London-Paris less than two hours by train
Eurostar has revealed that the London area will be under two hours from central Paris from 2007. London to Brussels will fall to around 95 minutes.
The dramatic improvements in the train service represent savings of 40 minutes on current schedules. They coincide with the opening of three new stations and the extension of the London-Folkestone high-speed line into London's St Pancras station.
Rather than departing a single London terminus (currently Waterloo), Eurostar has revealed that it will operate from three separate stations all with their own catchment areas, an arrangement which will appeal to passengers living to the north and east of the capital.
Although some Eurostar trains will continue to run non-stop from St Pancras to Paris (journey time 2 hrs 15 minutes) and Brussels (1 hour, 53 minutes) a number will call at Stratford and Dartford International. Stratford will have connecting train, tube and DLR (light rail) services, while Dartford International is being developed as a park and ride facility. It is located near the busy M25/M20 motorway junction (convenient for areas to the east and south of London) and will have parking spaces for 5,000 cars. Journey times from Dartford will be 1 hour 58 minutes to Paris, and 1 hour 35 minutes to Brussels.
But the closure of Eurostar's Waterloo terminal will inconvenience travellers in the Southwest who now face longer journeys to an alternative station. Says a Eurostar spokesperson, "It's regrettable, but there will always be pockets of the UK which will not so be so accessible. We feel that the potential number of passengers [from other areas] to be gained from the move will always be higher." Go to
Eurostar's website.
Report by Alex McWhirter
Heathrow rail connection boosted
A train service connecting Paddington with Heathrow is undercutting the Heathrow Express by £5.50.
The Heathrow Connect service, launched on June 12, costs £9.50 for a single ticket compared to the £14 charged by Heathrow Express for the same trip. The saving on a return ticket is £7 because Heathrow Express prices its return at £26, while Heathrow Connect charges £19.
In addition, national railcards including Senior Railcards, Young Persons Railcards and tickets like Business Savers are valid on Heathrow Connect.
However, Heathrow Connect has not been launched to rival the airport express train. It makes five stops at west London stations before reaching the airport so takes 25 minutes to travel from Paddington to Heathrow compared to the 15 minutes taken by Heathrow Express.
As well as offering a cheaper service from Paddington, albeit less speedy, Heathrow Connect stops at Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, and Hayes (see map), meaning that residents of west London and the western suburbs no longer need to back track to Paddington in order to travel to Heathrow by train.
Heathrow Connect could also be the only train service stopping at Heathrow's Terminal 4 once Terminal 5 opens in March 2008. This is according to preliminary plans laid out by airports operator, BAA, concerning the operation of the new terminal, although this is still subject to discussion.
Heathrow Connect operates its first trains from Paddington at 4.42am and the last train at 23.08, with trains every 30 minutes for most of the day. The first Heathrow Express train pulls out of Paddington at 5.10am and the last one at 23.25, with trains operating every 15 minutes for most of the day.
Go to
Heathrow Connect and
Heathrow Express.
Report by Ginny McGrath
LW reports that a friend of mine is about to (read within the next 12 hours) use this service within the next 12 hours, so we should have a report on it soon...
Air France unveils new consumer-friendly website
Air France is the latest of Europe's traditional airlines to unveil transparent pricing for bookings made online.
Until now the carrier's website has lagged behind the likes of British Airways, KLM and Swiss, all of which offer potential passengers an easy way to select the best fare for their needs.
The new Air France site displays a simpler range of fares with availability for three days either side of your preferred date. The price you pay varies depending on when you book and when you travel. But an executive booking a midweek London Heathrow-Paris CDG daytrip one week ahead would pay £191. A similar journey booked three weeks ahead would cost £102. The new site provides online check-in facilities, or passenger taking e-tickets can use self-service kiosks at a growing number of airports.
At present the new display covers point-to-point flights to and from France from destinations throughout Europe. But Air France says it hopes to offer the similar, simpler display for connecting flights, covering both long and short-haul routes, from next July. Go to
Air France UK website.
Report by Alex McWhirter
New routes for Scotland and regions
SN Brussels Airlines has launched flights from Glasgow to Brussels.
The flight is timely for business travellers with weekday (and Saturday) departures at 6.20am from Glasgow, arriving in Brussels at 9am. A second daily flight leaves on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2.15pm, arriving in Brussels 5pm.
Return flights leave Brussels at 7.25pm, arriving in Glasgow at 8.15pm every day except Saturdays and an additional return service operates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1pm, arriving at 1.35pm. The flight is operated by an Avro RJ aircraft in a two-class configuration. Business Class passengers enjoy dedicated check-in, lounge access, improved catering and larger seats.
SN Brussels chief executive, Peter Davies hopes Glagow-based business travellers will use the service to connect with the carrier's European and intercontinental network.
The airline is currently offering a special rate of E69 return including taxes on its website for flights booked up to June 30 for travel between July 21 and August 21, subject to availability. Go to
SN website.
In addition Easyjet has released its winter timetable from UK regional airports. The flights launch at the end of October:
- Belfast to Amsterdam, Alicante, Berlin, Faro, Geneva, Inverness, Malaga, Nice, Palma, Paris, Rome.
- Bristol to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Budapest, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Inverness, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Palma, Prague, Pisa, Rome, Venice, Valenicia.
- Liverpool to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Basel, Belfast, Berlin, Cologne, Geneva, Madrid, Malaga, Nice, Palma, Paris.
- Newcastle to Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Bristol, Budapest, Geneva, Malaga, Nice, Palma, Paris Prague, Rome.
- Nottingham East Midlands to Alicante, Cologne, Faro, Geneva, Malaga, Prague, Rome, Venice.
Report by Ginny McGrath
Reprieve for US-bound travellers
US authorities have extended the deadline for European countries to begin issuing biometric passports, saving business travellers visiting the US the hassle of getting a visa for another year.
In a move to improve border controls the US wants visitors from Europe, who can enter the country under the visa waiver programme, to carry biometric passports, which contain fingerprint and detailed personal information.
The US had previously insisted that all passports renewed after October 26 2005 should be biometric, otherwise the passport holder would have to obtain a visa, which includes an interview at the US visa department and can involve a wait of up to three weeks, ruling out a last-minute business trip.
But following negotiations with European countries, the US has agreed to extend the deadline by one year – the second time it has pushed the deadline back - after European nations said they did not yet have the necessary technology in place to produce biometric passports.
The extension of the deadline to October 26 2006 also applies to countries outside Europe that are part of the visa waiver programme: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan.
Travellers carrying passports issued before October 26 2006 will be able to continue to travel to the US without a visa until their passport runs out, after which they need to renew it with a biometric version if they wish to travel to the US.
Business travellers bound for the US should also be aware that from June 26, they must have a machine-readable passport to enter the US without a visa. This is different from the biometric requirement, and affects fewer people because most passports are already machine readable, i.e. have a sequence of lines that can be swiped by US customs officials. Only those with passports issued by foreign embassies, or children, who could previously travel on a parent's passport, need to apply for a new one.
Report by Ginny McGrath
'New Concorde' on the cards
The days of commercial supersonic travel may not be over.
Less than two years after Concorde was withdrawn from service, Japanese and French aircraft engineers are looking to develop a new supersonic jet.
The first route mooted for supersonic flight is New York-Tokyo. The aircraft will seat up to 300 people, according to Japanese authorities, and would almost cut the flight time between New York and Tokyo in half to six hours. It will not be ready until around 2015.
According to reports from the Paris air show, the two countries have secured over £1 million in funding to develop the aircraft, which would be cleaner and more efficient than Concorde according to the Japanese authorities.
Report by Ginny McGrath