Train

Are you a train Virgin?

Advantages: fast, few delays
Disadvantages: occasional delays, cost if booked late

...this route is operated by Virgin Trains and has been for several years. Thankfully these days the booking process is somewhat easier than it used to be, having to go in to the train station to book tickets I always found a somewhat draining experience as there was invariably a queue of people apparently wanting to purchase tickets for the next train due and only one counter open, now you can book online at one of several sites, my preference is virgins ...
...best rates of cashback (currently virgin trains are offering £4 per booking via topcashback). Once you have your tickets booked what sort of service should you expect on the trains? Well contrary to many opinions the trains operated on this line are among the most modern rolling stock on the line's today as the West Coast Main is the home of the 'tilting' train the Pendolino, distinctively liveried in Virgin colours of Red, Yellow and Silver/Grey ...

scuba_angel 02.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Virgin Trains

My journey through the Channel Tunnel

Advantages: 35 minutes crossing time. Quicker to continue your journey the other side.
Disadvantages: More expensive and no restaurants.

I have crossed the Channel on many occasions, both using the ferries and the Channel Tunnel. I prefer to use the Tunnel but I think that it is better to buy the tickets before you travel as I have found it cheaper than buying them at the terminus. Unfortunately there is no where to buy food and drink on the train and so it is advisable to buy a take-away meal/drinks/snacks from the tax-free shops in the waiting area before you board. Both the English ...
...Channel, therefore when you disembark there are no customs to go through. I have found it quite easy to drive on and off the train, as you are marshalled to a compartment for the duration of your journey. You can however, walk along the train using access doors . Toilets are available on the journey. In my view it is faster than using the ferries (35 mins compared to over an hour on the ferry). I have not found it at all claustrophobic and is similar ...

MAGIC8602 01.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of England to France - Channel Tunnel

Foreign Travel

Advantages: Convenient, cheap, quick
Disadvantages: None

The Eurostar is a high speed railway passenger service connecting London with France and Belgium. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the channel tunnel, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel. The official opening took place in May 1994. In England the train has stops in Ashford, Kent and St Pancras London, in France, Pairs and Lille with some stops at EuroDisney and in Belgium, Brussels. To me, this train is just a fantastic ...
...actually only been on the Eurostar once but am going on it again to Paris at the weekend. My first and only experience so far was a very good one. Firstly I found booking on the Eurostar very easy. I used their website at Eurostar.com which is easy to use and gives you all the choices you need in terms of train times, schedule etc. I was lucky that I booked early enough to get their £59 per person return to Brussels. I also paid £59 return for my ...

Spottydog11 08.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Eurostar

it pays to be young with this railcard

Advantages: save 1/3 on all fares, even advance ones, definite savings in year
Disadvantages: some of the restrictions about travelling early in the week

If you are aged between 16-25 or a mature student, and in full time education, travel by train a lot, or make more than just one or two big trips a year it is quite simply madness not to get one of these. It is possible to save more then the £26 annual cost in one trip. For example I travel by train very regularly and a return bought on the day for the trip I make most often without railcard would be in the region of £90. When purchased with the ...
...bigger savings than this, as I often do, by buying several weeks in advance, either on the internet or in person at a manned station. What is good about this is that you still receive 1/3 off an already heavily discounted price. There are a couple of problems with this card. For starters if you want to use the card before 10am monday to fridays then a £12 minimum charge applies, so if you want to use it to commute short distances to work for example, ...

adamp123 24.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Discount Railcards

Fast and frequent and the only way to travel in London

Advantages: It is fast and convenient
Disadvantages: Clostrophobic and certainly not for disabled passengers

...a very hectic break in London taking in as many sights as possible in 3 days. Although we took the London sightseeing tour much of our travel time was spent on the London Ungerground. We used a number of lines - Circle, District, Northern, Central, Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Jubilee with our hotel at West Cromwell Road very near Earls Court. We used the district line predominantly to leave and return to the hotel each day. There is no better method ...
...In addition, whenever I visit London there are always a number of stations closed, on this occasion Blackfriars was one of them. The other factor that no-one predicts or feels comfortable with is the unexpected - which unfortunately happened at Victoria during the Tuesday of our visit. Another unexpected event was to arrive at Earls Court to find a train being held up full of passengers and for another one to arrive (which we got on) and depart ...

chrisc92 04.09.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of London Underground