Nightmare? Ordeal?

[Snoopy]

Eurostar: passengers tell of 14-hour ordeal

A Eurostar passenger has described how his journey home from Disneyland Paris turned into a "complete nightmare" when he and his family were trapped on a train for 14 hours.

NO! 

Not a "Nightmare" nor an "Ordeal" ~ an inconvenience perhaps.

THIS was an ordeal whilst leaving France


Sitting on your arse in a comfortable train does not compare you soft twats.

[Pirate]

Unless you're claustrophobic and don?t like enclosed places

[Snoopy]

Then you would have gone by ferry surely?

No .... Whichever way you turn it it is still journalistic hyperbole and unnecessary.

[GROWLER]

Then you would have gone by ferry surely?

No .... Whichever way you turn it it is still journalistic hyperbole and unnecessary.

Ferry to Paris? 

Haven't read the story. Where did the train break down? In the tunnel? 

[Snoopy]

 

[Miss Demeanour]

Had a similar experience on Eurostar coming back from Disneyland Paris about 7 years ago now. It was when the overhead power lines were bought down due to high winds.

We boarded the train at about 5pm for a 6.30pm departure and never went anywhere until mid day the next afternoon when the train was redirected to the airport.

All the staff left the train about 9pm and didn't return until the morning. None of the passengers were allowed off the train as we had been through security. The station was then locked up overnight.

At the time it was awful. We spent a night on the train with no heating - this was in the Halloween half term and it was bloody cold. We had no food although the staff did leave some juice but this soon ran out. There were babies screaming for food , distressed kids. There were also people with medical needs which were a real concern.

So although not an ordeal in the sense of the word it is extremely stressful, an anxious time and one that causes people to get very angry when they don't know what's going on and feel they are being treated appallingly.

When staff returned to the train in the morning they were met by a very angry mob - how did they choose to deal with this ? - by getting police with machine guns to stand outside the train and order people to get back on and by disney staff handing out cuddly toys to the kids.

Unfuckingbelievable !

So I do sympathise with these passengers - its how they feel right now and how I felt at the time.

After the event there were many letters of apology received and free tickets for both the train and the park to go back !

[Barman]

Had a similar experience on Eurostar coming back from Disneyland Paris about 7 years ago now. It was when the overhead power lines were bought down due to high winds.

We boarded the train at about.5pm for a 6.30pm departure and never went anywhere until mid day the next afternoon when the train was redirected to the airport.

All the staff left the train about 9pm and didn't return until the morning. None of the passengers were.allowed off the train as we had been through security.

So although not an ordeal we spent a night on the train with no heating - this was in the Halloween half term and it was bloody cold. We had no food although the staff did leave some juice but this soon ran out. There were babies screaming for food , distressed kids. There were also people with medical needs which were a real concern.

So although not an ordeal in the sense of the word it is extremely stressful, an anxious time and one that causes people to get very angry when they don't know what's going on.

When staff returned to the train in the morning they were met by a very angry mob - how did they choose to deal with this - by getting police with machine guns to stand outside the train and order people to get back on and by disney staff handing out cuddly toys to the kids.

Unfuckingbelievable !

So I do sympathise with these passengers - its how they feel right now

Bloody hell, that is outrageous! 

[Miss Demeanour]

It was the lack of information that caused the most anger and frustration and these accusations seem to be consistent with what has just happened again.

The only way we were finding information out when we were on the train was to ring people back home and get them to check. However this got problematic when you couldn't charge the phones and you had to then rely on information from others on board.

A TV news crew arrived in the morning as well to film the 'trapped' passengers which just added to the situation  

I had my mum with me and she was very distressed as was The Brat and others we were with - so if seeing people that you love unhappy , uncomfortable and scared makes you a soft twat  - then that is me !!!!!

[Snoopy]

It is predictable and I am not saying that the experience is pleasant but it is NOT AN ORDEAL NOR IS IT A NIGHTMARE  

[Miss Demeanour]

I disagree - it was a nightmare

[Barman]

It was the lack of information that caused the most anger and frustration and these accusations seem to be consistent with what has just happened again.

The only way we were finding information out when we were on the train was to ring people back home and get them to check. However this got problematic when you couldn't charge the phones and you had to then rely on information from others on board.

A TV news crew arrived in the morning as well to film the 'trapped' passengers which just added to the situation  

I had my mum with me and she was very distressed as was The Brat and others we were with - so if seeing people that you love unhappy , uncomfortable and scared makes you a soft twat  - then that is me !!!!!

The first time I went to Paris on it the bloody thing broke down at Tonbridge... Again, for 'security' reasons we had to head all the way back to London where we were allowed out, across the platform and onto a replacement train... I simply have no idea or understanding why that couldn't have been completed at Tonbridge...

Anyhoo... I missed my connecting train in Paris and my American clients who were on it... I had to then take two flights to meet them in Germany. A complete nightmare although not of Dunkirk proportions obviously... 

[Miss Demeanour]

I have been on Eurostar many times and I think it is quite a pleasant, convenient and easy way to travel on the whole.

However when the problems arise when there appears to be very different reactions and responses from the company, depending on which country you are in  

[Barman]

I followed the chunnel from the early design competition (there were proposals that you could drive through it), through 'breakthrough', sadness that the boring machines were just dumped down there and finally the first services...

Naturally, all the media cared about was the mahoosive debts that the company had... they lost interest after that until there was a fire down there... 

Finally, there is a meeja frenzy because a few trains broke down...

I think the amazing thing about it was that it was ever built at all... I just can't imagine the country managing such an engineering feat these days... what does that say about the shit hole that was a once great country that our parents fought for...?

See also: Concorde, VC10, Trident, Harrier, QE2, etc.

[Snoopy]

I followed the chunnel from the early design competition (there were proposals that you could drive through it), through 'breakthrough', sadness that the boring machines were just dumped down there and finally the first services...

Naturally, all the media cared about was the mahoosive debts that the company had... they lost interest after that until there was a fire down there... 

Finally, there is a meeja frenzy because a few trains broke down...

I think the amazing thing about it was that it was ever built at all... I just can't imagine the country managing such an engineering feat these days... what does that say about the shit hole that was a once great country that our parents fought for...?

See also: Concorde, VC10, Trident, Harrier, QE2, etc.

  Didn't realise you had been around that long BM ...... 1880 is when the first serious attempt at building a tunnel was made 


I have core samples taken from the mid point of the tunnel. My eldest daughter was at the breakthrough in fact as she was the PA to the English team that made the final connection ~ So I have loads of photos etc (somewhere)
BTW at least two of the boring machines came out alive .... One is on show on this side of the channel and the other is on a roundabout just outside of Calais.

[Barman]

I followed the chunnel from the early design competition (there were proposals that you could drive through it), through 'breakthrough', sadness that the boring machines were just dumped down there and finally the first services...

Naturally, all the media cared about was the mahoosive debts that the company had... they lost interest after that until there was a fire down there... 

Finally, there is a meeja frenzy because a few trains broke down...

I think the amazing thing about it was that it was ever built at all... I just can't imagine the country managing such an engineering feat these days... what does that say about the shit hole that was a once great country that our parents fought for...?

See also: Concorde, VC10, Trident, Harrier, QE2, etc.

  Didn't realise you had been around that long BM ...... 1880 is when the first serious attempt at building a tunnel was made 


I have core samples taken from the mid point of the tunnel. My eldest daughter was at the breakthrough in fact as she was the PA to the English team that made the final connection ~ So I have loads of photos etc (somewhere)
BTW at least two of the boring machines came out alive .... One is on show on this side of the channel and the other is on a roundabout just outside of Calais.

That is a relief... how many TBMs were there...?