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 Tue, 16 Sep 2003 14:06:30 -0000 Zonky wrote:
} Sorry, but what's the point of it? Turning an express train into a slow
} stopper for the last couple of miles?

The main point is that it will be 10 mins walk from my front door;
couldn't have let 'em do it otherwise.

Seriously, Stratford is already an interchange for Mainline, DLR,
Jubilee and Central services. With the DLR it will have a link to City
Airport. It will make passenger access significantly easier for a great
many people.

Additionally it has freight links with Harwich and Felixtowe. I don;t
know how much freight was a consideration byt it seems reasonable to
suspect that it played a part.

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

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 17:57:57 +0100 K wrote:
} On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 16:48:59 +0100, Sam Holloway
} wrote:
}
}
}
} Plus Stratford is on the Central, Jubilee & DLR - St Pancras isn't.
} Yes, most newbies and tourists won't appreciate that but I imagine a
} lot of more regular users of the service would.
}
} Wheras St Pancras is only on the Met, H&C, Circle, Northern,
} Piccadilly and Victoria lines?

Not quite the point. A stratford stop *adds* direct access to the other
lines.

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

Robin May wrote in message .. .
K wrote the following in:


On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 16:48:59 +0100, Sam Holloway
wrote:



Plus Stratford is on the Central, Jubilee & DLR - St Pancras isn't.
Yes, most newbies and tourists won't appreciate that but I imagine a
lot of more regular users of the service would.

Wheras St Pancras is only on the Met, H&C, Circle, Northern,
Piccadilly and Victoria lines?

Not a lot of help if you don't live on them. For a lot of people whose
local station is on the Central, Jubilee or DLR (and I'm one such
person) Stratford is a much more convenient place to get to.

Except that you'll have to walk about half a mile to get to the Jubilee platforms!

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/

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 09:47:44 +0000 (UTC) simon wrote:
}
} Is Stratford station going to be extended / redesigned when the Eurostar
} arrives ? Will it be like Waterloo (Large holding areas etc) ?
}
} The station at the moment is pretty full during the peaks, without loads of
} international passengers. The Central line / NR platforms are not that wide
} either.
}
} I presume all of this has been thought of though. Hasn't it ?

Somewhat.

http://www.ctrl.co.uk/introduction/s...s.asp?L=2&SL=8

There's an entirely new station "behind" the current Stratford station -
A new building is being constructed including all passenger facilities
over the Stratford Box. Two international and two domestic platforms
will be built, a canopy link to Stratford main line station, and car
parking will be provided.
Works are also taking place at Waterden Road junction and the main
access road to Stratford station including a new bridge over the River
Lee.

There is also an extention to the DLR that will provide dual platforms
at the extsiting Stratford and a new terminus at the International
station.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr/developmen...d/stations.htm

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

In message , simon
writes

Is Stratford station going to be extended / redesigned when the Eurostar
arrives ?

Most of Stratford gets extended! The Stratford City project is for 13.5
million square feet of new building (180 acres), including a new ticket
hall for the existing station (on the north side of the tracks) and an
additional new bus station.

Eurostar gets its own station, of course - two international platforms
and two domestic ones.

Will it be like Waterloo (Large holding areas etc) ?

It won't need to be so large as Waterloo since Stratford International
won't be a terminus - it looks to me to be more along the lines of Lille
International, with a concourse above the station.

I presume all of this has been thought of though. Hasn't it ?

http://www.futurestratford.com/

--
Paul Terry

In message , Zonky
writes

Still, for an express long distance service, it does seem silly to add the
short stop so close to the final destination....

In addition to all the tube (and DLR) links mentioned, an international
station at Stratford means that Eurostar passengers to/from many parts
of Essex and East Anglia do not have to go to central London to change.

When Crossrail is built, it will mean that Eurostar passengers to/from
the west of London won't need to change in central London.

And if the proposed plan to run Eurostar services on the west coast
mainline materialises, Stratford will be the only London stop.

--
Paul Terry

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

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.