Hello,
The train that got nowhere!
Anybody else annoyed with Eurostar ?
Sorry long rant!!
Yesterday our family took the 18.01 Eurostar train to Paris to spend a weekend away.
We all went though customs at St Pancras, both French and British customs as per Le Touquet agreement.
Train sped away , went through tunnel and broke down outside Calais Frethun.
We waited over 2 hours whilst Eurostar were apparently trying to repair train and to negotiate 'something' with both French and British customs.
Train was sealed by French army and French customs with dogs so that nobody could get out of the train in Calais.
Eurostar staff did not give advice and disappeared ! Passengers getting worried.
At 22.00 it was announced that the train would go back to London-St. Pancras with all its 800 passengers because train could not get fixed and that no other train could get us to Paris!!
Train got back to London-St. Pancras and was greeted by heavy police and by the whole British customs official red carpet!
British customs knew that none of the passengers could have gone anywhere because the train had been stranded and had been heavily guarded in Calais.
Nevertheless Briitish Customs proceeded to check thoroughly each passenger's passport a third time within a few hours. Some of these officials were downright rude and were barking at us.
This officialdom created such mayhem and crowding that passengers were falling on the escalator because the arrival hall was too crowded. A lady with a child in her arms and a folded pram, tripped up, and got hurt by several passengers who fell on top of her.
All this happening under the eyes of police who did not move to avoid a near missed tragedy.
Finally, outside, on the concourse, only one Eurostar representative came out to help the exhausted 800 passengers; some of them had no hotels in London and had nowhere to go. We could not even reschedule our train because machines were not working!
The Eurostar lady got annoyed as she could see that the whole situation descended into a farce.
She told us: 'I am fed up with you lot, you are on your own' and walked away !
I am so annoyed with Eurostar. Why did they treat so badly passengers who paid a lot of money? Am also so fed up with this British officialdom who seemed to enjoy harassing passengers. Why did they treat exhausted passengers with such contempt as though they were criminals?
Anybody else had similar experience or was the 18.01 to Paris?
Sorry, very upset .. Needed a rant ..