Edited by Trevor Garrod, AERA Secretary
FOOT PASSENGER ACCESS TO FERRIES – Harwich International Port remains the model, with a good train service and step-free access to the ferries; while at Hoek van Holland there is a frequent metro service to Schiedam and Rotterdam Blaak and Alexander with easy interchange with the Dutch rail network (see “Easier Travel via Hoek van Holland” below).
At the other end of the spectrum, none of the Dover – Calais and v.v. ferries operated by DFDS, and only certain of those operated by P & O Ferries, accepts foot passengers. Passengers are accepted on sailings from Tyne Commission Quay in Newcastle, however, and bus service 327 links with the sailings, departing from outside Newcastle Central Station.
Newhaven – Dieppe sailings are explained elsewhere on this website.
Sailings from Portsmouth and Plymouth to the Continent also accept foot passengers, and information is available from the operators’ websites. The European Rail Timetable is also helpful in such cases.
We welcome feedback from readers using any of these services.
EUROSTAR
The European Passengers’ Federation, of which AERA is an associate member – has a regular annual meeting with Eurostar. The next one is due in January 2027.
The meetings include announcements of changes, but also discussion of future strategy and the opportunity to work on specialist studies such as ticketing, connections and marketing.
AERA would hope to have similar liaison with other operators through the Channel Tunnel in the coming years.
EASIER TRAVEL VIA HOEK VAN HOLLAND
Recent years have seen considerable changes in rail/sea/rail journeys between the UK and the Netherlands. This route is now once more a good example of integration.
When you disembark at Hoek van Holland Haven and exit the ferry terminal you can see the new light rail station a few meters’ walk away to your right. Here you can go contactless using your bank card to access the platform. and start your journey by RET (the Rotterdam public transport operator).
At busy times some extra shelter would be useful – for example in the morning rush hour when you share the RET train with large numbers of commuters into the Rotterdam conurbation.
The half-hourly frequency (boosted by extra trains to and from Steendijkpolder) takes you across the patchwork of polders and growing commuter towns, in tunnel under the city centre and out into leafy eastern suburbs to terminate an hour or so later at Nesselande. If you are visiting Rotterdam, the most convenient station to alight is Beurs. Otherwise, alight at Schiedam Centrum to and NS train to The Hague or, via the coastal line to Amsterdam; Blaak for interchange with regional trains southwards or, out in daylight again, Alexander where there are shops, a toilet and a cafe, while an escalator or lift takes you up to the NS platforms where you can catch an Inter City train to Utrecht and beyond.
Thus you can catch the night ferry from Harwich International Port, disembark fortified by breakfast on board, catch the RET metro, change at Utrecht and Amersfoort and be in Berlin by late afternoon.
Of course there is room for further improvement. You can go on the Stena or Greater Anglia website and buy a Rail-and-Sail ticket but it will only take you to the quayside at Hoek van Holland. A good travel agent can also do this for you and provide you with an Inter-rail pass or international ticket from Schiedam or Rotterdam to the rest of the Continent – but at present you will still need to go contactless between Hoek van Holland and Schiedam, Blaak or Alexander.
TG 27/10/26
USING THE NEWHAVEN – DIEPPE FERRY
For 30 years Eurostar has been the fast rail services from England to France, using the Channel Tunnel. But there are still alternatives, one of which is the Newhaven – Dieppe ferry run by DFDS. Indeed, this was traditionally the cheapest cross-Channel route from London to Paris. Encouraged by news of a new shuttle bus between quayside and station in Dieppe, six of us decided to try it on a 3-day autumn break in Rouen, Normandy, in mid October 2024
We assembled at the ferry terminal in Newhaven on a Wednesday morning. Arriving at Newhaven Town station we saw a poster in French and English, directing us to the terminal but little else. In fact, it proved to be just a few minutes’walk to the west of the station, which has a half-hourly local service between Brighton and Seaford. Gone are the days of designated boat trains from London Victoria, but it is still possible to reach Newhaven from Victoria with just one change of train at Lewes; or from Brighton using Thameslink starting as far north as Cambridge. Note: Newhaven Harbour is NOT the nearest station to the ferry terminal. The terminal itself is a functional modern building but has a comfortable and welcoming interior with a good display of leaflets from the Departement of Seine Maritime which helped us to prepare for our visit.
Going through border control was fairly quick and easy but we then had to board a minibus and wait for all motor vehicles to drive on to the ferry (the “Cote d’Albatre”) before being driven to the bows and walking through the vehicle entrance – a bit like using the Tradesmen’s Entrance – but once up on the main deck we were welcomed by the staff and spent most of a pleasant crossing sampling the buffet.
The days of docking alongside the town quay at Dieppe have also long gone. The vessel now uses a small new outer harbour apparently built on reclaimed land below the white cliffs. A single deck bus took us up the road to the terminal and, after having our passports stamped, some 25 of us foot passengers crossed the car park to the Grisel bus which took us by a roundabout route to Dieppe Ville station, which we reached six minutes before the departure of the modern Alstom bimode train to Rouen. The bus trip cost us 3 euro each and only small suitcases could be taken – but all passengers seemed to be aware of this.
Dieppe stationwas built as the terminus of at least three lines and is now only served by one, but it doubles up as a bus station and has a booking office with heated waiting room, toilets and a station shop. We looked on the way home at the station but could not see any publicity for the shuttle bus, financed by the Departement of Seine Maritime till the end of 2024. It is however, mentioned on the DFDS website.
Three days later after an interesting and enjoyable time in Normandy, we headed back to Dieppe on the 09.01 from Rouen and caught the shuttle bus at 10.45. This time it took a more direct route to the harbour, but only 8 of the 30 or so foot passengers used it. We suspect others had booked taxis.
We had some 40 minutes to wait at the station and were thankful to buy coffee at the station shop. We saw at least 20 other foot passengers waiting at the ferry terminal, where we went through controls and then boarded another bus which waited till all vehicles had driven on to the ferry and then took us to the entrance from which we ascended an escalator to be greeted again by the cheerful staff.
Dieppe itself is a town of some interest with an impressive castle and a former theatre which is now a poignant memorial to all those killed in the disastrous raid on 19th August 1942. Some of us had visited it on the afternoon of the previous day.The town did not look at its best on the damp morning as we set out across the Channel and then had lunch in the cafeteria, but the weather improved and by 15.00 (BST) we were approaching the white Sussex cliffs in warm sunshine.
An announcement was made that foot passengers would be allowed off first. Most of us had to negotiate three flights of stairs before we could walk out on to the car park and the bus back to the terminal; but we knew the way then and were soon on the train from Newhaven Town station. It is good to have a ferry service that is inclusive and so welcomes foot passengers, and I plan to contact the various stakeholders on this route with some comments and further suggests. Clearly we hope that connecting bus at Dieppe will continue.
Trevor Garrod
EURO HIGH SAVERS
Another customer writes:
Euro High Savers, also known as London CIV tickets or London International tickets are flexible tickets that are designed for passengers starting an international journey. If your local station has a ticket office, they should be able to sell you one of these on presentation of your Eurostar ticket. Most websites do not sell Euro High Savers. One that does is www.trainsplit.com. To select, use Split Tickets and type LNE as your destinations. It should then sell you such a ticket.
MULTIMODAL TO DUBLIN
Traditionally it was possible to go by train from England and Wales to Holyhead, ferry to Dun Laoghaire and train to the centre of Dublin. For several years, however, ferries from Holyhead have docked at Dublin Port, at the mouth of the LIffey estuary and travel into the city has been by road. Ferry transfer arrangements improved in June, as the Stena Line sailing from Holyhead (connecting off the 09.02 from London Euston) now has a Nolan Coaches transfer from the Stena Line terminal direct to Connolly station and then Heuston station.
The morning bus connecting with the 08.15 Stena Line sailing similarly starts from Heuston again now. This bus also connects with the 08.05 Irish Ferries sailing to Holyhead. For more information log on to https://nolancoaches.ie/services/ferrylink/
BICYCLES BY EUROSTAR
A regular Eurostar customer writes:
I had to get my bike from Brussels to London at fairly short notice. It was a slow process but I achieved it with kind help of a customer services staffer after explaining my circumstances:
1. A Eurostar ticket and booking reference are required before you can book space for your bicycle and this can take 7 – 10 days.
2. Only certain trains take bikes “fully assembled” between London and Brussels. There is space for 4 bikes on each of them.
3. Contacting the Eurostar customer services line on 0343 2186186 was fruitful.
4. The process requires you to fill in a form to register the bike.
5. A payment link is e-mailed (eventually) which, when paid (£45) promptly delivers by e-mail consignment notes and instructions.
6. Consignment notes are “tickets” for bikes and you cannot get your machine on the train without one.
EUROSTAR EXTENDS BICYCLE CARRIAGE
Further to our earlier Travel Tip, we are now informed by Cycling UK that Eurostar is now accepting bicycles again on its London – Brussels services. Fully assembled and boxed or bagged bicycles can be carried. You have to book a train ticket first and then call or email travelservices@eurostar.com to see if the train on which you wish to travel also has space for your machine.
Hopefully fully assembled bikes will also be accepted on the Eurostars to and from Paris in the near future, and it is planned to introduce them to Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, your bicycle can also go through the Channel Tunnel on a shuttle train, as Eurotunnel also offers a cycle carriage facility. Whichever of these options you take, there will be a charge.
“A FASCINATING VENTURE OFF THE MORE PREDICTABLE EUROPEAN HOLIDAY MAP”
This was the verdict of one member taking part in a 15-person group visit which Trevor Garrod organised to Lubeck in May 2023
Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost federal state in Germany, is a little easier to reach by train now that we have Eurostars from London to Amsterdam and can change there for a DB train to Osnabruck, Hanover and beyond. Thus Lubeck can be only two changes of train from London.
Our group also appreciated the Schleswig-Holstein Ticket, from 29 euro for one person up to 49 euro for a group of five, enabling as many trips as possible within one day throughout Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and the neighbouring state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and including public transport in two zones of Hamburg.
Schleswig-Holstein is a little bit like East Anglia (in fact, the original Angles are believed to have come from there), with historic towns and cities, flat or gently undulating countryside, picturesque lakes and extensive beaches.
Our group took in Schwerin with its beautiful castle, Rendsburg with its spectacular bridge over the Kiel Canal and the holiday island of Sylt, as well as historic Lubeck itself. Some rode on part of the Tonning – Flensburg railway built by the English entrepreneur Morton Peto in the 1850s. Plon, surrounded by lakes and wooded hills was also a favourite. Last but not least, the weather was excellent!
It was certainly a region to be recommended!
RAIL – AIR – RAIL
While we encourage people to travel between the UK and the rest of Europe by rail, there are certain destinations where the rail alternative is not practical, e.g. to/from Greece. If you fly into Gatwick, you find a station fully connected to the rest of the GB rail network. You would expect a similar situation now at Heathrow. One of our members carried out some mystery shopping in March using a one-day all zones travelcard from Brighton.
All 3 stations at Heathrow have ticket machines on the concourse next to the platforms. T4 and T5 have machines at the exits from the arrivals hall next to the station. T2 and T3 do not. You can buy a ticket from one of the booths named Travel support & Information: while the staff seem to have a good knowledge of the ticketing system, any ticket bought there carries a £7 surcharge! Staff are generally available nearby to help passengers navigate the machines.
A limited range of tickets is available for most destinations. There is a problem buying tickets to destinations (outside the Oyster zones) on Southern. You cannot even buy a ticket from Heathrow to Gatwick, where the rail option is now more attractive with just one change at Farringdon
TAKING A BICYCLE ON EUROSTAR
We are pleased to learn, via the campaign organisation Cycling UK, that from January 25 th cyclists have again been able to take their machines on Eurostar between London and Paris (but not yet on the Brussels and Amsterdam service).
At the start of the pandemic in March 2020 the operator closed its facility for oversized luggage, but this has been made available again. You must book your train ticket first and then e-mail (or call) travelservices@eurostar.com to check if there is room for the bicycle on your chosen train.
Cycling UK says that it “has good reason to believe Eurostar is doing all it can to reopen this service in the near future to other destinations.”
Again – we in AERA will be keen to learn of the experiences of readers taking a bicycle by Eurostar.
pre 2023 TRAVEL TIPS
We have included the following Travel Tips as an Archive, but as they date from 2022 and earlier, some of the content may no longer be correct. Please check with your AERA member Agent for updates.
CROSSING PARIS – This is a little more complex than crossing London, because you need a RATP ticket as well as your rail ticket if travelling from, say, London to any destination beyond Paris. It is possible to buy a carnet of metro tickets from the cafe Metropole on board the Eurostar and thus save time at the Gare du Nord.
We have been informed that from October 1st 2021 the traditional carnet is to be phased out and replaced by an Easy Navigo card – but as of mid-October, it was still possible to buy the carnet.
DEUTSCHE BAHN is still recovering from the severe flooding in July in the west of the country and the total repair bill is expected to be 1.5bn euro. Euskirchen is still being served by replacement buses on all four lines and trains there are not expected to resume till mid-2022.
What is RailTeam?
It is a grouping of high-speed operators, such as Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn, whose trains connect with each other at key hubs such as Brussels and Cologne. If you miss a connection because your train is delayed, you can hop on the next high-speed train. You should just ask the station staff (at, say, Brussels or Cologne) to put a “RailTeam” stamp on your ticket.
CIV Tickets
A CIV ticket to London International enables you to cross the city at any time, not only to catch a ferry to Ireland or the Continent, but also to Heysham for a ferry to the Isle of Man. Following discussion with the Rail Delivery Group, we can confirm that CIV tickets will also be accepted to cross-London journeys before 10.00. This is important for passengers from south of the Thames travelling to Heysham to catch the daily ferry to Douglas.
If you have problems with train services within Great Britain, concerning delays and missed connections, for example, you should contact Transport Focus.
www.transportfocus.org.uk
Did you know that you can buy a special ticket from your local station to “London International” when you travel by Eurostar? It enables you to travel by any train and is especially useful if the Eurostar is delayed or if you have to travel in the peak period.
This ticket is also called a “London CIV” or “Euro High Saver” ticket. If you purchase it from a station booking office, you should be prepared to show your Eurostar ticket.
