Zonky wrote in message . 44...
Sorry, but what's the point of it? Turning an express train into a slow
stopper for the last couple of miles?


Often wondered about similar routes - the transpennine from manchester
to liverpool stops at oxford road as well as piccadilly. If anything
it should stop at deansgate, a metrolink interchange (saving 20
minutes off a journey to altrincham or eccles from liverpool or
warrington).

But you would guess that a eurostar would stop paris, lille, ashford,
london. The two main cities and the two sides of the tunnel. Who wants
to go to stratford anyway?

Of course, is the tunnel really used as much as it should be? Where
are overnight through trains to Italy and Germany? (Preferably at
Italian prices - 10p per mile for an overnight couchette).

In message , Paul
Weaver writes

Of course, is the tunnel really used as much as it should be?

Eurostar is just one of four companies using the tunnel - the Shuttle
also uses it for a frequent service (four trains an hour in each
direction at peak times), and EWS and SNCF run international freight
services through it, mainly during the night.

I suspect it may well be approaching capacity as EuroTunnel say they
have submitted a proposal for a second tunnel.

Where are overnight through trains to Italy and Germany?

I doubt there would ever be much demand for Italy - sleeper services are
costly to run, and 24 hours on the train compares badly with a 2-hour
cheap flight.

(Preferably at Italian prices - 10p per mile for an overnight
couchette).

Italian rail prices are indeed excellent, but even at 10p a mile London
to Rome would be much more than I normally pay for a flight!

--
Paul Terry

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 06:38:13 +0100 Paul Terry wrote:
}
} Where are overnight through trains to Italy and Germany?
}
} I doubt there would ever be much demand for Italy - sleeper services are
} costly to run, and 24 hours on the train compares badly with a 2-hour
} cheap flight.
}
} (Preferably at Italian prices - 10p per mile for an overnight
} couchette).
}
} Italian rail prices are indeed excellent, but even at 10p a mile London
} to Rome would be much more than I normally pay for a flight!

Earlier this year I had to get from Paris to London to Siena in about 18
hours.

Although I didn't use the option I did consider cutting out the London
bit and discovered that I could get from Paris to Pisa for eur 80.

Just how far could one travel in the UK with a standard second class
open return costing fifty quid?

Matthew
--
Záhid sharáb píné dé, masjid mein baith kar
ya woh jagah batá dé jahán Khudá na ho.
http://www.calmeilles.co.uk/

Matthew Malthouse wrote in message ...
Just how far could one travel in the UK with a standard second class
open return costing fifty quid?

A saver return (all trains except peak ones, 30 day time limit) London
to Manchester, about 200 miles, is around that price

Paul Terry wrote in message ...
Italian rail prices are indeed excellent, but even at 10p a mile London
to Rome would be much more than I normally pay for a flight!

True, but planes still take a long time. Hour from center of london to
luton/stanstead, 2 hours at the airport, 2 hours on the plane (maybe
longon), another 30 minutes waiting for luggage, another hour waiting
for the bus and transfer to the center of rome. Already over 6 hours,
and you dont get enough time to sleep. A nice relaxed train ride gives
you room to stretch your legs, face to face meeting, mobile phone,
laptop (with power), a good nights sleep etc. Leave London at 4PM,
arrive in Milan at 10AM the next morning haveing had a relaxing
evening and a good sleep. Compare to flight - get up at 3AM, get to
airport by 4, flight leaves at 6 (UK), land at 9(CET), into middle of
milan by 10 at the earliest.

Cheapest route to greece for me, last month, was rough it in stanstead
overnight, easyjet to rome, day in rome, overnight to brindisi, ferry
to igominitza. £100 one way, but beat £250 to athens and an 8 hour bus
ride.

In message , Paul
Weaver writes

True, but planes still take a long time. Hour from center of london to
luton/stanstead, 2 hours at the airport, 2 hours on the plane (maybe
longon), another 30 minutes waiting for luggage, another hour waiting
for the bus and transfer to the center of rome. Already over 6 hours,
and you dont get enough time to sleep. A nice relaxed train ride gives
you room to stretch your legs, face to face meeting, mobile phone,
laptop (with power), a good nights sleep etc. Leave London at 4PM,
arrive in Milan at 10AM the next morning haveing had a relaxing
evening and a good sleep. Compare to flight - get up at 3AM, get to
airport by 4, flight leaves at 6 (UK), land at 9(CET), into middle of
milan by 10 at the earliest.

Yes, but the cheapest practical rail fares from London to Milan (2nd
class leisure return) are either 217 GBP (for a shared 2-berth sleeping
compartment) or 153 GBP for a place in a basic 6-berth couchette.

For that price I could fly British Airways from Heathrow on the 17:50 to
Milan (64 GBP return APEX) and have enough left over for a really decent
hotel in Milan rather than sleeping on a train or getting up at 3AM.
And the budget airlines are even cheaper (Ryanair is currently offering
some return flights to Milan for 2p plus taxes!).

--
Paul Terry

In article , Paul
Weaver
wrote:

Of course, is the tunnel really used as much as it should be? Where
are overnight through trains to Italy and Germany? (Preferably at
Italian prices - 10p per mile for an overnight couchette).

The rolling stock was built for such 'Nightstar' services but the idea
was dropped before a service train ran due, principally, to the
general reduction in European air fares. The stock was sold off and
is now running in Canada although the timetable paths for the
Nightstar trains still exist in some cases.

On 16 Sep 2003 15:37:09 -0700 in uk.transport.london, (Paul
Weaver) tapped out on the keyboard:

[snipped]


But you would guess that a eurostar would stop paris, lille, ashford,
london. The two main cities and the two sides of the tunnel. Who wants
to go to stratford anyway?

Shakespeare fans who are in for a disappointment ?

--
John Youles Norwich England UK
j dot y.o.u.l.e.s at n.t.l.w.o.r.l.d dot c.o.m

On 16 Sep 2003 15:37:09 -0700, (Paul Weaver)
wrote:

Often wondered about similar routes - the transpennine from manchester
to liverpool stops at oxford road as well as piccadilly. If anything
it should stop at deansgate, a metrolink interchange (saving 20
minutes off a journey to altrincham or eccles from liverpool or
warrington).

A cynic might say it'd make more sense to stop all trains using the
link line (or whatever it's called) at all three stations, as most of
them end up stopping at Deansgate for a signal check anyway...

I suspect, though, that the theory is that Oxford Road has 5 platforms
and Deansgate 2, so there's more room to take up slack in the event of
delays - and Oxford Road is closer to much of the city centre and of
course the Uni (as well as being the interchange for the busy (1)42/3
bus route).

Also, it's not a huge walk from Oxford Road to St Peter's Square
Metrolink if you want to use the tram (though it's not a proper
interchange, I agree).

As an aside, at one point, I believe there was talk of building a
Cornbrook Interchange station on the main line for Metrolink - but
that seems to have died a death.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
is a valid email address, but is sent to /dev/null.
Try my first name at the above domain instead if you want to e-mail me.