UK / Ireland Transport International
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NI Railways
by robertjb The previous two reviews on Translink are a lot older than mine so I thought I'd provide a more up-to-date review for people considering travelling by train. Translink have a monopoly in Northern Ireland ie they have no competitors, this enables them to price their fares and services at whatever level suits them because there ... is nobody to undercut them. Fares have continued to rise and rise in recent years, and while I understand this is due to fuel costs, Translink have done little to insulate the consumer from the substantial hikes. Perhaps what annoys me the most is the minimum fare, even if you only want to get on for one stop and it's only say 2 minutes up the line, they charge at least £1.10, how can anyone justify this? My other problem with Translink is due to the actual trains that they use on the lines. I regularly use the Larne line to get into Belfast every day of the week and everyday the trains are packed. This is understandable at rush hour but although people are regularly crammed in like sardines there are no extra trains added to relieve this pressure, something I find ridiculous. Especially when Translink frequently advertise that commuting by train is easy, stress free and comfortable...anybody travelling on a train before 9 o'clock can testify otherwise. I must however praise Translink in some areas of their business, in particular the introduction of the newer trains which are nice, comfortable, modern and quicker make travelling by train all the more pleasant. But please Translink get rid of the really old trains that you have to hang out the window to open the doors, they're just not suitable anymore. Recently Translink have spent money updating and modernising many of the train stations which has needed done for a number of years now. It is nice to see them listen to customer feedback and certainly the introduction of proper shelters and lighting at the smaller stations will work wonders in re-assuring people that going by train is the way to go. Central station in Belfast is very nice and is an excellent place to get the train from, especially due to the nice shop, seating areas and restaurant. Translink also suffer from the odd breakdown but normally these are resolved pretty quickly. They are my main form of transport as I can't be bothered trying to fight the traffic or pay petrol costs but I still feel translink could be doing a whole lot more to make their rail journeys better! Read the complete review |
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Eurotunnel
by ecolojo I have to be feeling seriously under pressure to book another form of transport between Dover and Calais. Now, I am not particularly flush with cash, but there are so many advantage to using the eurotunnel... Firstly, you don't need to worry about the weather. Dover to Calais may not take long on a ferry, but if you are ... feeling seasick, it may feel like an eternity. Or it may simply take an eternity due to strike action (vive la France). Even if the weather is calm and industrial relations fine, the Eurotunnel is your quickest and smoothest option. If you have booked with a bank or credit card their clever number plate recognition system works out who you are (that is customer service for you) and you simply click a button or two, and you are through to customs. Assuming they are in a good mood you will be queuing up for you space on the train Eurotunnel shuttle in no time, for a crossing in about 30 minutes. OK, the views are better from the ferry, but they aren't that exciting. If you have a pet, he or she will thank you for the smooth ride, and being able to stay next to you during the crossing. Maybe a little more pricey from the ferries. But take it from a lady who loves discount supermarkets and her allotment, the Eurotunnel is worth a few extra pounds. Read the complete review |
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Eurostar
by Whizz11 The Eurostar is a high speed railway passenger service connecting London with France and Belgium. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the channel tunnel, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel. The official opening took place in May 1994. In England the train has stops in Ashford, Kent and St Pancras London, in ... France, Pairs and Lille with some stops at EuroDisney and in Belgium, Brussels. To me, this train is just a fantastic way to get to Europe, a different choice from the ferry or flying and one that it convenient, quick and quite fun in my opinion. I have actually only been on the Eurostar once but am going on it again to Paris at the weekend. My first and only experience so far was a very good one. Firstly I found booking on the Eurostar very easy. I used their website at Eurostar.com which is easy to use and gives you all the choices you need in terms of train times, schedule etc. I was lucky that I booked early enough to get their £59 per person return to Brussels. I also paid £59 return for my Paris tickets too which I think is a great bargain. You do need to book early though as these are probably advertised about three months before the departure date and sell out quickly, especially at the weekends. Once you book you can either request for your tickets to be sent to your house, you can pick them up at your departure station or you can receive an e-mail and print them yourself at home. I printed mine at home as this was the most convenient way for me but I have booked other tickets for people at work for business and the other options have worked well too. I must say that when I first travelled on the Eurostar I was expecting something a bit more romantic. I'm not sure why but I think I had this image in my head of old style train travel, like on the Orient Express where people dress up, you have lovely carriages and the journey is more like an adventure than a shuttle. Unfortunately this was just a train, like any other cross country train except for the fact that you cross into another country, that's all. There's nothing wrong with the train, it serves it purpose well but it was not as exciting as I thought it would be. You also don't really realise that you are going through a tunnel under the channel. All of a sudden after leaving London it was dark outside the window and then we were in the countryside with foreign signs popping up now and again. I was actually very surprised at how quickly we crossed into France as it seemed to take no time at all. I guess the channel is only 21 miles (34km) at its shortest point from Dover to Calais so it really shouldn't take that long. At no point did I really realise that I was under water so those of you with a phobia really have nothing to worry about, I did not feel claustrophobic at all! We left from the St Pancras terminal. This is a great leaving point as it was redeveloped and reopened as an International Terminal in November 2007. The departure section is wide and easily accessible and very easy to use. The station itself is great to leave from because they have built various shops and restaurants which are nice to visit before your holiday. St Pancras dub it as the most romantic place to meet, drink and dine in London. I wouldn't go this far perhaps but there is something fairly romantic about train stations and travel and so I can see how this is a good marketing ploy for them. They have added various attractions at the station to stake claim to this such as The Champagne bar, Europe's longest champagne bar and The Meeting Place, a 9m high bronze statue of a couple locked in an intimate pose by the world renowned sculptor, Paul Day. The barriers to get through to the trains are easy to navigate. You just get out your ticket and flash your bar code in front of the reader and then you are in the departure section. As you are going to another country you do need your passport which will be checked by passport control as well as putting your bags through the security scanner. Even though there were quite a lot of people going through this did not take too long. I think because there are trains departing fairly frequently they do not have the same bottle necks that say an International Flight would have at an airport. The departure lounge was fairly small but you are not in there for long. The train opens about half an hour before departure so you don't need to leave hours like you would a flight. Inside the departure lounge there was a Café Nero so we picked up a quick coffee and then got on the train. You have assigned seats on the train and are given a carriage number on your ticket so it's easy to find. There are places in the door ways to put your luggage and you can also put them over head. This does get used quickly so I would advise getting on the train early so you can store your luggage where you like. On board was clean and sufficient for the journey. There are toilets which were fine, basically just regular train toilets, clean enough. They also have a snack cart where you can purchase teas/coffee, snacks etc. They take both Euros and Pounds but only cash so you do need to have some money on you if you want a snack. The train left on time and arrived on time, departure and return and only took us about 2 hours to get to Brussels which I thought was great. To get to Paris takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes with the train going at up to 186mph. The trains run 7 days a week excluding Christmas Day and depart approximately every hour. In my opinion definitely the best way to travel to the Continent!! Read the complete review |
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