It seem's to me, you have no happy memories of any kind of public transportComet wrote:
I have no happy memories of public transport in Paris at all
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Oh dear - obviously not read all my VLM, SNBA, Sabena etc flight reports. Or how much I have liked travelling on the Belgian double deckers hauled by the heavy duties. Or how much nicer the rubber things are than British trains. Or how nice the stoptrein ride from Verviers to Spa is. Or how I liked domestic flying by Fokker prop in Iceland.bigjulie wrote:It seem's to me, you have no happy memories of any kind of public transportComet wrote:
I have no happy memories of public transport in Paris at all![]()
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Well, apart from the delays, here is some further explanation why after 3 years I basically went 75% of the time by plane:vc-10 wrote:Vinnie-Winnie, why do prefer to fly on your trips to Reading? if you take the Eurostar from Brussels to London Waterloo, and then a train to Reading. They are about every 15 mins I think, some stoppers but some quite quick, only 20 mins. I think there is a Bus from Heathrow to reading, could be wrong (might be Basingstoke) and I think it costs about £10, which is a lot more than the train from London the Reading.
Your ideas definitely don't come cheap! 50 billion pounds at least considering that land-prices are outrageously expensive and the fact that certain areas are totally build-up! And although you seem to distrust the studies made about Eurostar links to northern studies I believe they were 100% correct! I don't know if they had predicted low-cost airlines in the reports they made but that would have killed off the links to and from Paris and Brussels anyway!vc-10 wrote:HSTs would make my life a lot easier. Taking the train is very convenient here, even if it has service that is worse than anything else I have ever experienced (Vinnie-Winnie will know about my rants!)
I love flying, but domesticaly and for short distances trains are much better. I would love to see better UK-Europe HST links, the old Regional Eurostar idea should make a comeback. We should build lines from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol etc where we already have HSTs(Intercity 125s, know here as HSTs, despite the fact that they very rarely get up to their top speed of 125mph, and they are old and diesel). The Voyagers etc can then be cascaded onto other lines, which do not have the traffic to be completely replaced, like London-Salisbury-Exeter, which at the moment has Class 159 Sprinters that are horrible. The A/C units leak water from the roof, the seats are uncomfortable, the shake under acceleration, they are noisey.........and the Class 170 Turbostar, which are better but still uncomfortable and diesel!!!!!:(:(:(:(
On the London-Edinburgh service, operated by GNER, you see mostly electric trains, the old diesel IC125 is rarely seen on that route nowadays! Many 125s are now operated by Midland Mainline from Sheffield to London, and they have a reputation for being crap. The Virgin Voyager, though a nice train, has endless technical problems.London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol etc where we already have HSTs(Intercity 125s, know here as HSTs, despite the fact that they very rarely get up to their top speed of 125mph, and they are old and diesel).
Horrendous piece of engineering? I call it (and I am an engineer) a masterpiece of engineering! I agree that on the financial side it is a disaster, but so was the Suez Canal...Comet wrote:And the less said about that horrendous piece of engineering under the Channel the better! What better way to introduce rabies to a once rabies free country than to build a tunnel linking it to a country where rabies is endemic in the wildlife population!
As you told us before no wonder you would rather take the train since work actually allows you to go first class! 8)sn26567 wrote:Give me back Eurostar anytime. I flew LHR-BRU on BA this morning, and I can tell you that the Eurostar is way more comfortable than even the A319 I flew this morning, let alone the B737.
Which class?Vinnie-Winnie wrote:As you told us before no wonder you would rather take the train since work actually allows you to go first class! 8)sn26567 wrote:Give me back Eurostar anytime. I flew LHR-BRU on BA this morning, and I can tell you that the Eurostar is way more comfortable than even the A319 I flew this morning, let alone the B737.
Which I think is related to the fuselage cross-section of trains!V-Bird wrote: I don't have to wait for my luggage, and take an cab to the office.
Well, both Thalys and ICE has in every car a luggage compartment. Idd they have an flat floot, but most system are installed under the floor! And i just read on the internet that the ICE has an pressure cabin... ( why i don't know )chornedsnorkack wrote:V-Bird wrote: . Trains have a flat floor, no cargo holds and liberal cabin luggage allowance...
Well it depends what you mean by systems: the electrical system are well hidden above and below the floor, but for the engines, it's a different matter, especially if you compare the ICE3 with the Thalys!V-Bird wrote:Well, both Thalys and ICE has in every car a luggage compartment. Idd they have an flat floot, but most system are installed under the floor! And i just read on the internet that the ICE has an pressure cabin... ( why i don't know )
Well, I think there are some problems entering and exiting tunnels at a great speed.V-Bird wrote:And some planes have luggage compartments in cabin, I mean one end of cabin with larger storage shelves where the passengers can leave luggage when entering.chornedsnorkack wrote:Well, both Thalys and ICE has in every car a luggage compartment.V-Bird wrote: . Trains have a flat floor, no cargo holds and liberal cabin luggage allowance...V-Bird wrote: Idd they have an flat floot, but most system are installed under the floor! And i just read on the internet that the ICE has an pressure cabin... ( why i don't know )