withdrawal of train boat train tickets

[geoff.nicholls]

In march 2007 SouthEastern railway withdrew train boat train tickets to european destinations. For over fifty years you could buy a ticket from charing cross or london bridge that was MUCH cheaper than via eurostar and included train to dover, ferry to calais, and train to destination. Basically they are trying to pressurise you into using eurostar because it is more profit for them.


Could Moneysaving get these tickets re-instated ?

[dzug]

SouthEastern Railway surely do not own Eurostar and have no axe to grind in pressurising you to use Eurostar. So I'm not sure who 'they' are.

More likely they were getting very little revenue from it and saw it as uneconomic. The full fare to Dover for those few who still want to travel this way is what they are after.

A regrettable decision nevertheless.

[TimothyEBaldwin]

It could be SNCF which made the decision they own part of Eurostar, and a small part of Southeastern. As the French national train operator they obviously have a say in the existence of such tickets.

[laird]

Geoff

I'm not entirely sure the fare has been withdrawn, I checked this evening and fares to Calais "H426 Via Dover Eastern Docks & P&O Stena Line (850)" remain available and are published in the latest edition of the National Fares Manual (Number 97 (Rail Links Section Page D6).

It should be available from any rail appointed travel agent or rail travel centre. You might even find during a quiet period that your local station ticket office might have a go at selling you the ticket.

From Calais SNCF/DB and a wide range of other providers would be happy to sell you a ticket.

Do talk to some of the more specialist rail travel agents if you want to do the traditional route to the continent as you may find they can offer a different range of fares.

One word of caution if rather than Dover-Calais you wanted to take the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, the Newhaven Marine station service has been suspended pending repairs to the station roof. Not a great hardship but it does mean you have to walk the few metres to Newhaven Harbour.
Campaigning to reopen Newhaven Marine station is perhaps a more worthy cause?

[geoff.nicholls]

it was a southeastern agent who told me they withdrew the "promotion" as he put it from march this year.

you could never buy these tickets from any station or travel centre - for instance it was never possible to purchase it from waterloo, ONLY from charing cross or london bridge at the windows labeled "continental". Also was never advertised - even 10 years ago you had to sort of "fight" to buy the ticket partly against ticket staff convinced the ticket didn't exist.

Interesting it is in the fare manual, is that only to calais ? once you had convinced the ticket staff that train boat train tickets existed they would let you buy a ticket to anywhere in europe, return also. i used to regularly buy a return to amsterdam via the no defunct dover ostend ferry. but you could go anywhere at all.

The main attraction was that it was incredibly cheap - a return to amsterdam was £60, regardless of when you bought it, even close to the date of departure.

[laird]

I imagine there would have been other ticket types available and possibly still are.

Tickets are still available to any Dutch station using the ferry from Harwich, below is an extract from the relevant section of the rail links book.
Since the Dover-Oostende ferry was withdrawn I guess it makes some sense that the fares would no longer be shown.

NETHERLANDS
Hoek van Holland via Harwich International
(including through fares to Amsterdam or
any Dutch station)
Stena Line LER

London to Hoek van Holland
Single Return
First Open (FO) £49.00 £83.00
Standard Open (SO) £45.00 £75.00
1 Month Apex (AX) — £56.00

London to any Netherlands station (inc Amsterdam)
Single Return
First Open (FO) £59.00 £99.00
Standard Open (SO) £52.00 £85.00
1 Month Apex (AX) — £60.00

First Open - Valid 2 months
Standard Open - Valid 2 months
1 Month Apex - Valid 1 month
Apex tickets must be booked at least 7 days in advance.
Available only in limited numbers so book early to avoid
disappointment.
Ring 08700 409090 for details of other fares.

[YAM]

The 2008 edition of the National Fare Manual (Rail Links Manual) still offers a "Calais H426 Via Dover Eastern Docks P&O Stena Line (850)" rail+sea ticket, see page D6 in http://www.atoc.org/retail/_downloads/NFM98/NFM98_RL_D.pdf (or via http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/manuals.html)

But it is only a DAY return ticket - which may be the reason why it was not sold to the original poster. At 25£ from London (and 20.20£ with any railcard - without the usual time restrictions) it might be interesting even if one throws the return half of it away...

Since this fare is published in the manual it should be available at every station ticket office. Maybe someone from the London region might wish to test this and report here?