EU-Btritain Relations: High Speed Rail Eurostar in 'critical condition' after collapse in travel between UK and France

Eurostar, the train operator that runs services through the Channel Tunnel, is in 'a very critical' state after a collapse in travel between Britain and the European continent, a top French rail executive warned on Friday.

Until recently a symbol of easy high-speed rail travel in Europe, Eurostar has been crippled by the coronavirus crisis, with its special platforms and facilities in Paris, London and Brussels now eerily quiet.

The group is currently running just one service a day between Paris and London, a far cry from the time before Covid-19 when it would operate two trains an hour during peak times.

Read more at The Local

European High Speed Rail System: Eurostar debuts London to Marseille high-speed rail link

European Hi-Speed Rail Services

Eurostar on Friday began whisking passengers from London to Marseille in a journey that took just over six hours as the international rail company opened a permanent and direct route connecting Britain and southern France The new year-round transport service will see high-speed TGV trains race from the heart of London to the French cities of Lyon, Avignon and Marseille, the company announced.

Eurostar said travellers departing from St Pancras International would be able to reach Lyon in four-and-a-half hours, Avignon in just less than six hours, and the Mediterranean city of Marseille in six-and-a-half hours.

Lyon is considered to be the capital of French gastronomy, while Avignon attracts tens of thousands of tourists for its annual theatre festival.

Marseille, France’s second-largest city, is a historic Mediterranean port, long considered a gateway between continental Europe and much of the world.

Read more: france 24 - Eurostar debuts London to Marseille high-speed rail link - France 24

Weather: Unseasonal winter storm strikes northern Europe

Unseasonably severe weather struck much of France on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of homes temporarily without electricity and paralysing travel across Europe.

ust when many in France allowed themselves hope that spring may be around the corner, a fresh flurry of heavy snowfall struck much of the country, leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity and disrupting travel across Europe.

French weather service Metéo France put two regions in the northwest on red alert – the highest possible – and 28 other regions across the country's north and northwest on orange alert because of the winter storm, calling the snowfall “remarkable for the season because of the expected quantity and length of time”.

Seeking to reassure the French public, President François Hollande said that the government was taking “exceptional measures” to deal with an “exceptional storm”.

Eurostar was forced to suspend its train service late Tuesday morning after closing sections of its high-speed rail, which it blamed on “severe weather conditions overnight in northern France and Belgium”. In Germany, Frankfurt airport, which is the third busiest in Europe, partially reopened on Tuesday afternoon after being forced to shut down for two hours because of heavy snow.

 Read more: Unseasonal winter storm strikes northern Europe - FRANCE - FRANCE 24

Telegraph.co.uk : Trains - Eurostar: getting the best deals

For the complete report from the Telegraph click on this link

Trains-Eurostar: getting the best deals

First, the good news. Competition from no-frills airlines means that the cheapest return tickets on Eurostar are now even lower than they were when the service first launched in 1994. Then you had to pay euro 127 on the London-Paris route. Now that fare has dropped to euro 78, only a couple of euros more than the old boat train used to cost. The less good news is that you may have to plan several months ahead, or be very flexible about when you travel, to make sure you get a return at such a good price.