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Without additional funding from government there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar

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Bletchleyite

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I totally agree. It would be far better if countries worldwide used similar criteria in determining decisions. But Spain needs British tourists, Germany doesn't.

Different countries have made different progress with their vaccination programmes. So the same criteria wouldn't lead to the same decision everywhere.

If you wanted the same decision it'd be "full lockdown".
 

Peterthegreat

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Different countries have made different progress with their vaccination programmes. So the same criteria wouldn't lead to the same decision everywhere.

If you wanted the same decision it'd be "full lockdown".
No that should be part of the decision criteria. At the moment it is totally opaque why decisions are made.
 

LeeLivery

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Are they? Pre-Covid, the Eurostars I've been on pretty much universally have had nearly every Standard seat occupied.

Normally yes, but the last train I got from Paris (Sept 2019) had a surprising amount of seats avilable. It was late afternoon which I would've thought would've been busy. Was able to move from an airline seat to a table.
 

Ianno87

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Could it mean the end of the Amsterdam project?

Don't see why. I'd have thought that ought to be a money spinner once leisure demand gets going again. I'd have thought the likes of Marseille etc would likely be the most under threat.
 

DanielB

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Could it mean the end of the Amsterdam project?

Wouldn't expect that. Services to and from Amsterdam have mostly continued troughout the pandemic despite travel restrictions severely limiting the passenger numbers.
Of course its questionable if the planned expansion of the number of services will still happen. But things might change quite quickly once restrictions are lifted.
 

MattRat

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Could it mean the end of the Amsterdam project?
Don't see why. I'd have thought that ought to be a money spinner once leisure demand gets going again. I'd have thought the likes of Marseille etc would likely be the most under threat.
Or Brussels if that's the case. And then Brussels passengers would just get the Amsterdam train.
 

superjohn

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Could it mean the end of the Amsterdam project?

Not necessarily but some of the bargain basement fares might not return. It was often significantly cheaper to book through to Amsterdam while only travelling to Brussels. Such loss leading to build a market is unlikely to be an option for Eurostar now. Any services they do run will need to cover all their costs.

I suspect that is why Eurostar are predicting such a long time to restore the pre-pandemic service level.
 

Ianno87

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Not necessarily but some of the bargain basement fares might not return. It was often significantly cheaper to book through to Amsterdam while only travelling to Brussels. Such loss leading to build a market is unlikely to be an option for Eurostar now. Any services they do run will need to cover all their costs.

I suspect that is why Eurostar are predicting such a long time to restore the pre-pandemic service level.

Logically, the bargain basement fares will come back once load factors are high enough so that the "money" is made from the higher yield fares so that some seats can be sold at the rock bottom level. Current loadings are nowhere near that, and it would be commercially crazy to offer such low fares when those travelling are for essential, rather than discretionary reasons.
 

mike57

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This must be good news for Eurostar: https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...uk-travel-amber-list-vaccinated-b1859641.html (British vaccinated tourists are welcome to visit France soon.)
Problem is two tests each and 10 day isolation on return, we would normally go away for a week at the end of the summer using Eurostar, but two tests each is probably £280 for the two of us, and with the 10 day isolation, a week away is going to mean 2.5 weeks loss of wages (I dont get holiday pay). As a minimum we would need the isolation to stop before we could consider it, we would probably suck up the cost of the tests. We have both had two doses of vaccine, and Ive already had covid as well, so we must be low risk, but its the isolation on return, not the French allowing us that is the problem. I feel sorry for Eurostar and their employees, until travel from or through France without isolating on return is possible I dont see things improving.
 

Ianno87

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Seems that Ebbsfleet and Ashford are to remain unserved by Eurostar until at least 2023:
A further delay to the return of direct Eurostar international train services from the county has been branded "bad news for Kent".

The company, which runs services through the county from London to the continent, has today confirmed the timetable will not include stops at Ashford or Ebbsfleet until 2023 at the earliest.
 

alex397

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Seems that Ebbsfleet and Ashford are to remain unserved by Eurostar until at least 2023:
Will it be long until someone says ‘well hardly anyone uses it from there so I don’t blame them’?

A shame to hear this, as 2023 (at least) is a long time away. As far as I know, this means there will be no direct public transport from Kent to the continent. Hardly helping with our ‘greener’ future! The ferries are no longer taking foot passengers, and I don’t believe the Eurolines coach which stops in Canterbury on its long tiresome journey to Paris has returned post-Covid yet.
 

Watershed

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I wonder what is happening to the staff who manned the Eurostar facilities at those stations...
 

AlbertBeale

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Will it be long until someone says ‘well hardly anyone uses it from there so I don’t blame them’?

A shame to hear this, as 2023 (at least) is a long time away. As far as I know, this means there will be no direct public transport from Kent to the continent. Hardly helping with our ‘greener’ future! The ferries are no longer taking foot passengers, and I don’t believe the Eurolines coach which stops in Canterbury on its long tiresome journey to Paris has returned post-Covid yet.

Are you sure there are no foot passengers taken on any of the cross-Channel ferries now? When did that change...? If so, then that's rather outrageous.

With travel restrictions easing, I was thinking just the other day that it was time for a cheap-day-return from London to Calais again.
 

Ianno87

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Will it be long until someone says ‘well hardly anyone uses it from there so I don’t blame them’?

To be fair, I'd be surprised if Eurostar made any real profit from the stations even pre-Covid. I presume they'll only reintroduce stops once they're not likely to be losing money on them.

As Eurostar have had (in effect) a bailout package, introducing something that is likely to be loss making (at least in the short term) won't go down well...

A shame to hear this, as 2023 (at least) is a long time away. As far as I know, this means there will be no direct public transport from Kent to the continent. Hardly helping with our ‘greener’ future! The ferries are no longer taking foot passengers, and I don’t believe the Eurolines coach which stops in Canterbury on its long tiresome journey to Paris has returned post-Covid yet.

There is no direct public transport from almost every country in England to France. Everyone else manages to go to St Pancras.
 

Horizon22

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Will it be long until someone says ‘well hardly anyone uses it from there so I don’t blame them’?

A shame to hear this, as 2023 (at least) is a long time away. As far as I know, this means there will be no direct public transport from Kent to the continent. Hardly helping with our ‘greener’ future! The ferries are no longer taking foot passengers, and I don’t believe the Eurolines coach which stops in Canterbury on its long tiresome journey to Paris has returned post-Covid yet.

Ashford I can understand slightly as it had generally few stops, but Ebbsfleet used to have I think 8 or so stops a day, so seems like a shame especially as it has quite a large catchment area (although arguably Ashford does too)
 

WideRanger

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Are you sure there are no foot passengers taken on any of the cross-Channel ferries now? When did that change...? If so, then that's rather outrageous.

With travel restrictions easing, I was thinking just the other day that it was time for a cheap-day-return from London to Calais again.
I have just scanned through and it seems that none of the ferries from Dover are offering Foot Passenger fares (Irish Ferries gives the option, but no availability). However, you can book Newhaven - Dieppe on DFDS as a foot passenger. Looks a bit pricey, though.
 

Watershed

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Are you sure there are no foot passengers taken on any of the cross-Channel ferries now? When did that change...? If so, then that's rather outrageous.
I think that was the case during some of the earlier stages of the pandemic, but it's no longer the case.

That said, on Dover-Calais, P&O Ferries are only permitting foot passengers on crossings operated by their modern ships, the Spirit of France and Spirit of Britain, meaning there's a rather limited choice of times. They also only allow foot passengers between 08:25-19:15 from Dover and between 06:45-21:45 from Calais.

I'm not sure whether either of the above are new restrictions but they certainly make foot crossings an even less attractive prospect.
 
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