European Train Travel

[FifeingEejit]

I've done Hannover to Dundee in a day before.
But I arrived in Hannover from Denmark via Hamburg because I'd already had 2 days in Hamburg.

London - Brussels : Eurostar
Brussels - Koln : Thalys
Koln - Hamburg : DB ICE or IC

Eurostar and Thalys will soon be the same company, it's possible we'll see London - Koln but Koln - London is less likely as they can't waste the stand time at Lille to get everyone through security and back on the train (the initial problem with the Amsterdam services).

And it is Tunnel security that's the real problem not passport control.

[sg37409]

Interesting about the Newcastle ferry times.  We hope to use that this year for our first trip abroad since 2019, I must get into more detailed plans there if the times can be a challenge. 

[MikeFromLFE]

And it is Tunnel security that's the real problem not passport control.

Which in itself is just political theatre. There's no security on trains going through longer tunnels on the European mainland. (or the Severn Tunnel!)

I agree there are safety issues to be considered, but let's not pretend that the Channel Tunnel is unique with those challenges any more.

[Kim]

Why would anyone bother doing a terrorism on a train when there are plenty of tunnels with motor vehicles driving through them that will cause carnage and disruption for free if you just wait for a motorised moron to do their thing?

[robgul]

There's an article in the Sunday Times today about efforts by HS1 (the operator of the London-Folkestone High Speed track) to get direct trains to more European destinations - e.g. Geneva, Bordeaux.  Some reference to the potenital increases in processing time for stamping passports* and the new EU pass thing that starts in May 2023 affecting passenger capacity.

I went to France twice in 2022 - once by bike and once by car - both times my passport was stamped very carefully by the French border people with IN and OUT stamps on the same page - rather than than the old days, pre 1973, when stamps were random on any page, if you got one.

[Cudzoziemiec]

In the mid-80s, so when we were in the EU, or EEC, but before Schengen, I once boarded the ferry at Calais (from the train) showing only the back of (BLACK! NOT BLUE! BRITISH!) passport, just for a laugh (well, I was a teenager). Ferry security bloke just waved me on.

[felstedrider]

Someone locked themselves in the loo on our trip to Paris and it turned out there were 4 (French) police on the train.  In the end I think it was a medical issue as they appealed for a doctor.

[bhoot]

I went to France twice in 2022 - once by bike and once by car - both times my passport was stamped very carefully by the French border people with IN and OUT stamps on the same page - rather than than the old days, pre 1973, when stamps were random on any page, if you got one.

My first visit to France since 2019 (just before Christmas) and my passport was stamped on two different pages for the in/out at Eurostar.

[Pickled Onion]

The Eurostar website is not showing through tickets, so I assume the price given in the article is for the Brussels-Berlin leg?

Even so, the price is not unreasonable, flying that same weekend from London City would be £214 return and you'd have to pay for a hotel on the Friday night.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It's two different companies. Brussels to Berlin is run by "European Sleeper Cooperative U.A."

[Pickled Onion]

Ah makes sense. Though that means if the Eurostar is running late, you're stuffed?

I'll almost certainly use this when they go all the way to Prague, when I looked at it before the trip involved many legs including crossing a couple of cities from terminal to terminal at silly-o-clock.

[FifeingEejit]

CIV ticketing covers more eventualities than domestic does, check it out

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[MikeFromLFE]

On a different note:
I've discovered that the National Rail Disabled Pass - the one that allows for a free 'carer' to accompany you on UK journeys - also allows you to have a free 'carer' Interrail pass.

That's the cost of most of the travel for our Austro-Hungarian adventure this summer halved!

[MikeFromLFE]

CIV ticketing covers more eventualities than domestic does, check it out

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Does the CIV cover delays once on Forin soil? (Genuine question - I don't know).
I ask because I'm vaguely aware of various operators on the mainland participating in something I've called HOTNAT for delays (Hop On The Next Available Train).

[ScumOfTheRoad]

I was not aware the Disabled Pass allowed a carer to travel for free - I thought both travellers got 30% off.
Good info about the Interrail pass though - did not know about this.

[MikeFromLFE]

I was not aware the Disabled Pass allowed a carer to travel for free - I thought both travellers got 30% off.
Good info about the Interrail pass though - did not know about this.

Perhaps I'm confused about the free travel - I'm having an interesting morning.

[Cudzoziemiec]

A friend has a DPRC*, I've done a couple of train trips with her and yes, it's 30% off for both. There is apparently a bus pass that gives free travel to both holder and 'carer'.

Democratic People's Republic of Civilization?

[FifeingEejit]

CIV ticketing covers more eventualities than domestic does, check it out

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

Does the CIV cover delays once on Forin soil? (Genuine question - I don't know).
I ask because I'm vaguely aware of various operators on the mainland participating in something I've called HOTNAT for delays (Hop On The Next Available Train).

Believe its used for international travel only, but in the UK you can purchase a London (CIV) ticket if you hold a eurostar ticket, or at least used to that means a domestic delay results in your eurostar ticket still being valid for another train that day.

https://help.raileurope.co.uk/article/41665-understanding-civ

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[Auntie Helen]

My chap has visited the UK twice since the border stamping began and they have never stamped his passport. Seems it is just Europe stamping British passports, not Britain stamping European ones.

[fimm]

My chap has visited the UK twice since the border stamping began and they have never stamped his passport. Seems it is just Europe stamping British passports, not Britain stamping European ones.

Correct. This is why Mr fimm travels on his other passport, not his British one (though he says if there's an issue with me he still has to wait, which is nice of him).
He also tells me that German trains have Issues according to the various news sites in German that he reads. We came on the night train into Cologne and it was nearly an hour late and we only just made our connection to Brussels.

[Auntie Helen]

Yes, German trains really bad at the moment.

I have to use my UK passport when entering the UK but my German one when entering Europe (those are the rules). I guess if I accidentally lose one I could use the other but might have a problem with the 90 day rule if I don’t travel again within that time on the correct passport.