Avignon to Ashford

[newmilton]

My wife will be travelling back from Avignon to Ashford next Saturday. There has been an issue with the newer trains not being able to stop at Ashford and stopping at Ebbsfleet instead. In the event, Ebbsfleet would actually be much more convenient ; so I was wondering which train sets are used on the Marseille service, and if the e320s, whether the problem had been solved ... and what the chance might be of saving myself an hour's drive down the M20!

I presume they make an on-train announcement early enough for my wife to let me know where to meet her before I set out! The Eurostar site doesn't seem to say one way or another.

 

[AlexNL]

As far as I'm aware, the e320's aren't cleared for services beyond Paris (yet) so if you're on the direct service you'll be getting an e300 / TMST. These trains can stop at Ashford as the issue which is plaguing the e320's is not a problem for the original Eurostar trains.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but she could get a train from Ashford to Ebbsfleet.

Trains every half an hour, journey time of 19 minutes.

 

[newmilton]

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but she could get a train from Ashford to Ebbsfleet.

Trains every half an hour, journey time of 19 minutes.

Indeed she could. But she would not consider that consistent with my duties as her husband.

 

[newmilton]

I presume they make an on-train announcement early enough for my wife to let me know where to meet her before I set out! The Eurostar site doesn't seem to say one way or another.

Actually, I have now found a page on the full website, and the Marseille service is not listed as not stopping, and presumably the original stock.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Indeed she could. But she would not consider that consistent with my duties as her husband.

Understood!

 

[Sebastian O]

Definitely only original stock down to Marseille/Avignon - have spent quite a lot of time recently at Avignon.

 

[RichardGore]

Is the issue not resolved now? I had heard that KVB had been installed at Ashford.

 

[AlexNL]

I had heard that KVB had been installed at Ashford.

That is correct, but after KVB was installed new issues have been identified which can cause serious damage to an e320 train. As far as I am aware the issue is expected to be resolved somewhere around the end of September, but as always: it ain't certain until it's actually happening.

Even when e320 services to Ashford resume, you can still expect e300's/TMSTs to call there as the Siemens stock is not currently cleared to operate beyond Paris.

 

[DEE-DE]

Less than two weeks ago Eurostar actually told me that they don't expect the issue to be fixed until some time next year. The reason for the limited stops at Ashford during most of September seems to have something to do with reduced availability of E300s to replace E320s due to some strikes in a depot.

 

[CMS]

Less than two weeks ago Eurostar actually told me that they don't expect the issue to be fixed until some time next year. The reason for the limited stops at Ashford during most of September seems to have something to do with reduced availability of E300s to replace E320s due to some strikes in a depot.

Yes I have also heard this, the problem with Ashford is not just the e320 issue, but also the state of the TMST/E300s, at certain times of the year they have to be on the Marseille or Ski, which mean they have to be prepared in the depot which takes longer than if they ran the other routes. This has been amplified by industrial action in some of the depots (Thalys have also announced cancellations for the same reason FYI) and so no e320s + lower than usual TMST/E300 availability means that apart from the Marseille/Ski trains, it's very hard to provide an Ashford service at present. I wouldn't envisage this being resolved any time soon.

I think in the longer term, Ashford will only see a token 1 train a day to & from Paris/Brussels, with all departures AM and all arrivals PM. Ebbsfleet may be boosted due to this.

 

[MAV39]

I think in the longer term, Ashford will only see a token 1 train a day to & from Paris/Brussels, with all departures AM and all arrivals PM. Ebbsfleet may be boosted due to this.

Is this a personal opinion, or is there any other source for this?

My query is that the project to allow E320s to call at Ashford was, essentially, Goverment funded with the South East England Local Enterprise Partnership providing £9.8m of the £10.5m project cost, after calls for support from Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council.

https://www.southeastlep.com/project/ashford-spurs-international-rail-connectivity/

 

[CMS]

Deleted

 

[newmilton]

Since it seems I'm going to Ashford, a further question for someone who knows the station layout: if I park on the domestic side of the station, can I easily reach the Eurostar concourse, and give versa, can someone arriving on E* easily access the north side domestic exit?

Plans and photographs seem to suggest the connecting subway has ticket barriers at each end.

 

[CMS]

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