Today, the experience is right down there with flying a no-frills airline, complete with the serpentine security lines, crowded compartments, and extremely limited snack offerings at the so-called on-board “Bistro.”
High-speed rail service offered by Eurostar connects London’s King’s Cross-St. Pancras station to Paris’s Gare du Nord in about two hours, 15 minutes, but that doesn’t account for the recommended one hour, 15 minutes to go through security. Even the worst U.S. airports average less than a half hour to clear security.
With security, that makes the total travel time more like three-and-a-half to four hours.
When the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, it was rightly hailed an engineering marvel. Running beneath the English Channel, the 31-mile-long Chunnel became – and is still -- the only fixed connection between Great Britain and the European mainland between Folkestone, England and Calais, France.
At the time of my first trip on the Eurostar in 2003, the novelty had apparently not yet worn off. Staff made announcements along the journey, alerted passengers that the train was about to enter the tunnel, how long they’d be in it (only about 20 minutes in all), that speeds would increase in France because the tracks were better able to handle the higher speeds (the record of 334.7 km/h was set in July 2003), how much longer until arrival, etc.
This summer, we along with an adult daughter and 14-year-old grandson, took the Eurostar round trip from London to Paris.
The two experiences were night and day.
Stations on both ends were crowded, the security lines were excessively long, and the process s-l-o-w. We arrived for our return from Paris to London the recommended 1:15 minutes before departure and it took every bit of that to get through security. Then, we had to endure a train that was jam-packed with other travelers.
Other negatives include:
• No checked luggage; everything is carried on. So if a passenger has acquired an item that would only be allowed in a checked bag on an airline, such as spent munition shell from a D-Day site, they have to surrender the item or mail it home, if that’s even possible.
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| Teeming crowds at Gare du Nord |
When the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, it was rightly hailed an engineering marvel. Running beneath the English Channel, the 31-mile-long Chunnel became – and is still -- the only fixed connection between Great Britain and the European mainland between Folkestone, England and Calais, France.
At the time of my first trip on the Eurostar in 2003, the novelty had apparently not yet worn off. Staff made announcements along the journey, alerted passengers that the train was about to enter the tunnel, how long they’d be in it (only about 20 minutes in all), that speeds would increase in France because the tracks were better able to handle the higher speeds (the record of 334.7 km/h was set in July 2003), how much longer until arrival, etc.
This summer, we along with an adult daughter and 14-year-old grandson, took the Eurostar round trip from London to Paris.
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| Waiting to board |
The two experiences were night and day.
Stations on both ends were crowded, the security lines were excessively long, and the process s-l-o-w. We arrived for our return from Paris to London the recommended 1:15 minutes before departure and it took every bit of that to get through security. Then, we had to endure a train that was jam-packed with other travelers.
Other negatives include:
• No checked luggage; everything is carried on. So if a passenger has acquired an item that would only be allowed in a checked bag on an airline, such as spent munition shell from a D-Day site, they have to surrender the item or mail it home, if that’s even possible.
• Paltry offerings at the on-board bistro, and no place to sit. Any items purchased from the limited menu are taken back to your seat.
Then there’s the ticket cost.
Tickets for our midday journeys cost $400 per person. If you’re able to travel early in the morning or later in the evening, the fares come down, as they do if you book far in advance.
Of course, you could avoid many of the pitfalls noted by booking premium passage. That will get you into the Premium line through security and seat-side food and beverage service on the train, but it will come at a considerably higher cost.
Finally, know that Eurostar hopes to double the number of passengers it serves annually by 2030. With things already at (or close to) capacity, that’s going to be a difficult task.
Good luck.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Tickets for our midday journeys cost $400 per person. If you’re able to travel early in the morning or later in the evening, the fares come down, as they do if you book far in advance.
Of course, you could avoid many of the pitfalls noted by booking premium passage. That will get you into the Premium line through security and seat-side food and beverage service on the train, but it will come at a considerably higher cost.
Finally, know that Eurostar hopes to double the number of passengers it serves annually by 2030. With things already at (or close to) capacity, that’s going to be a difficult task.
Good luck.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Click on photo to view larger image
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