International stations that previously had direct services to or from UK stations.

[stadler]

How many international stations previously had direct UK rail services but no longer do?

I can think of the following nine which all previously had Eurostar services:

• Aime La Plagne
• Avignon Centre
• Avignon TGV
• Bourg Saint Maurice
• Calais Frethun
• Lyon Part Dieu
• Marne La Vallee
• Marseille Saint Charles
• Moutiers Salins Brides Les Bains

Are there any others which got served by Eurostar services at any point? I am trying to remember if any stations were different in the early days? I remember in their early days the timetables were slightly different (for example they served Avignon Centre before switching to Avignon TGV later) so perhaps there are other examples of this?

I am also even interested in one off ones that only got served due to engineering work or service disruption or other special services? I would guess that possibly the Bourg Saint Maurice and Marseille trains could have potentially made additional stops on the outward journey from the UK (as there would be no border control issues) during disruptions? I would also be interested if Haute Picardie TGV (the Stratford International of France as i call it) has ever seen a Eurostar train?

There are also a bunch of Irish stations (Laytown, Gormanston, Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush & Lusk, Donabate, Malahide, Portmarnock, Clongriffin, Howth Junction & Donaghmede, Tara Street, Pearse, Grand Canal Dock) that lost their once a day international service at the start of this year when the hourly Enterprise began. They used to get a once a day in each direction Newry stopper.

 

[RT4038]

Lille Flandres, Tournai, Brussels Nord and Brussels Schaerbeek all had Night Ferry through sleeping car service.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Lille Flandres, Tournai, Brussels Nord and Brussels Schaerbeek all had Night Ferry through sleeping car service.

As did various stations en route to Basel SNCF at one time

 

[RT4038]

As did various stations en route to Basel SNCF at one time

Ah yes, presumably Valenciennes, Hirson, Charleville-Mezieres, Sedan, Montmedy, Longuyon, Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Basel SNCF (Trains 493/494 at that time) ?

 

[Peterthegreat]

Your list of stations served by Eurostar is correct for scheduled passenger services.
However a number of stations have been served by "one off " charters.

These include:-
La Rochelle
Dijon Ville
Nevers
Lyon Perrache
Bordeaux St Jean
Calais Ville
Lille Flandres
Haute Picardie
Cannes

I also think Ath was used when a Eurostar broke down there in the early days of the service.

 

[Gordon]

As did various stations en route to Basel SNCF at one time

No, not direct from London

Ah yes, presumably Valenciennes, Hirson, Charleville-Mezieres, Sedan, Montmedy, Longuyon, Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Basel SNCF (Trains 493/494 at that time) ?

No, none of these. The Night Ferry only ever served Paris and Brussels

Lille Flandres, Tournai, Brussels Nord and Brussels Schaerbeek all had Night Ferry through sleeping car service.

Just 'Lille' in those days. Only named Flandres after TGV required Lille Europe.

 

[Peterthegreat]

No, not direct from London



No, none of these. The Night Ferry only ever served Paris and Brussels



Just 'Lille' in those days. Only named Flandres after TGV required Lille Europe.

The Night Ferry conveyed a sleeping car from London to Bâle in the winters of 1967/8 and 1968/9.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

There were plenty of cross border services in Ireland, of course, all now sadly closed apart from the Belfast / Dublin main line.

 

[RT4038]

No, none of these. The Night Ferry only ever served Paris and Brussels

Night Ferry - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I had forgotten this through Basle car, until reminded by @Cheshire Scot in post #3

Just 'Lille' in those days. Only named Flandres after TGV required Lille Europe.

The current station named Lille Flandres (as opposed to Lille Europe) had through service to the UK by the Night Ferry. Yes, it was named plain 'Lille' in those days, as Lille Europe had not been built.

There were plenty of cross border services in Ireland, of course, all now sadly closed apart from the Belfast / Dublin main line.

Such as Burtonport and Donegal to Londonderrry.......

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I had forgotten this through Basle car, until reminded by @Cheshire Scot in post #3

Ah yes, presumably Valenciennes, Hirson, Charleville-Mezieres, Sedan, Montmedy, Longuyon, Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Basel SNCF (Trains 493/494 at that time) ?

None of Hirson, Sedan, Montmedy, Longuyon or Colmar are listed as stops in an extract rom 'The Wagons-Lits Guide, Winter 1967/68' although in the '70s trains 493/494 called at all of these so it seems quite likely it would also have done so in the '60s. The turnround in Basel/Bale was just 98 minutes assuming the same car went straight back.

Latterly the Night Ferry also served Dunkerque Ville (after the new train ferry berth had been brought into use) albeit at slightly unsocial hours of 01.xx towards london and 05.xx from London which no doubt generated the occasional sleeper passenger from time to time.

 

[nwales58]

Such as Burtonport and Donegal to Londonderrry.......

Strabane, international hub for services to Castlefinn, Raphoe and all stations to Letterkenny, Killybegs and Ballyshannon. Imagine an international border at Machynlleth for the Corris railway as well as the cambrian coast.

 

[Amalie]

Another interesting question I have, at the risk of going off-topic, is which British stations previously had direct international train services. There’s the former Eurostar stops: London Waterloo, Ashford International, and Stratford International. But I wonder if the former ferry night train had additional stops in the UK. Also, which stops in Northern Ireland no longer have direct lines to places outside the UK.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Another interesting question I have, at the risk of going off-topic, is which British stations previously had direct international train services. There’s the former Eurostar stops: London Waterloo, Ashford International, and Stratford International. But I wonder if the former ferry night train had additional stops in the UK. Also, which stops in Northern Ireland no longer have direct lines to places outside the UK.

Stratford has never had international services, Ebbsfleet has though.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Another interesting question I have, at the risk of going off-topic, is which British stations previously had direct international train services. There’s the former Eurostar stops: London Waterloo, Ashford International, and Stratford International. But I wonder if the former ferry night train had additional stops in the UK. Also, which stops in Northern Ireland no longer have direct lines to places outside the UK.

The 'Bundoran Express' (Dublin - Bundoran) crossed the border no less than 4 times en-route!

The 'Night Ferry' did call specially at Sevenoaks (close to Chartwell) on several occasions to pick up Winston Curchill, but no regular calls.

 

[RT4038]

Another interesting question I have, at the risk of going off-topic, is which British stations previously had direct international train services. There’s the former Eurostar stops: London Waterloo, Ashford International, and Stratford International. But I wonder if the former ferry night train had additional stops in the UK. Also, which stops in Northern Ireland no longer have direct lines to places outside the UK.

Don't think Stratford International has ever had any international services. Ebbsfleet did though. Don't think the Night Ferry ever had any other public stops in UK except Victoria.

Strabane, international hub for services to Castlefinn, Raphoe and all stations to Letterkenny, Killybegs and Ballyshannon. Imagine an international border at Machynlleth for the Corris railway as well as the cambrian coast.

Not forgetting Sligo, Ballysodare, Dromahair, Manorhamilton and Glenfarne on the S&LNCR. Clones, Pettigo, Ballyshannon and Bundaron would have had direct through services to Enniskillin and other intermediate stations in Fermanagh, as well as possibly intermediate stations between Dundalk and Clones if the Bundoran Express stopped there? Other cross border lines with through services, with other intermediate stations with international services would have been Clones-Armagh and Greenore-Newry. Castleblayney-Armagh might have technically had some, but this was closed in 1923 immediately after independence, and may well have been suspended by then anyway due to civil disturbances.

I don't think any currently open station in Northern Ireland had through services to the Republic (or predecessors after independence), other than Belfast Great Victoria St and other intermediate stations on the current line towards the border after Newry. In Londonderry, the international services departed from other (now closed) stations in the City. If you are counting closed stations, it will be the 'flip' (NI) side of the lines mentioned above.

 

[SHD]

Amiens used to be a technical stop on the Golden arrow - in the last years of the service, this is where a traction changeover from electric to steam and v.v. would occur - but I'm not sure that it was a commercial stop.

 

[RT4038]

Amiens used to be a technical stop on the Golden arrow - in the last years of the service, this is where a traction changeover from electric to steam and v.v. would occur - but I'm not sure that it was a commercial stop.

However, the Golden Arrow was not a direct 'through' train from the UK - the rolling stock did not go on the ferry and the passengers had to transfer themselves.

 

[SHD]

However, the Golden Arrow was not a direct 'through' train from the UK - the rolling stock did not go on the ferry and the passengers had to transfer themselves.

Ah, my bad, I always thought it was.

 

[etr221]

There are also a bunch of Irish stations (Laytown, Gormanston, Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush & Lusk, Donabate, Malahide, Portmarnock, Clongriffin, Howth Junction & Donaghmede, Tara Street, Pearse, Grand Canal Dock) that lost their once a day international service at the start of this year when the hourly Enterprise began. They used to get a once a day in each direction Newry stopper.

In the early 1950s the Enterprise service was extended beyond Dublin to Cork (Glanmire Road as it was then), as a GN(I) & CIE joint working - I've no idea what stops were made south of Dublin.

 

[erikvd28]

Hoek van Holland Haven, Schiedam Rotterdam West, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem, Amsterdam Centraal (before Eurostar) Vlissingen (before WW2)

 

[30907]

Hoek van Holland Haven, Schiedam Rotterdam West, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem, Amsterdam Centraal (before Eurostar) Vlissingen (before WW2)

Welcome to the forum, but the question is about direct rail services to/from UK stations.

 

[Flying Snail]

In the early 1950s the Enterprise service was extended beyond Dublin to Cork (Glanmire Road as it was then), as a GN(I) & CIE joint working - I've no idea what stops were made south of Dublin.

For a time in the 90s (it may have only been one timetable period) one daily Enterprise service ran through to the terminus platforms in Dun Laoghaire and returned from there, it was one of the NIR 111 and Mk2 sets.

 

[Taunton]

There were once quite a range of services in Ireland that crossed the border. The Londonderry to Dublin service via Portadown not only crossed the border between Portadown and Dundalk, but also had a section between Londonderry and Strabane where it ran into the Republic and back again into Northern Ireland without any intermediate stations.

 

[StephenHunter]

Lille Flandres, Tournai, Brussels Nord and Brussels Schaerbeek all had Night Ferry through sleeping car service.

Didn't the Night Ferry basically terminate at Schaerbeek, with the carriages stored there during the day?

 

[RT4038]

Didn't the Night Ferry basically terminate at Schaerbeek, with the carriages stored there during the day?

Believe so.