Eurostar extends cancellations into 2020

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  • AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Latest news from Eurostar is that its cancellations are extended until January 5.

    https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/disruption/service-update

    Meanwhile SNCF’s domestic services continue to be disrupted by industrial action which has lasted for weeks.

    Unfortunately I can see further trouble ahead as the French govt says it will announce its reform plan for SNCF on Wednesday.

    Link including video from francetvinto.fr below:

    https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/sncf/italie-que-vaut-le-tgv-prive_2653642.html#xtor=CS2-765-%5Btwitter%5D-

    It appears that France wants to emulate Italy where HS (high-speed) competition between Trenitalia and private operator Italo has led both to a fall in HS rail fares plus a rise in passenger traffic.

    In June 2020 Thello (Trenitalia) wants to compete with SNCF between Milan and Paris. A decision from France’s rail regulator Arafer is still awaited.

    Italy’s Thello wants to compete Paris-Milan with France’s SNCF

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Today Eurostar is saying the cancellations will extend to January 8.

    Readers planning trips to Brussels and Paris in the days ahead would be advised to check schedules.


    jjlasne
    Participant

    Railroads in Europe are going the way of the airlines which started in the 70’s in the USA and in the 80´s/90´s. Legacy railroad operators will be under pressure from low-cost upstarts, some will disappear, others will merge, service – if there was any in the 1st place – will diminish and fares will decrease as already seen with some operators from Italy and elsewhere on the Continent. We might see a break-up of the SNCF and other railroad monopolies a la Britrail under Thatcher.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=985275]Legacy railroad operators will be under pressure from low-cost upstarts,[/quote]

    Quite true jjlasne.

    However it is not quite the same here in Europe.

    Italy’s Italo operates over the high-speed (HS) network and, strictly speaking, it cannot be classed as a low-cost operator.

    Yes Flixtrain is a low-cost operator in Germany and competes with DB. However Flixtrain operates conventional trains running at standard speeds.

    But in France/Belgium and, now Spain, the low-cost operators (mostly high-speed) are being managed by the state railway systems.

    In a way it reminds me of British Airways low-cost subsidiary Go which later was taken over by EZY.

    In France there is SNCF’s Ouigo (see our previous reports) and as we reported recently Ouigo’s intention to move into Spain has prompted Renfe to introduce Avlo from April.

    Renfe launches low-cost Avlo to compete with SNCF’s Ouigo


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I would certainly like to see competition on the BCN-MAD route. Very hard to compare like with like, but the rail fare is usually 3-4x the air fare.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Eurostar has now extended its disruption timetable until January 12.

    At the same time it has announced a seat sale for travel starting on January 21.

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