In message , at 09:33:28 on Tue, 16 Nov
2004, Paul Terry remarked:
Customers will inevitably re-evaluate Heathrow, which is usually
cheaper and in the future may prove quicker.

Maybe customers in SWT-land.

Those are the ones we are discussing, yes.

I used to live in SWT-land (near Surbiton). I was *extremely* surprised
to find that there's no SWT train running in the early morning that
would have connected me with the first E* from Waterloo - necessary if
you want to make a morning meeting on the Continent. Presumably that
first train is entirely for people within a taxi ride of Waterloo
(including those forced to overnight in a hotel).

But what about customers on the Central
Line? Or customers living in Beckton? Or folks on the District?

They are likely to have to suffer the appalling interchange planned for
Stratford. The last I heard, Union Railways are even resisting putting
in a travelator (it is rumoured they want to force people to walk past
a quarter of mile of shops to get to the International station).

Ah, just like all the airports, then?

To a large extent it will depend on whether those needing to go to
Brussels and Paris for business meetings, or choosing to go there on
leisure breaks, live mainly in SW London or in Beckton etc. I suspect
it is mostly the former, and Eurostar are therefore going to be forced
to start building a new customer base from scratch instead of building
on their existing market.

You need to factor in several other variables. For example, as a result
of the impossibility of catching the first E* in the morning from
anywhere outside central London, the business traveller with a morning
meeting has to be funded well enough to either overnight in London, or
Paris/Brussels.

--
Roland Perry

In message , Roland
Perry writes

I used to live in SWT-land (near Surbiton). I was *extremely* surprised
to find that there's no SWT train running in the early morning that
would have connected me with the first E* from Waterloo

Then think how much worse it is going to be to get from Surbiton to St
Pancras in time for a 05:30 departure!

- necessary if you want to make a morning meeting on the Continent.

Depends - the 06:26 departure arrive in Brussels at 10.01. But I don't
know many people who are so keen on their jobs that they would want to
get up that early just for a meeting.

Presumably that first train is entirely for people within a taxi ride
of Waterloo (including those forced to overnight in a hotel).

Or who have relatives who can drop them off, or who know how to use a
night bus, or who are travelling in a party for which a minibus or
coach, has been laid on, or who are Belgian or French and have been
staying in a nearby hotel ...

But I have to say that the only time I ever travelled on that early
service, I was very lonely. It certainly wasn't very popular a few years
back.

You need to factor in several other variables. For example, as a result
of the impossibility of catching the first E* in the morning from
anywhere outside central London, the business traveller with a morning
meeting has to be funded well enough to either overnight in London, or
Paris/Brussels.

I should have thought that was pretty normal - the company for which I
sometimes do some work (and which has charitable status) will always pay
for a hotel if there is a morning start and the travelling time is much
more than about an hour.

--
Paul Terry

In message , at 12:56:09 on Tue, 16 Nov
2004, Paul Terry remarked:

I used to live in SWT-land (near Surbiton). I was *extremely*
surprised to find that there's no SWT train running in the early
morning that would have connected me with the first E* from Waterloo

Then think how much worse it is going to be to get from Surbiton to St
Pancras in time for a 05:30 departure!

If there are no National Rail trains it's a moot point.

- necessary if you want to make a morning meeting on the Continent.

Depends - the 06:26 departure arrive in Brussels at 10.01. But I don't
know many people who are so keen on their jobs that they would want to
get up that early just for a meeting.

It's not just being keen on the job. I worked for a not-for-profit
organisation where funds were very strictly limited. An overnight stay
in Brussels was a significant expanse, and there were morning meetings
that I needed to be at.

the company for which I sometimes do some work (and which has
charitable status) will always pay for a hotel if there is a morning
start and the travelling time is much more than about an hour.

Mine had a fixed annual budget for such things, and no amount of
"extenuating circumstances" would produce any more money :-(
--
Roland Perry