Eurostar are set to launch their new direct high-speed service from London to Amsterdam in December 2016. The service will stop at Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol airport on the way to Amsterdam.
This is great because it broadens the number of European destinations reachable by train. Flying is the quickest and cheapest way to travel abroad but for disabled passengers it can be a bit of a hassle. On the Eurostar wheelchair users can remain in their chairs for the entire journey, unlike on planes where they have to transfer into a seat. The journey to Amsterdam will take just under 4 hours so it’s not that long, plus you can relax and admire some of the beautiful European scenery on the way.
Another thing I am quite excited about are the new trains that Eurostar will be introducing from late 2015 onwards. The existing Eurostar trains are at least 20 years old now so they are well due for replacement. The new Eurostar train, built by Siemens, will be the e320 which can hold up to 900 passengers and travel 320 km/h (200 mph). Passenger legroom has been increased and most importantly the number of wheelchair spaces has doubled compared to the existing Eurostar trains. Instead of two on the current Eurostar trains there will now be a grand total of four, which is an improvement. Hopefully they will have made the toilets bigger because, I couldn’t even get my wheelchair in to the toilet in first-class on the current Eurostar trains which is ridiculous. There will also be plug sockets and Wi-Fi galore! Visit this webpage to see some pictures of the shiny new e320.
Wheelchair spaces will be located in standard Premier class and business premiere class which are at opposite ends of the train. I think this is a good place to put wheelchair users because the front and end carriages will have less people passing through them so will be less busy, hopefully.
I’m really looking forward to trying out the new trains later this year hopefully or maybe next year. As always I will let you know on here what I made of it all.
thanks for reading and have a good day!
i will be interested to see how they charge the people traveling with you on this new train, As i went to Lillie christmas market (france) last year with 2 friends & a carer, which because they only have wheelchair spaces in 1st class, they all had to pay 1st class ticket prices, apart from Me !
Needless to say it became a very expensive weekend,plus taxi fares.
we worked it out,that we could have taken the car on train,twice and still pay for hotel !
For the cost of 3x1st class and 1x standard Euro train passages tickets alone!
It’s not right that everyone travelling with you had to pay for a first-class ticket. It’s not like you chose to be there. I really hope they change this policy because they are not giving you a great choice, it’s pay extra or be separated from your friends and family. it’s not on. Especially when it was so expensive that you could have driven for a cheaper price!
I booked from London direct to Amsterdam for a short trip, got back yesterday. As you know, we have to change at Brussels, onto a Thalys train. Non-wheelchair users can book the whole lot on the Eurostar website; including the Brussels to Amsterdam leg. The seat on Amsterdam to Brussels is booked by Eurostar, and the ticket includes the whole journey in one.
Wheelchair users can’t because Eurostar “doesn’t have the license” to book the wheelchair space on the leg from Brussels to Amsterdam on Thalys. They have the license to book a seat, but not to book the wheelchair space. As a consequence, wheelchair users can only book to Brussels with Eurostar. They have to book tickets, wheelchair space and assistance separately with Thalys for the second leg. This is more expensive, much more hassle, and doesn’t guarantee a refund if the connection doesn’t work.
Totally unacceptable. I’m in the process of writing them a legal letter about this.
Yes it is ridiculous that wheelchair users can’t book the whole trip through Eurostar. What is the Thalys train like in terms of wheelchair access? I’ve never been on that one before. The direct Eurostar to Amsterdam service is LONG long overdue.
On Thalys access onto the train and into wheelchair space is good. Their “accessible” toilet is impossible to use, I couldn’t even get in it (wheelchair is IN reference wheelchair size) and there is no way that anybody could get their wheelchair in and close the door. So no usable loo.
The booking procedure for wheelchair users is very rubbish too.
So other than the problems with the booking procedure and the disabled toilet (which are significant) they’re very good.
I would never want to go on it if there is no accessible toilet. I couldn’t fit my wheelchair in the toilet in first class on the Eurostar. An accessible toilet is a basic requirement!
I wonder what all our euro MEP’s would make of these problems ?
i also wonder if all of the problems faced by disabled people trying to travel from UK are breaking EU discrimination laws also?
Ive seen recently that Paris is clamping down on public building owners, in an attempt to make the comply with EU DDA for access for all. Not sure where Belgium & Holland are at with regards to EU DDA ?
Wish I knew about international law. I have read the Dutch equivalent of the Equality Act, which is commendably brief and very similar to ours.
I’m going to write a blog of all that happened, when I’m not so knackered.
Perhaps sending a link to this blog to your MEP, may be a way to go?
The thing i always find frustrating is looking up a hotel on the booking sites where you can compare facility and prices, only to find that most have no info about Disabled accsse or if they do its booked or more expensive than a standard room.
Yes that is a good idea. But I think it will be worth waiting to see what the new Eurostar trains and routes are like first when they arrive in December. In theory it should be cheaper to travel to Amsterdam by Eurostar then it is now as it will be direct. But we will have to wait and see. I know what you mean about the rooms. Hotel websites very rarely give you a good description of the room and it’s hard to tell what they are like from a photo (if there is one). They also only have one or two so they get booked up quickly, whereas there are hundreds of normal rooms.
have a look at this link it maybe of interest
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3Al24003