catfordbags
Member
- Joined
- 19 Jul 2014
- Messages
- 34
Is there any reason why sleeper trains could not operate from say Manchester to Southern/central Europe via the Chunnel ?
Economics.Is there any reason why sleeper trains could not operate from say Manchester to Southern/central Europe via the Chunnel ?
Economics.
There was originally in the plan the "nightstars" that would run from points beyond London, however, this was before the explosion in low cost airlines.
Its simply easier and cheaper to get a sleazyjet flight from Manchester
They can't even make it to Glasgow at the moment
They can't even make it to Glasgow at the moment
Yes there was indeed nightstars. We had the rolling stock and depots and everything. Manchester had until some point a Eurostar sign and long sight.
It was the commercial viability that shot the idea but also delays and complications were to contribute. We had Night Star rolling stock but thats since been sent to Canada
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightstar_(train)
It would be a good idea and I'd have liked it but ohh well.
The competition from low cost airlines being partly responsible for the cancellation of the proposed"Nightstar" and NoL services seems to have become established folk law, when it is in fact a complete myth.
The proposed routes of both services are markets where the low cost airlines were not operating at the time and in some cases never have to this very day.
Amsterdam being the only exception.
Low cost flights between Manchester/Glasgow and Paris, really didn't appear until around seven or eight years after the cancellation of these proposed rail services.
Even then, they are few in number and in Manchester's case, outnumbered by the full fare operators.
Other regional LoCo flights to Paris, of which there are quite a few, also appeared in the 'noughties.
Also, LoCo flights between London and Brussels have been run over intermittent periods by Ryanair over the years. Operating one season or year and then not served for a couple of years.
Easyjet added a Gatwick - Brussels service only recently.
There had never been LoCo flights to Brussels from UK regional airports, until FlyBe took over the BA Regional flights to that destination in the mid 'noughties.
They're not exactly cheap though, being more of a business route.
Ryanair recently added Manchester and Edinburgh to Brussels.
All of this, long after the cancellation of "Nightstar" and NoL.
what I never understood is that they invested infrastructure and build rolling stock, and then decided its not viable. How did that process come about?
Martin
Aye, when they were promoting the Chunnel in Scotland during the 80s, we were promised direct services from Central Scotland to the continent. So I doubt HS2 will ever make it up here, if indeed it gets started at all.
Scotland hasn't built HS1 yet!
Eh; letting the British borderforce work at night? Do not think so.
Maybe it's just time to join the Schengen Agreement but keep passport checks for Non EU citizens, I'm not particularly pro EU but in these times it seems obviously that's it best for business.
I doubt EU sleepers would come to the UK though, probably better to run more Eurostars to a hub like Paris and travel from there.
Similar question... Could Eurostar run trains direct from Paris to Manchester using HS1 then the WCML ?
Apart from the infrastructure at Manchester Piccadilly one would assume the economics for this would stack up.
Similarly, could direct trains run from London to Barcelona by 'joining up' the existing London to Paris and Paris to Barcelona routes? (I.e. run London-Paris-Barcelona?)
There had never been LoCo flights to Brussels from UK regional airports, until FlyBe took over the BA Regional flights to that destination in the mid 'noughties.
They're not exactly cheap though, being more of a business route.
Ryanair recently added Manchester and Edinburgh to Brussels.
There is zero to no chance of the UK joining the Schengen Agreement anytime in the foreseeable future, it would be political suicide. For good or for worse, there's a much greater chance of us leaving the EU.Well I can't see why not after all if Europe can cope with domestic and international trains why can't we? especially when we join the Schengen Agreement which will no doubt happen, not keen on adopting the Euro though.
Agree that full Schengen membership is unlikely, however the fact that we have only one land border makes a partial restriction possible - maybe even in the lifetime of the next parliament.There is zero to no chance of the UK joining the Schengen Agreement anytime in the foreseeable future, it would be political suicide. For good or for worse, there's a much greater chance of us leaving the EU.
.
Paying £200 for a 36 hour trip to Beijing instead of £500 for a flight would certainly appeal to some people. Other long distance lines are also in planning to various places surrounding Europe.
Not that it will ever happen, but you would need to add at least one zero to that sleeper fare...