In message , Dave Liney
writes

"Paul Terry" wrote in message
...

The argument is not about things we don't
use - it is about facilities that are currently in place and that we do
use - and that are not being replaced by anything comparable.

It's only an extra 25-30 minutes away

In each direction. And its not just the time but the inconvenience of
additional (and very poor) interchanges when carrying luggage - for some
people this will be four *additional* interchanges on a round trip.

and the reduced journey time when the CTRL phase 2 is opened will eat
into most of this

15 minutes - so we lose half an hour on each return journey *and* have
extra interchanges - including the delight of humping suitcases up the
stairs at Vauxhall or on and off of buses.

so I disagree that it is not being replaced by anything comparable.

That's fine. It won't be an arrangement I envisage using.

I suggest that more people have reduced journey time and inconvenience
getting to StP than have increased journey time.

Taken the population at large, that is probable. The question running
throughout this thread is ... are those cohorts of people in other parts
of the capital likely to require business trips or desire leisure breaks
in Eurostar destinations?

Like it or not, the people who NEED to make business trips to the
continent have tended to live in SWLondon partly because of the
proximity of Heathrow and more latterly Eurostar from Waterloo.

The idea that only people in SWT-land use Eurostar services is a joke,
yet some on this newsgroup seem to believe it.

You don't strengthen your case by making silly exaggerations such as
"only" people in SWT-land. If you note the very large numbers that make
the short journey across the concourse from Waterloo International to
the SWT platforms, you will see that a large proportion of Eurostar's
customers travel by SWT. That doesn't mean that "everyone" does, and it
is a joke that you make such a ridiculous exaggeration.

What's the point? Heathrow is 15 minutes drive from this part of
South-West London and flying is cheaper.

So fly.

I shall. And that is exactly the point. People like me who have made
many Eurostar journeys in the past are unlikely to continue to do so if
the service is degraded to below that obtainable from Heathrow. Eurostar
will lose that custom. Hopefully it will build up new customers - if it
doesn't then everyone can expect a poorer service.

Though is the cost of parking/taxis and flights really less than
that of train and Eurostar,

Yes, significantly so. The other half will happily drop me at Heathrow
for almost no cost since it takes only 15 minutes or so each way. I
certainly wouldn't get a similar lift from here to St Pancras, which is
seldom less than a two-hour round-trip!

and would you really save time when checking in time is taken into
consideration?

Yes. In the finely-balanced equation, that is the "edge" over flying
that Eurostar will lose. They were always more expensive, but they were
slightly quicker, more pleasant and more convenient.

They are likely to remain more expensive and even more pleasant, but
will no longer be quicker or so convenient.

Of course it is then there is a good, cheap public transport solution to
getting to Paris in your area of London which means that if by moving
Eurostar's London terminus those that don't have one at present gain one.

No. They have one already - it is called Waterloo. They don't use it
because they find having to travel across London too inconvenient.

Does that ring a bell?

Anyone with business sense (and that has seldom included Eurostar) would
realise that the way to increase trade is to increase your outlets, not
close them.

Sounds like everyone's a winner.

Clearly not

--
Paul Terry