Eurostar Direct St Pancras to Amsterdam

[AlexNL]

As Thalys the Eurostar will not be allowed for internal travel between Amsterdam and Rotterdam and v.v.. Remember it is an all reserved train!

You can take Thalys from Rotterdam to Amsterdam if you want, it's just eye-watering expensive.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

One benefit of St Pancras is the relative civilised nature of the whole process - Luton -(yes I know it is being remodelled , does you for a £3 drop off charge, has a has a fairly crap bus shuttle - and when you get into the public departure area has amazingly nowhere much to sit - but the retail shops amazingly are still open) ......

In my perambulations last year - I avoided Luton - and indeed so do many others.Hope it improves. Needs to.

EPS should do OK - gives the airlines a challenge.

 

[Groningen]

The difference between IC Direct and Thalys in time between Rotterdam and Amsterdam is 4 minutes. All railwaytickets are valid on a IC Direct you just have to have a supplement between Rotterdam and Schiphol and v.v. of 2,40 euro.

 

[Greenback]

In my perambulations last year - I avoided Luton - and indeed so do many others.Hope it improves. Needs to.

I used Luton once. Never again. It took me 4.5 hours to get form Central London to Central Amsterdam via a bus, a train, another bus, a flight then another train. Far too much hassle and a generally uncomfortable airport.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I used Luton once. Never again. It took me 4.5 hours to get form Central London to Central Amsterdam via a bus, a train, another bus, a flight then another train. Far too much hassle and a generally uncomfortable airport.

Trust me - worse in the last 18 months with rebuilding of all areas internally and externally. Their grasping commercial attitude is far from word class.

However - EPS are having a bit of a revival in passenger growth the last few months - great news - and the AMS services are very well thought of in all sorts of media outlets , not just those in search of relaxing short breaks in a very fine city.

 

[paddington]

I used Luton once. Never again. It took me 4.5 hours to get form Central London to Central Amsterdam via a bus, a train, another bus, a flight then another train. Far too much hassle and a generally uncomfortable airport.

Well if you are coming from central London then LTN is hardly ideal (the 757 bus can be convenient from some start points though pricey), but if you live in Dunstable and want to go to Amsterdam it might be.

I currently live near East Croydon and I don't think the current proposal is for me when going to Amsterdam - LGW (10m walk, 15m train, 1hr wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) or LCY (20m overground, 10m tube, 10m DLR, 30m wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) are the way to go. Eurostar would be 10m walk, 30m train, 45m wait, 3.5h train which is 2 hours longer and probably more expensive.

With BA (who will hopefully learn from yesterday's failures) it is a fixed price of 4500 avios + £17.50. Eurostar I don't think will ever have attractive pricing, and the SNAP offer is too unpredictable

Eurostar is perfect for Brussels though.

 

[BahrainLad]

Well if you are coming from central London then LTN is hardly ideal (the 757 bus can be convenient from some start points though pricey), but if you live in Dunstable and want to go to Amsterdam it might be.

I currently live near East Croydon and I don't think the current proposal is for me when going to Amsterdam - LGW (10m walk, 15m train, 1hr wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) or LCY (20m overground, 10m tube, 10m DLR, 30m wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) are the way to go. Eurostar would be 10m walk, 30m train, 45m wait, 3.5h train which is 2 hours longer and probably more expensive.

With BA (who will hopefully learn from yesterday's failures) it is a fixed price of 4500 avios + £17.50. Eurostar I don't think will ever have attractive pricing, and the SNAP offer is too unpredictable

Eurostar is perfect for Brussels though.

From anywhere in Z1-2 it's pretty much a no-brainer though. For me...

- 30 minutes from house (Clapham) to STP via Victoria Line
- 30 minute checkin
- 3h50 to central Amsterdam

(total time 4h50)

vs.

- 1h to T5 on average by cab (allowing for traffic, sometimes it's less)
- 1h checkin
- 1h25 minute block to block flight time
- 20 minutes to get from gate to station at AMS
- 15 minutes into town assuming a train is waiting

(total time 4h)

So on a direct comparison the plane wins, but the trip is a succession of segments leaving very little time for doing any productive work (or even relaxing). With such a close arrival at T5 to departure time, you won't be spending much time in the lounge. And the airborne time is all of 45 minutes. Flying from LCY doesn't make much difference, it cuts the necessary arrival time at the airport down to 30 minutes. LCY is closer from my office (London Bridge) but then so is St Pancras, so travel times for both options reduce accordingly.

Overall compared to the plane you can get 3h50 of solid work, relaxation, sleeping and so on on the train for only a slightly extended overall journey time. Which to me makes it a very interesting and attractive option.

 

[Greenback]

Well if you are coming from central London then LTN is hardly ideal (the 757 bus can be convenient from some start points though pricey), but if you live in Dunstable and want to go to Amsterdam it might be.

You're right. In my opinion Luton is no more a London airport than Bristol is.

I currently live near East Croydon and I don't think the current proposal is for me when going to Amsterdam - LGW (10m walk, 15m train, 1hr wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) or LCY (20m overground, 10m tube, 10m DLR, 30m wait, 1hr flight, 15m train) are the way to go. Eurostar would be 10m walk, 30m train, 45m wait, 3.5h train which is 2 hours longer and probably more expensive.[/QUOTE}

Everyone's preferences for any specific journey are going to depend on where they are, where they are going, and their own perceptions of value, speed and comfort. We will all have different priorities when it comes to them all.

With BA (who will hopefully learn from yesterday's failures) it is a fixed price of 4500 avios + £17.50. Eurostar I don't think will ever have attractive pricing, and the SNAP offer is too unpredictable

Eurostar is perfect for Brussels though.

Brussels, being closer, falls more within the time period where rail is more competitive with air. As I said previously, Eurostar won't decimate the air market between London and Amsterdam like it has with Brussels and Paris. I think there's room for a rail service, though. Not everyone wants to fly.

the trip is a succession of segments leaving very little time for doing any productive work (or even relaxing).

I would feel the same way. I prefer a slightly longer, but less interrupted journey to one whihc is made up of a numbe rof shorter segments or stages. Other swill disagree, as speed will be more vital in some circumstances.

 

[Bald Rick]

From anywhere in Z1-2 it's pretty much a no-brainer though. For me...

- 30 minutes from house (Clapham) to STP via Victoria Line
- 30 minute checkin
- 3h50 to central Amsterdam

(total time 4h50)

vs.

- 1h to T5 on average by cab (allowing for traffic, sometimes it's less)
- 1h checkin
- 1h25 minute block to block flight time
- 20 minutes to get from gate to station at AMS
- 15 minutes into town assuming a train is waiting

(total time 4h)

So on a direct comparison the plane wins, but the trip is a succession of segments leaving very little time for doing any productive work (or even relaxing). With such a close arrival at T5 to departure time, you won't be spending much time in the lounge. And the airborne time is all of 45 minutes. Flying from LCY doesn't make much difference, it cuts the necessary arrival time at the airport down to 30 minutes. LCY is closer from my office (London Bridge) but then so is St Pancras, so travel times for both options reduce accordingly.

Overall compared to the plane you can get 3h50 of solid work, relaxation, sleeping and so on on the train for only a slightly extended overall journey time. Which to me makes it a very interesting and attractive option.

From Clapham you could of course knock half an hour off your trip to the airport by using Gatwick. Cheaper than a taxi and likely to be a cheaper flight too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One benefit of St Pancras is the relative civilised nature of the whole process - Luton -(yes I know it is being remodelled , does you for a £3 drop off charge, has a has a fairly crap bus shuttle - and when you get into the public departure area has amazingly nowhere much to sit - but the retail shops amazingly are still open) ......

In my perambulations last year - I avoided Luton - and indeed so do many others.Hope it improves. Needs to.

It will, the present work (which does I agree make it a bit rubbish) will expand the departures area substantially.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well if you are coming from central London then LTN is hardly ideal (the 757 bus can be convenient from some start points though pricey), but if you live in Dunstable and want to go to Amsterdam it might be.

TBH "London Luton Airport" is a bit of a misnomer. As "South Midlands and the Home Counties Airport" it does the job quite well at least in road access terms.

 

[edwin_m]

You're right. In my opinion Luton is no more a London airport than Bristol is.

Luton has fast connections from several Thameslink stations every 15min with a journey time of around 40min, nearly as good as Gatwick, better than Stansted and (until Crossrail opens) arguably better than Heathrow for central London accessibility. Bristol has a much longer and more expensive journey ever half hour from one station vaguely in central London, and then requires a long bus connection. So I'd say Luton is a viable choice for flying to and from London but Bristol isn't.

 

[jon0844]

Luton is very close for me, and unlike Heathrow it usually involves less time on the ground waiting to take off, and even a shorter flight path for Europe. Security is quick (as it is at most airports now, as that means more time to shop airside) and the only complaint is when you return and often have a long queue for passport control.

Another reason why trains are so much more relaxing. I can get off at St Pancras and be out in no time. It does seem airports aren't quite so bothered about making your arrival into the country as pleasant - can't think why!!

 

[BahrainLad]

From Clapham you could of course knock half an hour off your trip to the airport by using Gatwick. Cheaper than a taxi and likely to be a cheaper flight too.

That would assume you live right next to Clapham Junction, which is in Battersea. I live in Clapham!

 

[island]

On the topic of ID cards, Ireland recently introduced a "passport card" which is simply the biodata page of a passport with no attached blank pages. I would happily have a UK passport card, but I doubt that anybody would dare to suggest this in the near future. The US also has a passport card but for some reason the holder's signature is not captured which leads to certain problems compared to a passport booklet when using it inside the US.

The Irish "passport card" is simply an EU national identity card by another name, valid for travel in the EU/EEA and a few other places, just as the short-lived British national identity card was.

It's very useful and you can apply entirely online with no requirement to post photographs or have them certified. If you do so whilst renewing your passport, which you can also do entirely online without posting anything, you get €10 off.

 

[nottinghamcity]

TBH "London Luton Airport" is a bit of a misnomer. As "South Midlands and the Home Counties Airport" it does the job quite well at least in road access terms.

It is a good option for the north MML.

Almost certainly quicker to get from Nottingham and Leicester than greater London.

Is probably the naffest airport I've ever used however, and East Midlands (and Birmingham) are a better option generally.

 

[island]

It is a good option for the north MML.

Almost certainly quicker to get from Nottingham and Leicester than greater London.

Is probably the naffest airport I've ever used however, and East Midlands (and Birmingham) are a better option generally.

This does nothing to dispel the fact that attaching the London label is rather tenuous.

 

[Bald Rick]

It is a good option for the north MML.

Almost certainly quicker to get from Nottingham and Leicester than greater London.

Is probably the naffest airport I've ever used however, and East Midlands (and Birmingham) are a better option generally.

Not sure about that. Croydon to Luton Airport Parkway is 70 mins, and will be nearer 60 next year. Anywhere in north London near the North London line, the Vic, Picc, Jubilee or Northern line will be around the same with a change at West Hampstead or Kings X St Pancras.

Nottingham is 85mins away; Leicester is an hour admittedly, but then it's only 65 miles or so on a direct intercity service.

And if Luton is the naffest airport you've used, you have simply never lived!

 

[Bald Rick]

This does nothing to dispel the fact that attaching the London label is rather tenuous.

Raise you Frankfurt (Hahn).

 

[bspahh]

This does nothing to dispel the fact that attaching the London label is rather tenuous.

There was a time when you had to rely on the name of an airport to work out a suitable route for a journey. If you still rely on the name rather than the itinerary from somewhere Google Maps, www.rome2rio.com or www.skyscanner.net you deserve what you will get.

Caveat aviator!

 

[stut]

38% of O&D traffic at LTN goes to/from London. That's enough to justify the London label, IMO.

 

[Joe Paxton]

38% of O&D traffic at LTN goes to/from London. That's enough to justify the London label, IMO.

Yep, absolutely.

And the Home Counties get their moniker from the idea that they are 'within the orbit' of the metropolis.