Eurostar - snapshot of current services

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Encouraged by an early morning headline, I followed up what's running on Eurostar - testing prices and times by looking at a trip outbound middle of next week, back a week later.

4 direct services each way to / from Paris
2 direct services each way to / from Brussels
1 direct service to Amsterdam

"Top of site" says nothing from Ebbsfleet or Ashford at present ... booking engine allows you to try but flags up "Sorry, there are no seats left on trains going out that day. Can you travel on another date?"

Outbound fares, Paris ... from £89.50 next week. Return from £39.00 the week after -  2 hr 17 min to 2 hour 26 min journey time.

Outbound fares, Brussels ... from £74.50 next week. Return from £44.50 the week after -  2 hr 1 min to 2 hour 20 min journey time.

Outbound fares, Amsterdam, ... from £75.00 next week. Return from £119.50 the week after -  4 hr 7 journey time outbound.   Return journey time 5 hr 50 mins including 1 hour 44 minutes to change trains in Brussels.

Business premier tickets at £245.00 each way to Paris or Brussels ... £260.00 out, £329.35 return for Amsterdam.

From the Eurostar site - background travel information:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Before you book, please note that we’ve adapted our services to help keep you safe at this time.

BUSINESS PREMIER: You have full flexibility to change your travel plans. Your ticket is fully refundable and can be exchanged as many times as you want. Our Business Premier lounges are all now open again. The way we serve food and drink has changed and social distancing measures will be in place. Our fast track ticket gates are also open again.

BUSINESS PREMIER AND STANDARD PREMIER CATERING: We’re currently unable to serve food and drink on board. Our catering services will resume on 7 September 2020.

ALL PASSENGERS: ALL passengers are required to complete COVID-19 mandatory government forms and check latest government info before travelling as quarantine rules may apply at short notice. You must check our Coronavirus Essential Travel information here. Please be aware that official advice may change quickly so it’s important to keep up-to-date.

Our onboard bar buffet is closed until 7 September 2020 and many of the shops and restaurants at our stations are also closed. Please bring refreshments with you, especially when the weather gets warm. You can bring liquids through security.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused.

That "here" link takes you to

Coronavirus and Eurostar services – updated 21 August 2020

Check this page for all the latest and Essential COVID-19 Travel Information

Our main priority is the health and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues. We’re closely following advice from governments and health authorities in our destination countries, regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are listening closely to the feedback of our customers and colleagues and we realise this is an unsettling time and an unprecedented situation that develops fast.

IMPORTANT: We advise all passengers to regularly check latest official government information of their country of origin and destination prior to departure. Special measures or quarantine rules may apply at short notice so it’s important to keep up-to-date.

If you’ve emailed us or submitted an eVoucher request and received an automated reply, please rest assured we will get back to you and your eVoucher will be sent to you soon. Our teams are working tirelessly and doing their best to respond to thousands of calls and emails as quickly as possible. Don't worry if your travel dates have already passed, we'll still be able to issue your eVoucher as normal.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for showing our colleagues the respect they deserve at a difficult time for everyone.

In addition, current requirement is [check, please] for passengers travelling from France or Belgium to self-isolate for 14 days, with certain exceptions.  Should that not appear somewhere in the text above?

[Electric train]

There are 2 a couple of possible reasons for not stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Boarder Force may have redeployed there staff to other duties also the France may have reduced its staff levels added to the fact that passenger levels at both these stations is not high at the best of times.

There is also, despite Ashford having the platforms remodelled and the French signalling installed there is a technical problem with the electrification (AC/DC^▸ (Direct Current) interface) which prevents the Class 374 (Siemens trains) from using Ashford, this is being resolved but was not planned for completion until the end of this year.  I suspect the Eurostar have mothballed the remaining Class 373 (original Eurostar) as they are expensive to maintain.

It will be interesting to see if Ebbsfleet and Ashford ever see Eurostar services again, although Kent CC and Ashford Council have invested a lot of money into Ashford to allow the 374 to use Ashford so there may be a lot of political pressure.

[grahame]

There are 2 a couple of possible reasons for not stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Boarder Force may have redeployed there staff to other duties also the France may have reduced its staff levels added to the fact that passenger levels at both these stations is not high at the best of times.

From The London Economic

France will deploy customs officers to patrol Eurostar trains from London to Paris when the UK's Brexit transition ends on 31 December, reports suggest.

With Channel ports already clogged up by lengthy traffic jams, Paris feels compelled to introduce the drastic on-train checks ? because UK and French authorities are yet to agree post-Brexit customs controls.

"There?s a discussion under way between the French and British authorities to allow French customs to have an official presence on British soil at points of embarkation," Olivier Dussopt ? the French customs minister ? told the Financial Times.

French officials are reportedly surprised at the administrative "mess" and lack of preparation on the English side of the Channel, the paper reported.

Oh dear ... my understanding is that Eurostar's traffic has been decimated far more than any other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) already by Coronavirus

[Bmblbzzz]

I'm pretty sure this is standard practice on cross-border trains where there is no suitable border station. The customs and passport authorities of both countries in effect circulate between the two stations nearest the border. The alternative is that, where there's a suitable station near the border (or even if a site gets built specially at the border), formalities are completed while the train is stationary, either with passengers leaving the carriages and passing through a terminal, or with border agents walking through the train. Doing these on-board while the train is in motion obviously avoids delays and so is probably preferable.

[Robin Summerhill]

I'm pretty sure this is standard practice on cross-border trains where there is no suitable border station. The customs and passport authorities of both countries in effect circulate between the two stations nearest the border. The alternative is that, where there's a suitable station near the border (or even if a site gets built specially at the border), formalities are completed while the train is stationary, either with passengers leaving the carriages and passing through a terminal, or with border agents walking through the train. Doing these on-board while the train is in motion obviously avoids delays and so is probably preferable.

Precise arrangements may well depend on the relationship between the two countries concerned as well. On board passport checks certainly happened between France and Belgium in the early 1970s (the last time I crossed that border by train), whilst at the same time customs formalities between France and Switzerland were carried out when the trains arrived at Basel.

I never actually travelled the route, but when the line from Western Europe to Istanbul crossed briefly into Greece at Erdine I am told that there were "difficulties" due to the general animosity between Greece and Turkey that has lasted for hundreds of years

 

[Electric train]

There are 2 a couple of possible reasons for not stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Boarder Force may have redeployed there staff to other duties also the France may have reduced its staff levels added to the fact that passenger levels at both these stations is not high at the best of times.

From The London Economic

France will deploy customs officers to patrol Eurostar trains from London to Paris when the UK's Brexit transition ends on 31 December, reports suggest.

With Channel ports already clogged up by lengthy traffic jams, Paris feels compelled to introduce the drastic on-train checks ? because UK and French authorities are yet to agree post-Brexit customs controls.

"There?s a discussion under way between the French and British authorities to allow French customs to have an official presence on British soil at points of embarkation," Olivier Dussopt ? the French customs minister ? told the Financial Times.

French officials are reportedly surprised at the administrative "mess" and lack of preparation on the English side of the Channel, the paper reported.

Oh dear ... my understanding is that Eurostar's traffic has been decimated far more than any other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) already by Coronavirus

I'm pretty sure this is standard practice on cross-border trains where there is no suitable border station. The customs and passport authorities of both countries in effect circulate between the two stations nearest the border. The alternative is that, where there's a suitable station near the border (or even if a site gets built specially at the border), formalities are completed while the train is stationary, either with passengers leaving the carriages and passing through a terminal, or with border agents walking through the train. Doing these on-board while the train is in motion obviously avoids delays and so is probably preferable.

It is but ................. the UK Government has not been very good at dealing with us leaving the EU^» (European Union - about) ................ I am convinced the UK Government holds the belief that the EU would copulate and give us a free trade agreement on our terms.   Now the Dove / Folkestone corner of Kent is going to be in chaos for weeks, even worse if it snows.

When the PM deploys the gun ships to protect the UK fishing waters, the French fishermen will blockage to French ports

Good thing the SE of the UK is in Tier 4  

  

[TaplowGreen]

There are 2 a couple of possible reasons for not stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Boarder Force may have redeployed there staff to other duties also the France may have reduced its staff levels added to the fact that passenger levels at both these stations is not high at the best of times.

From The London Economic

France will deploy customs officers to patrol Eurostar trains from London to Paris when the UK's Brexit transition ends on 31 December, reports suggest.

With Channel ports already clogged up by lengthy traffic jams, Paris feels compelled to introduce the drastic on-train checks ? because UK and French authorities are yet to agree post-Brexit customs controls.

"There?s a discussion under way between the French and British authorities to allow French customs to have an official presence on British soil at points of embarkation," Olivier Dussopt ? the French customs minister ? told the Financial Times.

French officials are reportedly surprised at the administrative "mess" and lack of preparation on the English side of the Channel, the paper reported.

Oh dear ... my understanding is that Eurostar's traffic has been decimated far more than any other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) already by Coronavirus

I'm pretty sure this is standard practice on cross-border trains where there is no suitable border station. The customs and passport authorities of both countries in effect circulate between the two stations nearest the border. The alternative is that, where there's a suitable station near the border (or even if a site gets built specially at the border), formalities are completed while the train is stationary, either with passengers leaving the carriages and passing through a terminal, or with border agents walking through the train. Doing these on-board while the train is in motion obviously avoids delays and so is probably preferable.

It is but ................. the UK Government has not been very good at dealing with us leaving the EU^» (European Union - about) ................ I am convinced the UK Government holds the belief that the EU would copulate and give us a free trade agreement on our terms.   Now the Dove / Folkestone corner of Kent is going to be in chaos for weeks, even worse if it snows.

When the PM deploys the gun ships to protect the UK fishing waters, the French fishermen will blockage to French ports

Good thing the SE of the UK is in Tier 4  

  

......I wasn't aware that copulation was on the agenda as part of the negotiations, but with Boris around, you never know! 🙂

[Electric train]

......I wasn't aware that copulation was on the agenda as part of the negotiations, but with Boris around, you never know! 🙂

It is all a bit of a copulating mess ........... but I hate to think what state we would be in if without his oven ready deal

[Bmblbzzz]

I'm pretty sure this is standard practice on cross-border trains where there is no suitable border station. The customs and passport authorities of both countries in effect circulate between the two stations nearest the border. The alternative is that, where there's a suitable station near the border (or even if a site gets built specially at the border), formalities are completed while the train is stationary, either with passengers leaving the carriages and passing through a terminal, or with border agents walking through the train. Doing these on-board while the train is in motion obviously avoids delays and so is probably preferable.

Precise arrangements may well depend on the relationship between the two countries concerned as well. On board passport checks certainly happened between France and Belgium in the early 1970s (the last time I crossed that border by train), whilst at the same time customs formalities between France and Switzerland were carried out when the trains arrived at Basel.

I never actually travelled the route, but when the line from Western Europe to Istanbul crossed briefly into Greece at Erdine I am told that there were "difficulties" due to the general animosity between Greece and Turkey that has lasted for hundreds of years

 

Yes, definitely. As ET points out, there's plenty of scope for things going wrong in other areas to affect this too. But at the same time, I remember that UK^▸ (United Kingdom) passport control is or certainly used to be carried out in Calais and other French ferry ports, before boarding.

[stuving]

You may remember from the news that on the 10th December the EU^» (European Union - about) (not just the Commission) issue a statement on contingency measures to prevent everything lurching to a halt on 1st January in the absence of a Brexit agreement. This document contained a section (in the main statement, not an Annex) on the tunnel (there are others on aviation etc.):

4.3 The railway connection through the Channel Tunnel

In the absence of a Union contingency measure, the operation of the Channel Fixed Link through the Channel Tunnel would need to be suspended after the end of the transition period. In such a case, trains would not be able to circulate through the Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom with the European continent.

In light of the economic importance to the Union of the Channel Fixed Link, the Commission adopted, on 27 November, a proposal for a Regulation that would ensure that the Channel Fixed Link continues to operate after 1 January 2021, until other arrangements have been put in place.

The operation of the Channel Fixed Link through the Channel Tunnel is supervised by an Intergovernmental Commission (the ?IGC?), established by the Treaty of Canterbury between the French Republic and the United Kingdom signed on 12 February 1986. Until the end of the transition period, the IGC is recognised as a national safety authority entrusted by two Member States with ensuring that Union safety and interoperability rules apply to the whole Channel Tunnel. It issues relevant safety certificates and authorisations.

France has been empowered to negotiate, sign and conclude an international agreement with the United Kingdom in order to maintain a unified safety regime and the IGC. However, an agreement will not have entered into force at the end of the transition period. Without such an agreement, as from 1 January 2021, the IGC no longer qualifies as national safety authority under EU law and the certificates and authorisations it has issued lose their validity.

The proposed Regulation would extend the validity of authorisations issued by the IGC for a period of two months. This would give enough time for the French national safety authority to take over the supervision and issue its own certificates.

In order to ensure connectivity between the Union and the United Kingdom, it is also essential that the rail operators providing services in the Tunnel continue to do so and can reach the border-crossing station of Calais-Fr?thun. To that end, the period of validity of their licenses issued by the United Kingdom and of their safety certificates issued by the Intergovernmental Commission should be extended for a period of nine months. This extension would give enough time for the negotiation and conclusion of the necessary arrangements foreseen in Union law to avoid disruptions.

I found that rather odd. I understood that the intergovernmental treaty regulating the tunnel, when signed, didn't depend on the EEC/EU or its laws, but did the usual traditional things about borders. The actual "land" border is at the half-way point, an  inconvenient place to stop trains for immigration and customs formalities. The treaty set up joint institutions to allow such things (not just safety) to be managed jointly. While everything crossing that border will be affected by Brexit, I don't see why the border itself and its treaty would need changing, as opposed to (ideally) having an agreement on top.

[Electric train]

You may remember from the news that on the 10th December the EU^» (European Union - about) (not just the Commission) issue a statement on contingency measures to prevent everything lurching to a halt on 1st January in the absence of a Brexit agreement. This document contained a section (in the main statement, not an Annex) on the tunnel (there are others on aviation etc.):

4.3 The railway connection through the Channel Tunnel

In the absence of a Union contingency measure, the operation of the Channel Fixed Link through the Channel Tunnel would need to be suspended after the end of the transition period. In such a case, trains would not be able to circulate through the Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom with the European continent.

In light of the economic importance to the Union of the Channel Fixed Link, the Commission adopted, on 27 November, a proposal for a Regulation that would ensure that the Channel Fixed Link continues to operate after 1 January 2021, until other arrangements have been put in place.

The operation of the Channel Fixed Link through the Channel Tunnel is supervised by an Intergovernmental Commission (the ?IGC?), established by the Treaty of Canterbury between the French Republic and the United Kingdom signed on 12 February 1986. Until the end of the transition period, the IGC is recognised as a national safety authority entrusted by two Member States with ensuring that Union safety and interoperability rules apply to the whole Channel Tunnel. It issues relevant safety certificates and authorisations.

France has been empowered to negotiate, sign and conclude an international agreement with the United Kingdom in order to maintain a unified safety regime and the IGC. However, an agreement will not have entered into force at the end of the transition period. Without such an agreement, as from 1 January 2021, the IGC no longer qualifies as national safety authority under EU law and the certificates and authorisations it has issued lose their validity.

The proposed Regulation would extend the validity of authorisations issued by the IGC for a period of two months. This would give enough time for the French national safety authority to take over the supervision and issue its own certificates.

In order to ensure connectivity between the Union and the United Kingdom, it is also essential that the rail operators providing services in the Tunnel continue to do so and can reach the border-crossing station of Calais-Fr?thun. To that end, the period of validity of their licenses issued by the United Kingdom and of their safety certificates issued by the Intergovernmental Commission should be extended for a period of nine months. This extension would give enough time for the negotiation and conclusion of the necessary arrangements foreseen in Union law to avoid disruptions.

I found that rather odd. I understood that the intergovernmental treaty regulating the tunnel, when signed, didn't depend on the EEC/EU or its laws, but did the usual traditional things about borders. The actual "land" border is at the half-way point, an  inconvenient place to stop trains for immigration and customs formalities. The treaty set up joint institutions to allow such things (not just safety) to be managed jointly. While everything crossing that border will be affected by Brexit, I don't see why the border itself and its treaty would need changing, as opposed to (ideally) having an agreement on top.

Regards Eurostars it is relatively simple as this service is about the movement of people and not goods, although people can still transport items this a small scale.   Customs checks are not so critical and is something that can be done on board the train, its a 2 hour journey. 

Eurotunnels fixed rail link is however a different matter its core business is the transport of goods checking manifests on a 40 min journey is not practical, the M20 Operation Stack and even the return of Operation Brock.

[ChrisB]

Belgium has banned flights & Eurostar services from midnight tonight

[Electric train]

Belgium has banned flights & Eurostar services from midnight tonight

The Netherlands has banned UK^▸ (United Kingdom) flights, Germany, Italy and France are likely follow suit, so expect Eurostars to cease altogether

[TonyK]

I never actually travelled the route, but when the line from Western Europe to Istanbul crossed briefly into Greece at Erdine I am told that there were "difficulties" due to the general animosity between Greece and Turkey that has lasted for hundreds of years.

Since 1923, officially.

[eightonedee]

.......... but I hate to think what state we would be in if without his oven ready deal

Perhaps he misspoke (again?) - it might have only been "shovel ready"....