Eurostar Velaro diagrams

[rodent279]

I guess this belongs in UK Prototype!

 

I'm travelling to Berlin in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any current Eurostar Velaro diagrams please? I'm travelling on 9116 0854 STP-Bruxelles Fri 14/09 & back on 9157 1856 Bruxelles-STP on 19/09.

 

cheers N

[DY444]

I guess this belongs in UK Prototype!

 

I'm travelling to Berlin in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any current Eurostar Velaro diagrams please? I'm travelling on 9116 0854 STP-Bruxelles Fri 14/09 & back on 9157 1856 Bruxelles-STP on 19/09.

 

cheers N

 

Those are both booked for 374s

[rodent279]

Thanks for that!

[Zomboid]

I took the 0854 a couple of weeks back and it was indeed a 374. It was also 30 late and I missed my connection at Brussels...

[rodent279]

I took the 0854 a couple of weeks back and it was indeed a 374. It was also 30 late and I missed my connection at Brussels...

Hmm. Doesn't bode well. I have 20 min for a connection on to Berlin.

[Fat Controller]

Eurostar punctuality is generally pretty good, tough they have days when every train is massively delayed; there was one last week where there'd been a one-under not far outside Calais, which delayed trains by several hours, as they had to return to Lille, then come down the 'Classic' route via Hazebrouck. If you are delayed, make sure you get proof of this: I think the train manager can do this. In the past, when I've been on board a train running late, the onboard staff have checked if people have onward connections.

[Zomboid]

The problem in my case was the border control at St Pancras (blamed on the French part, but I wouldn't want to point fingers myself), they held the train until all passengers got through. If the queue is back beyond the Thameslink entrance like it was for me, you're not making that connection (I was also trying to get the Frankfurt ICE).

[jjb1970]

My experience with Eurostar punctuality has been very good. On the whole I'm a very satisfied customer, trains tend to be clean and well presented, staff are helpful and the service just works. My only complaint is probably that the ride quality of the newer Velaro trains isn't great.

[The Stationmaster]

Hmm. Doesn't bode well. I have 20 min for a connection on to Berlin.

 

I wouldn't rely on a connection that tight at Brussels for a really long distance journey (unless lots of Belgian socks have been pulled up since my days of regular Eurostar travel) as the border control folk seem to have their own idea of 'fast' and slow' and it also depends which exit is in use.  I have actually made much tighter connections than that at Brussels in the past but it was always something of a lottery.

 

When we were discussing a DB proposal to develop an integrated connectional timetable from London via Brussel and Köln into the Rhine Valley and down to Switzerland plus connections to other parts of Germany from Köln we faced a real quandary over the connectional margin to use at Brussel Midi but were verging towards 20-25 minutes if SNCB could get a guaranteed arrangement in place at Brussel.  Alas Eurostar commercial people, who saw Eurostar very much as a point-to-point service London - Paris/Bruxelles had great difficulty grasping the DB concept of an integrated railway timetable across four countries (many of them were ex airline and the Virgin commercial 'implants' were even less adventurous) so the proposal and initial development work we did in Frankfurt was never taken any further (much to DB's disgust).

[eastwestdivide]

An insider regularly posts 373 diagrams over on the wnxx forum I think - might be worth a look.

But they do swap at short notice - if you get a replacement boarding pass as you go through the gates, you know there's been a change from the diagrammed type.

Edited August 23, 2018 by eastwestdivide

[Zomboid]

I wouldn't rely on a connection that tight at Brussels for a really long distance journey (unless lots of Belgian socks have been pulled up since my days of regular Eurostar travel) as the border control folk seem to have their own idea of 'fast' and slow' and it also depends which exit is in use. I have actually made much tighter connections than that at Brussels in the past but it was always something of a lottery.

Not an issue on an outbound journey, all border control is done at St Pancras, and you just walk out of the station at Brussels as if you were on any other train.