande lignes' (main routes) of the SNCF network. Corail trains have been around since the seventies; Corail Téoz trains are heavily refurbished trains that have also received some colourful exterior vinyls to distinguish them. They're introduced on city pairs that are due to receive TGV service in the near future, as a kind of stop gap between Corail and TGV service. Some unrefurbished Corail trains still operate between Paris and Strasbourg, however, so it's always important to check the class of train you're travelling on.
When TGV service replaces Corail service on 9 June 2007, the cut in journey times won't just be noticeable, it'll be dramatic. Paris to Strasbourg currently takes four hours; on the TGV it'll take just two hours and twenty minutes. It'll also open up dozens of new connections, with direct cross-country TGV service from the east to the west, and from Bordeaux in the south-west to Strasbourg. Someone following in my steps this time next year will benefit from two reduced journey times: London - Paris in 2hr 15m on the Eurostar and Paris - Strasbourg in 2h 20m on TGV. Three new round-trips a day will also bypass Paris altogether, connecting Strasbourg with Lille-Europe, and providing cross-platform transfers for passengers going to or from the UK. A journey time from London to Strasbourg (corrected since this was first posted) of well under six hours is quite possible.
Gare de l'est is a grand, if somewhat shabby, old train shed with more than twenty tracks. A long steel and glass arcade runs along the ends of all the tracks; and while I waited I was able to watch shunting engines and locomotives turning rakes of coaches, and smaller regional TER trains coming and going.
When train 1007 was called, a not insignificant number of people rushed forward to board, but after ensuring my ticket was validated by the yellow machine at the mouth of the platform, the crowd seemed to disperse onto the train quite quickly. My ticket came with a specified reserved seat, as do all reservations on Corail Téoz trains. The exterior of the carriages were familiar French stock, livened up with modern (i.e. complicated and probably over loud) vinyl panels. The train carried a mix of second and first class cars with at least one service car. This doesn't feature a café, but carries a family compartment, space for bicycles and an 'office' where the train manager can be found. Inside my second class coach, the car was configured with four seats across the train. At each end of the coach, these are arranged in two and two, but in the middle of the coach the aisle shifts to have three seats on one side and single seats to the other. This means that a group of up to six people can travel around a table, while solo passengers can also choose to have a seat on their own. Digital displays above each seat indicate the seat number. Overhead luggage racks are spacious, and upright luggage space is incorporated into the partitions that divide the 2+2 and 3+1 seating areas. Second class seats recline by sliding forward, so that the table of the passenger behind you and their headroom remains unaffected. There's a handy document pocket at eye height on the seat back in front of you, as well as a small ledge that can fold out at the top of the back of the headrest.
We departed Paris on time at 15h46, with a run of exactly four hours ahead of us to Strasbourg, and just one stop en route in Nancy. We were soon up to speed and passing through the numerous railyards of northern and eastern Paris where TGV, urban and regional trains are maintained. The new TGV maintainance facility was proudly indicated by bright signage. As mentioned earlier, these trains are capable of 200km/h, and for much of the journey it felt as if we were pushing towards that. The ride was exceptionally smooth, with only the occasional noticable 'tug' when accelerating after braking. A few speed restrictions slowed us through a handful of towns, but we arrived in Nancy more or less on time. To my left a white and red train of Deusche Bahn pulled in, operating from Munich to Paris.
It was soon dark, and the journey passed quickly and peacefully (there weren't many people in my carriage). Without a fixed catering facility I had to wait for a refreshments trolley to reach me (which took at least two hours after departing Paris). However when I ordered a coffee, I was pleased to find that I was served a single cup drip filter coffee, with a small modular coffee filter pot on top of my plastic cup... much fresher than anything I'd tasted lately on a train.
With darkness well and truly upon us, we began to slow on approach to Strasbourg. In the darkness of the country I was moving to, I could only perceive the occasional strip mall, or the odd illuminated football pitch, where Tuesday evening soccer practice was well under way. I caught brief glimpses of players warming up with sit-ups or jogging exercises as we approached Strasbourg.
We arrived exactly on time in Strasbourg, if not actually a few moments early. Stepping down from the train onto the platform, I looked up at Strasbourg's beautiful steel train shed. Je suis arrivé, as they say...
*j*
What is it with me a taking trains to and from French cities? I must be the next in a long line of Brits who have fallen in love with the language and culture of our Gallic neighbours. After a year based in Montréal, working in French for the first time (and travelling around North America lots... you'll find those trips elsewhere on this forum) I headed back to England to complete a masters degree.
Then late last year, the opportunity arose for me to swap a semester in England with one in France. Any student enrolled at a participating university anywhere in Europe can apply for an exchange through the Erasmus-Socrates programme of the European Union. It's very simple: through the programme universities can establish relations and agree to allow a certain number of each others' students to spend a semester or year at the other school. No matter if one university sends more than the other; it's a goodwill arrangement facilitated by the fact that the student continues to pay his or her fees at the 'home' university, and that the credits he or she earns are recorded on a credit transfer certificate that is recognisable throughout Europe. If he or she decides to take a whole year abroad, then all tuition fees are waived. Regardless of how long the student is away, the European Union provides a monthly allowance to support the cost of relocation - in my case €270 a month, or about US$350.
So, having decided to move to France, I decided to do the relocation by train. Ryanair, the big brother of low cost airlines, could fly me from London Stansted to Karlsrühe in Germany, just across the border from Strasbourg, for £10 (about US$20) each way. But then I don't live near Stansted, and Karlsrühe is not Strasbourg. When you start adding up the cost and time of airport transfers, taking the train becomes a whole lot more attractive.
The title of this travelogue is a little deceptive, since I'll include the two trains that got me to London, from Sheffield in the county of South Yorkshire via a quiet rural corner of the county of Norfolk, in the region of East Anglia. This diversion was to see family before leaving the country.
So...
Sat 3 February: dep. Sheffield 11h38, arr. Thetford 14h37 (Central Trains)
Tue 6 February dep. Downham Market 07h06 arr. London King's Cross 08h45 (First Capital Connect)
Tue 6 February dep. London Waterloo 10h40 arr. Paris Gare du nord 14h17 (Eurostar)
Tue 6 February dep. Paris Gare de l'est 15h46 arr. Strasbourg 19h46 (SNCF)
(France is one hour ahead of Great Britain)
For the first two trains I was able to use my Young Persons Railcard. The first train ticket was bought online well in advance for a deeply discounted £8.60 one way. From Downham Market to London I paid £17.90 for a standard one way to London (including my tube transfer to Waterloo). The combined ticket from London to Strasbourg was a youth fare (available to anyone aged 25 or under) and purchased as a return, which worked out as £39.50 one way.
So, for the whole trip, £66 or about US$129 one way.
SHEFFIELD - THETFORD
Central Trains is the privatised operator of most regional and inter-regional services in the Midlands, and for many years now I've been an occasional user of one of their most depressing services, the east-west cross country route that runs about eight times daily Liverpool - Manchester - Sheffield - Nottingham - Grantham - Peterborough - Ely - Thetford - Norwich.
Whereas Richard Branson's co-venture in Virgin Trains has seen a massive investment in new long distance DMU 'Voyager' trains for the north-south cross-country routes, equipped with first class and on board shops, my trip (would take five hours if followed from end to end) is served by the runt of post-privitisation rolling stock: the class 170 Turbostar. These two and three car single class DMU trains were some of the first new units to enter service after British Rail was privatised, and a distinct lack of vision is their design is evident. These trains continued the pre-privatisation policy of replacing the locomotive hauled trains of many lesser used cross country routes with shorter multiple units. Frequently overcrowded, and hopelessly under provided with luggage space or on board facilities, they're also noisy and uncomfortable to ride in, with an engine hooked up beneath each car.
The train was about half an hour late arriving, but the journey itself was beautiful. The 'journey home' is special no matter who you are or where you're going, and my journey home from my adopted home in Sheffield to my family in the east of England is a scenic trip from the undulating and industrial midlands to the flat reclaimed agricultural lands of the Cambridgeshire fens. The segment of the journey between Peterborough and Ely is possibly one of the most beautiful in the country, simply because the once submerged fenland landscape is so unusual, and the sudden appearance of a huge sky above you reminds you of this empty landscape.
The train is exceptionally busy as far as Nottingham, and then empties out as the train continues east. This has not gone unnoticed by the train operators, and when this service is re-assigned to a enlarged rail franchise for the midlands in the next couple of years, it may be split into two separate services from the hub at Nottingham.
DOWNHAM MARKET - LONDON KING'S CROSS
Another re-organisation of franchises means that since I last used this service, almost all trains from King's Lynn, Downham Market and on to Ely, Cambridge and London King's Cross are operated by First Capital Connect (isn't our privatised railway colourful?). This early morning departure from another station close to my family home is operated by one of a fleet of hard working class 365 trains. These four coach EMU trains shuttle back and forth on the busy commuter routes between London - Peterborough and London - Cambridge - Ely - King's Lynn. The expanded franchise has united these services north of London with the cross-capital Thameslink trains that operate between Bedford - Luton - London - Brighton through the soon to be refurbished Thameslink corridor, the only existing continuous route through the capital.
I enjoy these early morning departures, since I'm possibly one of the few people on the train beginning a contintental journey. Everyone else is en route to the office, and looks pretty glum about it as well. We're crossing the fens from north to south this time, and the fields are still frosted under a pink sky. At Cambridge the train couples onto the back of another four coach unit, but it's still standing room only as the train begins its limited stop service to London King's Cross. We whisk towards London at almost 100mph, and arrive in the main train hall of King's Cross station on time.
ACROSS LONDON...
My ticket is for London zones 1-2-3, so includes onward London Transport travel by bus or tube to anywhere in central London. However I have lots of luggage and decide to get a cab. The whole area around King's Cross and the neighbouring St. Pancras terminal is being redevloped for the iminent relocation of the London Eurostar terminus to St. Pancras on Wednesday, 14 November 2007. St. Pancras (on the left of that aerial shot) is being expanded with a new train shed extending the platforms and a new set of side platforms for Midland Mainline services to the Midlands and Yorkshire. Building work is also progressing between the two terminii on a new underground station for cross-capital Thameslink trains, and in a short while through services from King's Lynn, Ely and Cambridge will be running through the capital and on to Gatwick and Brighton. So I'm doing this trip just a few months before it becomes much quicker and easier: from next November I'll only have to walk from King's Cross to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar, and it'll also shave twenty minutes off the Eurostar journey time to Paris.
Unfortunately it's just before 09h00, and outside King's Cross there's a line of people waiting for cabs that doesn't appear to be moving. So I turn right around and head back to the entrance to the tube. With one huge backpack, two soft bags and suitcase on wheels, I manage to get through the tube with some difficulty. An elevator and escalator gets be down to the Piccadilly Line. I have to change lines at Leicester Square, which requires several flights of stairs and twisting corridors between the platforms. I managed it, but I'd recommend anyone else to get a taxi instead - there is no direct bus route between King's Cross and Waterloo either.
LONDON WATERLOO - PARIS GARE DU NORD
Even with all my luggage in tow, it only takes me about thirty minutes to get to Waterloo station. A separate escalator carries Eurostar passengers up into the dedicated international terminal, which is located in a sunken concourse next to the main train hall. The platforms themselves snake out alongside Waterloo station - the Eurostar is the longest passenger train in operation in Britain right now. As you can see from this aerial view the International terminal is a huge structure, and very soon it's going to be made obsalescent, as all Eurostar services move to St. Pancras station.
It might seem odd to relocate the Eurostar terminal to the other (north) side of London, but the new high speed rail line that will link St. Pancras to the Channel Tunnel will in fact significantly increase the speed of the Eurostar from London to the tunnel: right now the train has to pootle along at less than 100mph for most of the way to the coast on tracks that it shares with domestic suburban trains. It's just a real shame that the planned Regional Eurostar services were stillborn: with the low cost airlines now suffering increases in fuel costs and aviation taxes, and public opinion swaying away from the heavily polluting airline routes, the new terminal on the north side of London really makes a new case for through services from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham to the continent. Between London - Brussels and London - Paris, Eurostar is now the most popular provider of service, carrying somewhere between 60% and 70% of all passengers on the two city pairs. Eurostar is now so competitive against the plane, that just a few weeks before my departure, the Heathrow based airline bmi announced that it would be withdrawing all services between London and Paris from the end of March 2007.
The environmental case for travelling by train to Europe is not missed by Eurostar: on their website and in recent publicity the company has emphasised the significantly lighter carbon impact of travelling to Europe by train. The company is also taking advantage of the expanded TGV network in France to appeal to indirect passengers who can now connect in Lille, Brussels or Paris for dozens of other destinations in Europe.
Checking in is a doddle. I booked online and had my tickets mailed to me, but you can also pick them up from the ever familiar automatic ticket machines, varieties of which can now be found in railway stations the world over. To check-in, I just put my ticket into a ticket gate. The Eurostar website advises passengers that the machine "will hold onto it exactly long enough for you to start to panic, just a little bit" before returning it. Security is rapid and easy, much like at an airport but without the queues or hassle, and then pre-clearance for arrival in France is handled by French Police who are permanently based in London. For an EU passport holder such as myself, this took less than six seconds.
The departure lounge with shops, bars and cafés is located directly beneath the four tracks that Eurostar occupies at Waterloo. A business lounge (redesigned by the Frenchman Phillipe Starck) is off to one side. Departures on the screen that morning included a handful of services to Paris and Brussels, and the daily service to Disneyland Paris... one train I hope I never find myself on :lol:
Economy passengers need to be checked in thirty minutes before departure; business class passengers need only ten minutes. Boarding usually begins twenty minutes before departure. All was going smoothly until a lady asked me about her ticket for the 10h10 train to Paris, which she couldn't find on the screens. I was afraid that she might have missed it, and sent her towards the information desk. But as I walked down myself, it emerged that things were getting complicated. Complicated in that the 10h40 train to Paris (my service) had been cancelled, and that the 10h10 train to Paris had been delayed by thirty minutes. This information took some time to come out, as the screens were not updating correctly, saying at various intervals that both trains had been cancelled or that the wrong train had been cancelled. Apparently this had been known about in advance, but I and many other passengers had still be able to check-in. The three harassed looking staff at the departure lounge information desk were repeatedly telling passengers on the 10h10 train to relax and wait for their delayed train, and trying to find all 10h40 passengers to rebook them onto the delayed 10h10 train. This was basically necessary because when mergeing the two trains, Eurostar had to ensure that no-one was booked into the same seat.
Confused? Well, so were we, but it was all sorted out fine in the end, and boarding commenced at around 10h20. Different escalators and inclined travelators carry passengers up to the platforms close to their booked coach, so it's important when boarding to note which coach you're in. As mentioned above, every passenger has a specific reserved seat which has to be occupied so as not to cause problems if the train picks up more passengers at Ashford International. You are able to specify a window/aisle/table preference when you book the ticket.
On board, the Eurostar is very similar to the TGV from which it is derviced. Standard class features two seats either side of the aisle, most in pairs and some around tables. Business class features 2+1 reclinable seating which more room and at seat service. There's plenty of luggage space in the vestibules and at either end of the coach, with two overhead racks above the window seats, one shallow shelf for coats and handbags, another depper one for soft bags above that. Individual reading lamps are throughout the coach, and small waste bins are fixed beneath the tables or seats in front of you. The seats that are arranged in groups of four sit around tables that fold out in front of you, making getting in and out of the seats easy. Standard class passengers have access to one of several café/service coaches, which sell the usual hot/cold beverages and snacks in euros and sterling.
We departed on time, and slipped out from beneath the elegant steel and glass Eurostar terminal, leaving London on suburban rail lines. Through the suburbs of London and as far as the first section of the CTRL highspeed rail line, the train is really just warming up. But once onto the high speed line that carries the train into the Channel Tunnel, things really begin to speed it up. It takes just 20 minutes to pass beneath the Channel, and we arrived in a grey and damp looking France soon afterwards. The standard class coach that I was seated in was filled with a mixture of young people, business men and women and mid-week city break tourists either going on holiday or coming home. Once past Calais-Fréthun station, we were heading up towards the train's top speed of 300 km/h (186.4 mph). With the imminent conclusion of work on Britains first dedicated high speed rail line, these speeds will be maintained for much of the journey from London to Paris and Brussels, decreasing journey times and increasing capacity on the British side of the line to eight trains per hour in both directions. Eurostar has promised more services, but remains silent about whether any more direct services to new destinations will be included. Our train ran fast after stopping at Ashford International, so the station at Lille-Europe was nothing more than a brief flash of lights in a fast moving blur...
...Paris approached, and the next step of my journey approached.
PARIS GARE DE L'EST - STRASBOURG
Eurostar arrives at Paris Gare du Nord, along with TGV services to Lille and northern France and Thalys services to Belgium. It's a short walk of about 300 metres from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'est, which allowed me to stop en route and grab a bit to eat in one of the bistros on rue Faubourg St. Denis. If you're hunting for something to eat near either of these stations, take a few moments to walk away from the stations to get away from the pricier cafés that cater for tourists.
Gare de l'est is being spruced up in expectation of the TGV Est Européen. This is the latest TGV project to come on line, a new dedicated high speed railway that'll connect Paris with Nancy and Strasbourg, with additional TGV service to Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel and dozens of smaller French towns. TGV trains don't run on tracks that are shared with other services, so this is a massive infrastructure project that will mean the suspension of all other SNCF intercity services between the same city pairs. It'll also mean that the once proud Orient Express will from this summer only operate from Strasbourg to Vienna, rather than from Paris as it does now. If you want to experience the Orient Express before it suffers another cut, then you need to catch it before 9 June 2007.
In advance of the opening of TGV service on 9 June, SNCF have introduced a number of new TGV trainsets onto existing 'slow' service between Paris and Strasbourg. The train I'm taking today, however, is not a TGV, but one of the trains that will soon be rendered obsolete. Train 1007 from Paris Est to Strasbourg is operated by a Corail Téoz train. These locomotive hauled passenger trains are an evolution of the Corail class of train: an intercity train that can operate at up to 200km/h on the 'grande lignes' (main routes) of the SNCF network. Corail trains have been around since the seventies; Corail Téoz trains are heavily refurbished trains that have also received some colourful exterior vinyls to distinguish them. They're introduced on city pairs that are due to receive TGV service in the near future, as a kind of stop gap between Corail and TGV service. Some unrefurbished Corail trains still operate between Paris and Strasbourg, however, so it's always important to check the class of train you're travelling on.
When TGV service replaces Corail service on 9 June 2007, the cut in journey times won't just be noticeable, it'll be dramatic. Paris to Strasbourg currently takes four hours; on the TGV it'll take just two hours and twenty minutes. It'll also open up dozens of new connections, with direct cross-country TGV service from the east to the west, and from Bordeaux in the south-west to Strasbourg. Someone following in my steps this time next year will benefit from two reduced journey times: London - Paris in 2hr 15m on the Eurostar and Paris - Strasbourg in 2h 20m on TGV. Three new round-trips a day will also bypass Paris altogether, connecting Strasbourg with Lille-Europe, and providing cross-platform transfers for passengers going to or from the UK. A journey time from London to Strasbourg (corrected since this was first posted) of well under six hours is quite possible.
Gare de l'est is a grand, if somewhat shabby, old train shed with more than twenty tracks. A long steel and glass arcade runs along the ends of all the tracks; and while I waited I was able to watch shunting engines and locomotives turning rakes of coaches, and smaller regional TER trains coming and going.
When train 1007 was called, a not insignificant number of people rushed forward to board, but after ensuring my ticket was validated by the yellow machine at the mouth of the platform, the crowd seemed to disperse onto the train quite quickly. My ticket came with a specified reserved seat, as do all reservations on Corail Téoz trains. The exterior of the carriages were familiar French stock, livened up with modern (i.e. complicated and probably over loud) vinyl panels. The train carried a mix of second and first class cars with at least one service car. This doesn't feature a café, but carries a family compartment, space for bicycles and an 'office' where the train manager can be found. Inside my second class coach, the car was configured with four seats across the train. At each end of the coach, these are arranged in two and two, but in the middle of the coach the aisle shifts to have three seats on one side and single seats to the other. This means that a group of up to six people can travel around a table, while solo passengers can also choose to have a seat on their own. Digital displays above each seat indicate the seat number. Overhead luggage racks are spacious, and upright luggage space is incorporated into the partitions that divide the 2+2 and 3+1 seating areas. Second class seats recline by sliding forward, so that the table of the passenger behind you and their headroom remains unaffected. There's a handy document pocket at eye height on the seat back in front of you, as well as a small ledge that can fold out at the top of the back of the headrest.
We departed Paris on time at 15h46, with a run of exactly four hours ahead of us to Strasbourg, and just one stop en route in Nancy. We were soon up to speed and passing through the numerous railyards of northern and eastern Paris where TGV, urban and regional trains are maintained. The new TGV maintainance facility was proudly indicated by bright signage. As mentioned earlier, these trains are capable of 200km/h, and for much of the journey it felt as if we were pushing towards that. The ride was exceptionally smooth, with only the occasional noticable 'tug' when accelerating after braking. A few speed restrictions slowed us through a handful of towns, but we arrived in Nancy more or less on time. To my left a white and red train of Deusche Bahn pulled in, operating from Munich to Paris.
It was soon dark, and the journey passed quickly and peacefully (there weren't many people in my carriage). Without a fixed catering facility I had to wait for a refreshments trolley to reach me (which took at least two hours after departing Paris). However when I ordered a coffee, I was pleased to find that I was served a single cup drip filter coffee, with a small modular coffee filter pot on top of my plastic cup... much fresher than anything I'd tasted lately on a train.
With darkness well and truly upon us, we began to slow on approach to Strasbourg. In the darkness of the country I was moving to, I could only perceive the occasional strip mall, or the odd illuminated football pitch, where Tuesday evening soccer practice was well under way. I caught brief glimpses of players warming up with sit-ups or jogging exercises as we approached Strasbourg.
We arrived exactly on time in Strasbourg, if not actually a few moments early. Stepping down from the train onto the platform, I looked up at Strasbourg's beautiful steel train shed. Je suis arrivé, as they say...
*j*
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