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Paul Bigland

Category Archives: Eurostar

Rolling blog: Belgium or bust…

24 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by Paul Bigland in Belgium, Eurostar, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Belgium, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

07:40.

We’re both up, scrubbed, fed, packed and waiting for the taxi to take us to Halifax station to meet up with our friends for the first leg of our trip to Bruges in Belgium….

08:30.

Leg one. Having met up with the others we’re now on Grand Central’s 08:09 from Halifax to Kings Cross, a direct train service from Bradford that started running in 2010. Nowadays their 4 five- car trains are packed, even in First Class. Don’t let this picture fool you, just look at how many seats are reserved which will be occupied in the next few stops…

The six of us are spread throughout the train as tickets were booked separately. It’ll be the same on Eurostar, so the only time we’ll meet up is between trains or in the buffet on the Eurostar!

12:55.

We had a mad scramble in London as some people had breakfast (which was late coming) then confusion at Eurostar check-in as they were overwhelmed by the weight of numbers. With the amount of baggage folk carry nowadays the number of staff and machines available were overwhelmed, leading to stress all round. Passport control was just as swamped. Despite checking in the required 45 mins before we still had to be ‘fast-tracked’ to get to our train on time. This led to confusion as the group got split up. Despite this, we made it and we’re just pulling out now.

Our train is one of the original Alstom built TMST sets, albeit a refurbished one. Our coach (16) only has a handful of empty seats

16:00. (Belgium time).

About to arrive in Brussels. It’s been an interesting trip I’ll blog more about shortly once we change yrains, but suffice to say these old trains are tired, despite the refurbishment.

17:00.

So much for updating the blog on a nice, quiet Belgian train. This is us on a double-deck train from Brussels Midi to Brugges. It’s rammed!

18:12.

– and relax! We’ve arrived at our hotel in Brugges, checked in and freshened up. Now it’s time to explore. First stop is a liytle var kbown to Tony (Allan) that I’ve just heard some very good things about. According to anither friend it’s like walking into “The Leaky Cauldron” from the Harry Potter films. Expect pictures shortly!

Down memory lane; When Eurostar’s visited Clapham Junction.

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Down memory lane, Eurostar, London, Railways

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Down memory lane, Eurostar, London, Railways, technology

It’s a miserable afternoon here in the Pennines, for most of the day it’s been impossible to see across the valley due to the mist and murk, so I’ve been busy writing and catching up scanning more old rail pictures, this time from Sunday 21st April 1996, which was a bright sunny day in London. Engineering work Between Latchmere Junction and Kensington Olympia had closed the line, which meant that Eurostar trains running from their Depot at North Pole into Waterloo International had to be diverted via Kew East Junction and Clapham Junction. This involved hauling them with pairs of Class 37 diesel engines and translator vehicles as far as Clapham Junction, where the Eurostars could pick up the 3rd rail and proceed under their own power.

This was such an unusual sight that I spent a few hours at Clapham recording the process. I’m glad that I did as now – 22 years later – it’s not something you’ll ever see again. You can find the bulk of the pictures in the Eurostar gallery on my Zenfolio website, but I wanted to flesh out the details in a blog.

05540. 3223 being dragged ECS via Kew from North Pole. 37074. 37185. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Two hired-in Class 37s, 37074 in Mainline Livery and 37185 “Lea and Perrins” in Civil Engineers ‘Dutch’ livery  stand in platform 4 at Clapham Junction, attached to Eurostar set 3223/3224 by translator cars that have couplings and air hoses that are compatible to both. The 37s have hauled the set from North Pole depot but will leave it here to run into the carriage sidings, ready to return to North Pole with another Eurostar. The company had its own fleet of Class 37s (37601-612) which had been rebuilt to haul the cancelled ‘Nightstar’ trains and also provide assistance like this. I’ve no idea why these two were hired-in,  but they made a colourful sight!

05562. 3216 stabled in the yard. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Eurostar set 3216/3215 stabled in the carriage sidings at Clapham Junction. It certainly made a change from the usual slam-door stock.

05569. 3223. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Staff uncouple the Class 37s from 3223. Note the protective shield placed over the live 3rd rail to allow the crew to get between the two vehicles safely.

05575. 3223. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

The 37s have moved off, the nose doors are shut, and 3223 prepares to head off under its own power to Waterloo International.

05577. 3224. ECS to Waterloo. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Away we go! with 3223 leading and 3224 trailing, the set heads for Waterloo International.

05583. 37185. 37074. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Job done, 37185 and 37074 move into the carriage sidings to wait their next turn, with barrier vehicles at either end. 10 of these were converted from old parcels vans by removing the bodies and adding weights and  compatible couplings.

05567. 37604. 37605. stabled in the yard. Clapham Jn. 21.4.1996crop

Eurostar 37s 37604 and 608, along with 37074 and 37185, plus 37605 on its own, stabled in Clapham Yard

 

 

 

 

Siemens opens a rail bogie service centre in Lincoln

26 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Engineering, Eurostar, Railways, Siemens

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Engineering, Eurostar, Lincoln, Railways, Siemens

On Friday 23rd I attended the official opening of Siemens new rail bogie service centre which has been built at their existing gas turbine manufacturing facility  in Lincoln. The facility allows Siemens to carry out bogie overhauls ‘in house’.

A disused building dating from 1874 has been converted for the purpose at a cost of £8 million. Work involved relaying and strengthening 5000 square metres of floor space before installing cranes and other equipment needed to overhaul the bogies. 32 people are currently employed at the facility which began production in September, overhauling spare bogies for the Eurostar e320 trains built by the company. Bogies from the Desiro City fleet of Class 700/707/717 trains will also be overhauled on the site, which has room to be expanded if demand requires it.

Here’s a selection of pictures from my visit.

DG313311copy

A bogie off a Eurostar e320 that’s just been unloaded onto the bogie assessment area. Here a condition assessment is undertaken before it’s moved into the cleaning booth behind it. In the booth the bogie is cleaned using a ‘dry ice’ blasting technique using a solid form of carbon dioxide which is accelerated in a pressurised air stream. This allows the bogie to be cleaned without using toxic chemicals or water, thus cutting down on pollution.

DG313321crop

After cleaning, the bogies are placed on these adjustable jacks to be stripped.

DG313325crop

A view of one side of the shed, the bogie stripping area is on the right of the picture. On the left is the UAT station, the axle bearing press station and the wheelset rebuild station.

DG313327crop

The axle blasting area is where the wheelsets are mechanically cleaned to remove any painted areas. The Finnblast machine is a fully automated system that works by blasting an abrasive air mixture through the nozzle in the blasting chamber with the compressed air acting as the driving force. The speed of the abrasive when charging from the nozzle is about 200 metres per second.

DG313338crop

The wheelset disassembly area. Here the axlebox housings and bearings will be removed using the hydraulic bearing puller in the background.

DG313351crop

No caption needed!

DG313377crop

The axle bearing press station, where the bearings are fitted back onto the axle using the hydraulic press that you can see in the background.

DG313383crop

Inside the axlebox housing, showing the sensor that monitors the temperature of the bearing.

DG313400crop

The bogie press. This is where the rebuilt bogie is subjected to pressing. This reflects the weight characteristic of the particular car a pair of bogies will run beneath and it’s a fully automated process. Using measurements taken in specific locations during the bogie overhaul process it will press against the agreed criteria. The results are automatically generated from the machine. These results must fall within the agreed tolerance range for the bogie to pass.

DG313412crop

All set up and ready to go. Overhauled Eurostar e320 bogies await return.

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Eurostar heads to Holland

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Amsterdam, Eurostar, Railways, Siemens, Travel

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Amsterdam, Eurostar, Railways, Travel

Last month Eurostar invited the media to join them on the first train to run direct from London to Amsterdam, showcasing their new service which opens to the public on April 4th. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest, most UK newspapers and TV channels sent along journalists and film crews to cover the event which received wide publicity.

Our train was No 9114 departing St Pancras International at 08.31. The service was worked by one of Eurostars new 16 car, Siemens built e320 trains (No 4032 to be precise). If you’ve never been aboard on I can tell you that they’re very different from the older Alstom built trains as they’ve been constructed to take advantage of the fact they don’t have to run over the ‘classic’ British network, meaning they’re wider and more spacious. As they have distributed traction equipment rather than a power car at either end they also contain more seats and luggage space.

My group travelled in Business Premier aboard car 16, the leading coach. Here’s what it looked like inside.

DG289709. Car 16. Train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

As you can see, the seating is 2+1 in a mix of bays and airline style. All seats have power sockets whilst the airline seats have large seatback tables, individual lighting, drinks holders and magazine racks. Here’s a look at some of the features (taken on an earlier trip).

DG245841. Eurostar e320. at seat USB power sockets. 14.6.16

A mixture of British and European power sockets and two USB ports.

DG270738 Executive seats cup holders.. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 23.5.17

Drinks holders and individual lighting (with power sockets below) in airline seating.

DG247036. Eurostar e320. Interior coach No1 (end car) 14.6.16

Bay seating around a table (which is retracted for ease of access).

DG270736. 4026. Executive seating showing power and USB sockets. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 23.5.17

The arrangement for power sockets and USB ports in bay seating.

Here’s our train ready to depart St Pancras. As they’re 16 cars long (400m) it’s quite a walk from the back to the front!

DG289701. 4032. Train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

As you can imagine, Eurostar staff were as much a centre of media attention as the train itself with many of the crew kept busy before departure giving interviews or posing for pictures.

DG289711. Crew of train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

We left St Pancras spot on time and settled in for what was hoped to be a record-breaking run to Brussels. En-route the crew were kept extremely busy serving breakfast and chatting to passengers.

DG289723. breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

The beginning of breakfast, before the hot option arrives…

DG289739. English breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

The English breakfast from chef Raymond Blanc, who created Eurostar’s food menu.

DG289756. Busy time in the galley. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

A busy time in one of the galleys as the crew serve breakfast

DG289743. Serving breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Service with a smile!

Once breakfast was out of the way the crew showcased some of the Dutch delicacies which would be available on the Amsterdam services.

DG289790. Samples of Dutch goodies. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Dutch Gins, cured meats, cheeses, Double Dutch tonic and Stroopwafels will be available on Eurostar’s Amsterdam services.

DG289806. Samples of Dutch goodies. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Maarten pours a sample of Dutch gin for our group to try.  I have to say that it went very well with a slice of the mature Gouda that was on offer!

Time flew and before we knew it we were entering Brussels just 1 hour 46 minutes after leaving London – and two minutes ahead of schedule. In celebration, guests were served champagne…

DG289823. Champagne is served. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18
Melo serving champagne to celebrate the record-breaking run from London to Brussels.

 

Our brief stop at Brussels Midi felt odd as our Eurostar was using one of the through platforms rather than the bays traditionally used by services to/from the UK. Soon we were whizzing past unfamiliar territory for a Eurostar as we headed for the Dutch border and our first stop at Rotterdam. After departure from the city the media was given the opportunity to visit the cab and see how things looked like from a driver’s perspective.

DG289834. Driver waves. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. Holland. 20.2.18

Our driver acknowledges a passing Dutch service heading for Rotterdam. The clean layout of the drivers desk and reliance on touch-screens is evident in the picture.

Just 40 minutes after leaving Rotterdam and 3hrs 41m after leaving London we pulled into platform 15 at Amsterdam Centraal station. We were greeted by the usual media scrum, well-wishers and the CEO of NS (Dutch railways) Roger van Boxtel, for the traditional handshake with Eurostar’s CEO, Nicholas Petrovic who’d travelled with us on the train.

DG289889. Greeting the press special on arrival in Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

DG289948. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

4032 stands at platform 15 at Amsterdam Centraal. This is where the new Eurostar lounge is situated so it will become the normal platform for the service to use.

After the formalities and media interviews were over we had chance to check-out the new Eurostar lounge which has been built alongside platform 15.

DG289995. New Eurostar lounge under construction. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

DG290001. New Eurostar lounge under construction. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

Albeit not fully fitted out, this is a taste of what the Amsterdam Eurostar lounge will be like

As yet, there’s no return Amsterdam – London service as discussions over passport checks are still ongoing. In the interim, London-bound passengers use a THALYS service from Holland and change at Brussels where they go through passport control before catching an onward Eurostar service to London. This is expected to change in October when passports will be checked in Holland.

We came back this way and I have to say that it was a seamless journey. Our THALYS service (whilst not as luxurious as an e320 as they’re a lot older) was perfectly adequate, as can be seen from these pictures.

DG290089. 4538. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

THALYS set 4538 arrives to work the 15.17 service to take us to Brussels.

DG290093. Interioor. 4538. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

On board the THALYS

We arrived at Brussels Midi at 1708. By the time we’d gone through Eurostar check-in, security and passport control there was just enough time for a (very) quick drink in the Business Premier lounge before we were called to board our onward service, train 9153, the 17.56 to St Pancras, leaving Brussels 48 minutes after we’d arrived…

DG290099. Eurostar Business Premier lounge. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 20.2.18

The Eurostar Business Premier lounge at Brussels Midi

The London train from Brussels was formed of the same e320 set that had taken us to Amsterdam.

DG290102. 4032. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 20.2.18

We had another good run with great service and lovely food all the way back to the UK. The free wifi on board allowed me to post details of the trip on social media and keep me up to date with my onward connection in London.

DG290112

No, we didn’t starve!

DG290108

Eurostar’s wifi page which gives you information on the systems performance and advises of potential blackspots.

Bang on time at 19.03, we pulled into St Pancras International, which gave me enough time to get a few shots before hot-footing it over to Kings Cross and catch Grand Central’s 19.52 departure for Halifax!

DG290113. 4032. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

Journey’s end….

I’m looking forward to taking this service again in the future. It’s far better and more comfortable than flying and the 3hr 41m city centre to city centre journey time is very competitive. Why not give it a try yourself and see what you think ? Tickets start at a very reasonable £35 one way. You can book through Eurostar’s website here.

There and back again – by Eurostar to Amsterdam in a day

20 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Eurostar, Travel, Uncategorized

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Today I was fortunate enough to be part of the press corps sampling the first Eurostar service from London to Amsterdam and I have to say – it was a great trip.

We left St Pancras at 08:31 and our Siemens built e320 managed to set a new speed record between London and Brussels by completing the journey in 1 hour 46 mins – two minutes ahead of schedule.

I’ll write in more detail at a later date, but for now, here’s a few pictures from the day.

 

DG289706

Eurostar staff waiting to welcome us aboard train 9114 to Amsterdam.

 

DG289701

To celebrate the record run from London to Brussels Eurostar provided champagne and Belgian chocolates.

DG289785

Guests were treated to a selection of Dutch speciality food and drink, including cheeses, meats, stroopwafels and gin!

Here’s part of the new Eurostar lounge and customs post on platform 15a of Amsterdam Centraal

DG289948

4032 stands at platform 15 at Amsterdam Centraal. This is where the new Eurostar lounge is situated so it will become the normal platform for the service to use.

If you want to sample the service yourselves, the new service starts running on the 4th April and tickets start at £35 one-way. Tickets are on sale now.

 

Eurostar announce the start of their New London-Amsterdam train service

09 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Eurostar, Rail Investment, Travel

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Eurostar, Rail Investment, Travel

Eurostar have confirmed that their new service from London’s St Pancras International to Amsterdam Centraal will start on Wednesday 4th April. Tickets will go on sale from 20 February, priced from £35 one way.

The service, using Eurostar’s fleet of Siemens built e320 trains, will consist of two daily London-Amsterdam services (calling at Rotterdam) departing the capital at 08.31 and 17.31. Journey times will be 3hr41 (London-Amsterdam) and 3hr01 (London- Rotterdam), this will result in a record London to Brussels journey time of 1hr48 – a saving of 17 minutes

Direct  Amsterdam – London services won’t start until 2019,  Eurostar explained this was “a temporary measure whilst the governments in the UK and The Netherlands complete an agreement which will enable passport checks to be conducted on departure in The Netherlands as in other key Eurostar destinations. The governments have committed to putting this agreement in place by the end of 2019 so that Eurostar travellers can then enjoy a direct service in both directions”

In the meantime, passengers will catch Thalys services from Amsterdam to Brussels  where passport controls and security screening will be carried out before boarding a Eurostar to London. The company’s published a list of suggested Thalys services with connections for London

euro

I’ll look forward to being able to catch one of these trains from London to Amsterdam soon!

DG270543. 4025. 4023. St Pancras International. 23.5.17

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