So I’m stuck.
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@jon That's good to know for the inevitable day that I'll be in that situation. I usually book with very large transfer times to avoid just that
@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 but still there‘s heaps of people in countries Like Germany asking for compulsory reservations…
@Katti @jon compulsory reservations collapse at the first contact with disruption, because you face an almost empty train with no possibility of filling the seats as the passengers are all held up by the disruption.
And then when the delayed passengers do appear, you refuse to carry them because they don’t have a reservation for that departure. -
@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
@jon Unfortunately my way to Paris involves unreliable TER and/or intercités, and many kilometers of track popular with sangliers and chevreuil. 2h30 doesn't seem so crazy
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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’”
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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’”
The guy is going to then have queued an hour, only to still be told there’s no ticket. #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
@jon But please competition in ICE International style with flexible fares, no weird boarding, mindfully designed trains and good service - rather than Ouigo, ECD or Frecciarossa style 🫠.
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The guy is going to then have queued an hour, only to still be told there’s no ticket. #CrossBorderRail
Meanwhile at Eurostar HQ. Screw you sucker passengers! We can set whatever prices we like, because what the hell else are you gonna do? Go to Charles de Gaulle Airport or something? #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
@jon feel competition can be good if it offers something a lttle different (so not 100% direct competition) and the line's capacity can cope. Monopolies often price passengers off rail.
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@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.
@jon yes, that’s a nasty practice. They’ve been looking at airlines really closely to learn. Next: bag fees?
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@jon feel competition can be good if it offers something a lttle different (so not 100% direct competition) and the line's capacity can cope. Monopolies often price passengers off rail.
@EF There is capacity for *sure*. Look at Milano - Roma, it can work. And yes, a state monopoly can in some cases be OK, but in others it's malevolent, and here it is malevolent (Eurostar is 55% SNCF, 20% SNCB)
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Meanwhile at Eurostar HQ. Screw you sucker passengers! We can set whatever prices we like, because what the hell else are you gonna do? Go to Charles de Gaulle Airport or something? #CrossBorderRail
I am not on Interrail today, so just purchased my ticket for the last bit - Liège - Maastricht (Drielandentrein, not compulsory reservation)
Look at the price if I chose to go via Aachen instead! 🤨
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I am not on Interrail today, so just purchased my ticket for the last bit - Liège - Maastricht (Drielandentrein, not compulsory reservation)
Look at the price if I chose to go via Aachen instead! 🤨
@jon But surely it's a good deal to pay 14 times more to get there in twice the time? /s
