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Amsterdam Eurostar

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tasky

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I think he means the ones in the middle of the ceiling on the 374s which spend about 90% of their time broadcasting adverts and similar for Eurostar?

It's totally ridiculous, why would we need to watch adverts for Eurostar when we're already on one? Marketing departments are the scourge of humanity
 

anme

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It's totally ridiculous, why would we need to watch adverts for Eurostar when we're already on one? Marketing departments are the scourge of humanity

Long ago, I came to the conclusion that many people here will never be happy with Eurostar, whatever they do.

Anyone who thinks marketing departments are the "scourge of humanity" doesn't follow the news.
 

Bungle965

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It's totally ridiculous, why would we need to watch adverts for Eurostar when we're already on one? Marketing departments are the scourge of humanity
In all honestly I barely notice the screens.
I do like the way that they present the saftey information on them though with the characters.
Sam
 

tasky

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Long ago, I came to the conclusion that many people here will never be happy with Eurostar, whatever they do.

Anyone who thinks marketing departments are the "scourge of humanity" doesn't follow the news.

I like Eurostar! And I'm more positive about the e320s than most. But using the screens for adverts about 75% of the time is extremely silly and serves no purpose
 

yorkie

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Can we please stick to the topic of Amsterdam Eurostar.

If anyone wishes to discuss any other aspect of the service, you are more than welcome to create a new thread :)
 

404250

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Thanks for confirming the bar is open. At something like £7 for a pint of Leffe, you really should remember to buy your beer before, but sometimes you don’t.

I honestly haven’t noticed any TV screen on the new trains!

And back on topic, I am very interested in paying for an Amsterdam ticket for a cheaper price than a Brussels ticket. Realistically, if they don’t do exit checks at Brussels - and I’ve never ever seen this, what could they do? Even if they did, they could hardly physically force you back onto the train. :)

One slight problem doing this is you'll have to buy a single back from Brussels which will be more expensive than it would be as part of a Brussels "return". Eurostar offer a saving on returns.
 

DavidGrain

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Does anyone know when we might see direct trains Amsterdam-London?

That needs a bilateral treaty between the British and Dutch governments and nobody is likely to want to do that at the moment. I can't see it being a priority for Liam Fox the Secretary of State for International Trade for a long time.
 

ivanhoe

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Does anyone know when we might see direct trains Amsterdam-London?
Probably before a Eurostar is ever seen north of the M25. If you see the set up of KLM regional services, then the only people interested in such a service will be enthusiasts and passengers who are adverse to flying or can’t. Then there is the politics of Brexit.
 

parkender102

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Took the 17:16 St Pancras to Amsterdam last night. Pulled up short of Rotterdam as we had a broken down train in front of us. After a 20 minute delay our train went all the way back to Antwerp to take an alternative line to Amsterdam. Arrived around 2 Hours late in Amsterdam (00:10 instead of 22:12 arrival). I don't know who was more cheesed off - me or the people next to me who were going to Rotterdam - they were so close that they were waiting at the door to de-train when we stopped. I'm pretty sure I can claim Delay Repay for the journey but haven't checked my emails yet.

The guy next to me was going to Breda to meet a friend who was picking him up - so could have got off at Antwerp as Breda is almost the same distance from Rotterdam as it is from Antwerp but we were told the doors wouldn't be opened at Antwerp. Another frustrated customer - I assume the doors weren't opened for some reason but can't think why - we were stopped for a while at Antwerp too.
 
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tasky

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The service never calls at Antwerp does it? Strange choice given it's such a large city. I suppose because it has good connections from Brussels?
 

MisterT

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I checked the Dutch train logs (which only contains the part of the train in The Netherlands), but I can't find a broken down train just before Rotterdam. The only things I can find is that the Eurostar train you were actually in (9150) needed a reboot because the train lost the connection with the RBC, which took 20 minutes. The train status further shows that it was delayed before reaching The Netherlands, so my guess is that you were still in Belgium when it happened. Otherwise you wouldn't need to reverse to Antwerp at all: reversing just to Breda (which is, assuming you were still on the High Speed Line, about 10 minutes away) would have been a much better option.
 

S-Car-Go

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The train is not authorised to stop in Antwerp in either direction. Likely because people on the platform could board. Eurostar sells tickets on this service from Brussels to/from Netherlands, but not to/from Antwerp to reduce competing with Thalys.

The service never calls at Antwerp does it? Strange choice given it's such a large city. I suppose because it has good connections from Brussels?
 

AlexNL

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The city of Antwerp is campaigning for Eurostar to stop in their city as it would give a boost to tourism.

The biggest problem I think is in the working back to London.

A setdown only Antwerp stop may be commercially viable, but if you can't pick up those passengers again it's going to be difficult to sell.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam are getting semi-dedicated Eurostar platforms and associated security check areas. I don't see how that could be fitted in Antwerp Central station.
 
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S-Car-Go

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Amsterdam & Rotterdam are getting semi-dedicated areas. I was in both stations last September, and the platform buildings were being constructed.

Maybe Antwerp has limited platform timing slots? I can't see it becoming part of the service if it's only Netherlands-bound trains that stop. Besides there are many connections from Antwerp to Brussels Midi-Zuid, which is a capable terminal with a recent capacity upgrade.
It's just a matter for the Dutch & UK governments/authorities to agree a legal framework, treaty, and all those 'noodzakelijke dingen'


The city of Antwerp is campaigning for Eurostar to stop in their city as it would give a boost to tourism.

The biggest problem I think is in the working back to London.

A setdown only Antwerp stop may be commercially viable, but if you can't pick up those passengers again it's going to be difficult to sell.

Antwerp and Rotterdam are getting semi-dedicated Eurostar platforms and associated security check areas. I don't see how that could be fitted in Antwerp Central station.
 

LeeLivery

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But Amsterdam and Rotterdam already don't have direct trains back to London and it hasn't put people off. So I can't see why it would be a massive issue if this was the permanent arrangement for Antwerp. If Eurostar made it clear why there isn't a direct train to London, I'm sure most people wouldn't really mind.
 

tasky

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Does anyone know whether Eurostar passengers between Brussels and Amsterdam - or indeed Brussels and Rotterdam - with Carte Blanche or Business Premier can use any lounges at either end?
 

anme

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The city of Antwerp is campaigning for Eurostar to stop in their city as it would give a boost to tourism.

The biggest problem I think is in the working back to London.

A setdown only Antwerp stop may be commercially viable, but if you can't pick up those passengers again it's going to be difficult to sell.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam are getting semi-dedicated Eurostar platforms and associated security check areas. I don't see how that could be fitted in Antwerp Central station.

It's hard to see why Antwerp should get a stop. It's not much of a commercial centre and it's easily reached by domestic train from Brussels.
 

33Hz

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Does anyone know whether Eurostar passengers between Brussels and Amsterdam - or indeed Brussels and Rotterdam - with Carte Blanche or Business Premier can use any lounges at either end?

Yes - you can just flash the card to use the Thalys lounge at Brussels or what looks like a Regus operated lounge on platform 1 at Rotterdam.
 

tasky

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Yes - you can just flash the card to use the Thalys lounge at Brussels or what looks like a Regus operated lounge on platform 1 at Rotterdam.

Thanks, that's really helpful. Does anyone have any experience of trying to bring a guest with a ticket but without a card while using Carte Blanche in a lounge that isn't Eurostar? I imagine that might be a problem, even though Eurostar lounges let you bring a guest?
 

33Hz

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Thanks, that's really helpful. Does anyone have any experience of trying to bring a guest with a ticket but without a card while using Carte Blanche in a lounge that isn't Eurostar? I imagine that might be a problem, even though Eurostar lounges let you bring a guest?

I've done it once at Paris Gare de l'Est, but I am not sure what the policy is from other operators on this.
 

parkender102

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21 Dec 2010
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I checked the Dutch train logs (which only contains the part of the train in The Netherlands), but I can't find a broken down train just before Rotterdam. The only things I can find is that the Eurostar train you were actually in (9150) needed a reboot because the train lost the connection with the RBC, which took 20 minutes. The train status further shows that it was delayed before reaching The Netherlands, so my guess is that you were still in Belgium when it happened. Otherwise you wouldn't need to reverse to Antwerp at all: reversing just to Breda (which is, assuming you were still on the High Speed Line, about 10 minutes away) would have been a much better option.

Thinking on maybe we hadn't crossed the border and we were still in Belgium. Anyway I received an email from Eurostar apologising for the 117 minute delay and compensation is offered at:

60-119 minutes - 25% of the value of the affected ticket.
 

Gadget88

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23 Aug 2013
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The Evening standard says Eurostar has ambitions for a 4th and 5th direct daily service.
 

Gadget88

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It's hard to see why Antwerp should get a stop. It's not much of a commercial centre and it's easily reached by domestic train from Brussels.

I go there soon but it seems a decent place I think if there was a direct service it would boost tourist numbers.
 

AlexNL

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It's hard to see why Antwerp should get a stop. It's not much of a commercial centre and it's easily reached by domestic train from Brussels.
It's the 2nd biggest city of Belgium, and it's home to a lot of companies. The city also has a port, which is the 2nd busiest in the whole of Europe (after Rotterdam). There is a lot of commercial activity going on in the port area as well.
 
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