Posted 7th August 2009 | 2 Comments
Now it’s Woking to Paris in under four hours
SOUTH West Trains has become the latest rail operator to team up with Eurostar in a joint ticketing deal which will enable passengers to book direct to Paris and Brussels.
The announcement came as Eurostar said it was now able to offer fares from more than 200 towns and cities across Britain for the high speed service to the continent.
The company which runs trains from St Pancras International outlined its plans the day after the Government announced an investment programme in high-speed rail to help meet its targets to cut carbon emissions.
South West Trains will now be able to offer Eurostar fares from just £63 return with no airline-style extra charges for check-in, baggage or seat reservations.
City centre to city centre journey times include Basingstoke to Paris in 4h 12 mins, Southampton to Brussels in 4h 33 mins, and Woking to Paris in 3h 58 mins
Partnerships with further train operators are expected to take the number of stations offering connecting high-speed fares to more than 300 later this summer.
Travellers from as far afield as Aberdeen, Bangor and Penzance can now buy connecting fares for journeys through to Paris, Brussels and beyond.
Eurostar has seen high growth in travellers from the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East since it moved from Waterloo to St Pancras International in November 2007.
Nick Mercer, commercial director, Eurostar, said: “High-speed rail is capturing the public imagination as the new alternative to short-haul air for journeys across Europe.
“More than 200 British cities are now connected to Europe’s high-speed rail network, and with one booking you can travel from almost anywhere in Britain to hundreds of destinations on the other side of the Channel.
“We look forward to the launch next year of high-speed rail services between Brussels and Amsterdam, which will put a range of Dutch cities within three to four hours of London.”
Friends of the Earth’s campaigner Richard Dyer said: “High-speed rail can provide a viable low-carbon alternative to short-haul flights.”
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
H T Harvey, Birmingham, UK
Where is Mr Branson and his entrepeneurs.
With open access soon to be upon us it is surely possible to extend a service from St Pancrass along the WCML and another along the ECML.
A through service to the continent of one or tw0 trains per day would then be possible.
Stuart Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland
Its just a shame that the regional Eurostars do not run from cities such as Glasgow, Manchester etc as was originally planned. Huge investment took place such as constructing the Eurostar secure area at Polmadie outside Glasgow, as well as route clearance works.
There never seems to be forward thinking with our railways, or indeed good integrated ideas are never carried through.