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Eurostar signage question
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blackfive460
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It's short for non fumatore (no smoking).
Not quite as common on the continent, in Austria they still have smoking rooms in cafes and such
Does anyone call it "the chunnel train"?
I was in Italy for a few days last week, where it appears that smoking is not only common but mandatory. On Tirano station I think there were only two of us who weren't chain-smoking - and the other one was a nun.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Does anyone call it "the chunnel train"?
Americans, mostly.
I think they think that's how we refer to it.
As far as I'm aware, everyone in the UK (rail enthusiasts and general public alike) calls it Eurostar, which is what it is. Eurostar Italia is entirely unknown here.
Peter Mugridge
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I thought Eurostar Italia had just changed its name anyway?
Goldfish62
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I've never ever heard anyone refer to Eurostar as The Chunnel Train. Even the most hardened non-rail people (in the UK) refer to it as Eurostar.
Over here, well at least to the people I know who travel overseas, what is called Eurostar in the UK is simply called the chunnel train. When Eurostar is mentioned it is almost always in the context of travel in Italy. I must admit, I never thought to ask any Italians about how they refer to the two. A friend of one of my nieces works for Expedia, formerly in the UK and now in Australia. I'll have to ask her about this as Expedia is a US based company. Wonder if it causes confusion.
Cheers.
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wf.
Cheers.
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wf.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
It was a term ignorant newspapers invented as an abbreviation of "channel tunnel".
It never caught on though, especially when there are two types of service through the tunnel - Eurotunnel Le Shuttle for cars and Eurostar for rail passengers.
The general public have enough trouble telling these apart, and Eurostar does the trick for rail.
Eurostar was also the brand name invented in Italy at about the same time for their high speed rail services, and there was a branding battle between the two.
Eventually, the Italians agreed to brand themselves Eurostar Italia.
Recently Trenitalia has made life even more complicated by sub-branding its high speed trains "Freccia..." (-argento, -bianca, -rossa), and I think Eurostar Italia is not now used.
Saying "Chunnel" to the Brits is about as useful as using the term "Subway" for the Tube.
Eurostar Italia is no longer used. What was called Eurostar Alta Velocità ("High Speed") may be known as Frecciarossa ("Red Arrow", maximum speed 300 km/h, on Torino - Milano - Bologna - Roma - Napoli - Salerno route). It may also be known as Frecciargento ("Silver Arrow", maximum speed 250 km/h, routes to/from Venezia S. L. /Padova). What was called Eurostar City is now known as Frecciabianca ("White Arrow", maximum speed 200 km/h, covers various classic routes across the country), though this category also includes some services previously known as Intercity. The most frequent Frecciabianca route is the (Torino -) Milano - Verona - Venezia (- Trieste) route, which is ex-Eurostar City. Freccebianche run several times a day down the Adriatic coast (ex-Eurostar City) and typically once or twice a day on various other north-south routes (typically ex-IC). These Freccebianche are not high speed trains but rather refurbished coaches built in the 1970s or 1980s hauled by locos built in the 1990s). Intercity trains use similar rolling stock but have not been refurbished. They are a cheaper but slower alternative to Le Frecce services on various north-south routes and also run most long-distance services in the south of Italy and Sicily.
Although I saw at least one train with "Eurostar Italia" branding at Milano Centrale station last Saturday afternon.
The coach I rode last year had Standard painted in large letters and Frecciarossa painted in very small letters just above the info sign for the car, which had *EUROSTAR* in medium letters (along with coach number, etc.).
Did I read above that you don't have subways in London? Could have sworn I rode one..............
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wf.
Did I read above that you don't have subways in London? Could have sworn I rode one..............
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wf.
Yes, you have subways in London but they are for pedestrians.
The name Eurostar was first used for the "chunnel train" as you call it.
FS stole it!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
You may have travelled on or ridden (NOT rode!) the London Underground aka the Underground aka the tube.
In London the only subways are either, as others have already said, pedestrian underpasses or rather rubbish American-import fast food joints!
Now there is a subway (ie underground railway) in Glasgow though.... perhaps you were a bit further north than you thought!!!
http://www.spt.co.uk/subway/
GBS was right - "two nations divided by a common language" indeed....
Call it three nation maybe - American English, English English and Scottish English. For the most part I can understand the accent and terminology when in England, but I have a very good friend in Scotland and it takes a couple days for me to get used to his English when we meet. Obligatory rail: is there a different UK term for what we 'Mericans call the draft gear on a rail car?
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wd.
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wd.
mirodo
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I've never heard anyone use the term "Chunnel" in speech. It was used in some headlines, but a long time ago.
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