So I’m stuck.
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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
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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 I've got this connection (with rail+). Forgot to clear the via
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@jon But surely it's a good deal to pay 14 times more to get there in twice the time? /s
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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! 🤨
As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
Shit. 🫂
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
@jon Oh no! Sacking ppl is made extra obnoxious if done by email. Honestly. So sorry Jon how could they.
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
@jon
Power to you, Jon.... and may the person who wrote that and who thought the way they did it and the way they concluded the email was appropriate either learn from their mistakes or suffer endlessly as a result.
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
@jon Oh man, I'm so sorry! That's just really shitty conduct on their end.
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
I don’t even know if there was a future for the workshop. But what I do know is ending a work relationship going back this many years, this way, is so maddening. #CrossBorderRail
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
@jon really sorry to hear this.
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As if today was not bad enough, I have just been sacked by College of Europe - my oldest teaching contract - in a email that ends "Thank you for you understanding and for your cooperation". No actually. Your conduct absolutely STINKS. For more than a decade of teaching there to end like this is 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 #CrossBorderRail
@jon I am really sorry to hear this. Sending hugs from Barcelona.
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The train manager was friendly. So I’m on my #CrossBorderRail to Liège. In the bar for now…
@jon I see this as a win because the bar is the best spot and this is in no way dictated by the number of beer bottles available...
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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 Times like this, maybe a thoughtful company would offer volunteers an inducement to give up their reservation for a later one, like airlines used to do.
