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Eurostar at Stratford

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lagarr

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Hello, I'm in London in 2 weeks & my 5 year old train mad son wants to see the Eurostar in action. Will I be able to see it go through Stratford Int from the platforms??
Thanks
 
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DY444

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Hello, I'm in London in 2 weeks & my 5 year old train mad son wants to see the Eurostar in action. Will I be able to see it go through Stratford Int from the platforms??
Thanks

Yes you will
 

Tetchytyke

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Hello, I'm in London in 2 weeks & my 5 year old train mad son wants to see the Eurostar in action. Will I be able to see it go through Stratford Int from the platforms??

Yes, but bear in mind that Travelcards will not give you access to the platforms, as Travelcards are not valid on HS1.

If you can bear the ride out, somewhere like Dagenham Dock will give you a better view.
 

AM9

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If time and ticketing (Travelcard) were available, would Dagenham Dock C2C station not give a more interesting and less intimidating view?
 
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FQTV

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I would personally take him to St Pancras to see them from the terrace, probably seeing old and new ones, then take a ride on HS1 to Stratford, get off, and wait for one to whoosh through.

The fare is £3.80 off peak with Oyster or Contactless.

At International, leave the station and walk through Westfield right to the other end. Go into Marks & Spencer and upstairs to the cafe. Walk to the back of the cafe and to the far right corner, and have a cup of tea and a cake overlooking Stratford Regional, where he can see DLR, Overground, Central Line, Jubilee Line, Greater Anglia and freights going past below.
 

lagarr

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FQTV- That sounds perfect for him, Thanks very much. I didn't think we were allowed to travel on it unless we were crossing the channel? if that is not the case where could I find the timetable for the route?
Thanks again.
 

najaB

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FQTV- That sounds perfect for him, Thanks very much. I didn't think we were allowed to travel on it unless we were crossing the channel? if that is not the case where could I find the timetable for the route?
You're correct that you can't travel on a Eurostar service unless crossing the Channel. However you can travel on a SouthEastern HS1 domestic service.
 

47271

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FQTV means South Eastern's HS1 service from St Pancras. It runs to Kent destinations throughout the day. There's so many of them you don't need to worry about a timetable. Quite a nice train to ride in for a short trip across London.
 

Peter Mugridge

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If you have time, why not use the Southeastern service to do a return trip to Ashford as well? He'd really enjoy that; 140 mph thrash and you won't have too long to wait at Ashford before a Eurostar comes past at speed on the flyover next to the main station.
 

AM9

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I would personally take him to St Pancras to see them from the terrace, probably seeing old and new ones, then take a ride on HS1 to Stratford, get off, and wait for one to whoosh through.

The fare is £3.80 off peak with Oyster or Contactless.

At International, leave the station and walk through Westfield right to the other end. Go into Marks & Spencer and upstairs to the cafe. Walk to the back of the cafe and to the far right corner, and have a cup of tea and a cake overlooking Stratford Regional, where he can see DLR, Overground, Central Line, Jubilee Line, Greater Anglia and freights going past below.

Then walk back to the international station where next door is the DLR terminus. There you can get in a driverless train and go through to Stratford Regional sitting in the 'driving seats' if you are lucky. All on a Travelcard of course.
 
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lagarr

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Some great advice here, really appreciated, Are all trains from st Pancras to Margate/Folkestone HS1?
Also if I allow an hour (around 2pm) at Ashford will we see Eurostar passing through?
Thanks?
 

Mike395

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Some great advice here, really appreciated, Are all trains from st Pancras to Margate/Folkestone HS1?
Also if I allow an hour (around 2pm) at Ashford will we see Eurostar passing through?
Thanks?

Yes - though some trains to Margate/Ramsgate run via the north Kent coast Mon-Fri and leave HS1 at Ebbsfleet, just outside London - so do check your train goes to/from Ashford for the full experience.

Ashford itself is not a great place to see Eurostar services, as the majority go over a flyover which has a noise barrier hiding it from the station platforms, unless you time it with one that calls there.
 

James Wake

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Can I just add as it seems no-one has mentioned it, that you can't use Oyster or Contactless out to Ashford. You would need to buy a paper ticket.
 

lagarr

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Thanks, We are staying at Walthamstow so I may get the hs1 to Stratford so at least he gets a ride on it then go to Dagenham Dock in the evening to see the Eurostar. I also want to squeeze the London Eye & a trip to Clapham Junction in the afternoon.
Can I use my oyster on the hs1 to Stratford?
Thanks for all the advice.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry just noticed my last question has already been answered!!
 

Dhassell

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Thanks, We are staying at Walthamstow so I may get the hs1 to Stratford so at least he gets a ride on it then go to Dagenham Dock in the evening to see the Eurostar. I also want to squeeze the London Eye & a trip to Clapham Junction in the afternoon.
Can I use my oyster on the hs1 to Stratford?
Thanks for all the advice.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry just noticed my last question has already been answered!!

Hope you both have a good day whatever happens! Another good spot for you 1 or two stops from Dagenham Is Rainham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-14huIxsurc Here is a video (Not Mine):D
 

Peter Mugridge

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Ashford itself is not a great place to see Eurostar services, as the majority go over a flyover which has a noise barrier hiding it from the station platforms, unless you time it with one that calls there.


A 5 year old probably won't be too bothered about not seeing the running gear as long as he can see the train passing at speed; however it should be possible to see one calling as well as a couple passing if it is at the right time, which should satisfy both aspects.
 

Hadders

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Other things you could consider, time permitting:

Take the DLR from Stratford International to Royal Victoria (very good chance of getting the front seats - perfect for train mad children!)
Then Cable Car across the Thames (you can use Oyster PAYG or contactless)
Thames Clipper from the o2 to the London Eye (you can pay with Oyster PAYG although if you have a travelcard you get a third off)
 

lagarr

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Some brilliant ideas here, just a shame we are only there for 2 days!!
We did the DLR & sat at the front for the last 2 years & the clippers last year, might give the cable cars a go this year.
Worked out a plan to go on as many different train companies as possible (whilst still doing the sights as he seems to be obsessed with the different trains & companies at the minute, so far I think I have managed to squeeze in..
Virgin East Coast
Southeastern HS1
Greater Anglia
Underground
London Overground
Thameslink
Tram at Wimbledon
South West
DLR
C2C
Southern
Great Northern
If all goes to plan!!
 

Ianno87

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Other things you could consider, time permitting:

Take the DLR from Stratford International to Royal Victoria (very good chance of getting the front seats - perfect for train mad children!)
Then Cable Car across the Thames (you can use Oyster PAYG or contactless)
Thames Clipper from the o2 to the London Eye (you can pay with Oyster PAYG although if you have a travelcard you get a third off)

And if it's your kid's bag, the station footbridge at Royal Victoria will also give you a fantastic view of the construction of Crossrail (now looking more and more complete in this area)
 
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