SE1 international to close

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/6969116.stm

well, we knew it was going to happen, but with the first trial service into St Pancras, a nail in the coffin for SE1.

Sad...one of our "selling points" Albeit that we are on a direct tube to St Pancras...

It's a real shame, isn't it. I know that most of the country is north of London, but this means that a lot of people in the south will now have to cross London to get to St P to get the Eurostar.

It probably sounds like a moan from someone who lives near Waterloo and is miffed at losing the Eurostar, but if the journey to St P adds an extra 30 or 40 minutes (which it could easily do if you're travelling with luggage and having to change from train to tube), and you're coming from the South (i.e. you're probably near to Gatwick or/and Heathrow) then the extra speed of the new High Speed rail line is lost, and it's just another reason to encourage people to take the plane for short European trips.

But if you live in Islington or East Yorkshire, its great! Its just one of those things - one man's convenience is another's inconvenience.

I was annoyed by the move to St Pancras too but then remembered it only takes 10mins on the tube from London Bridge, so its not that bad.

...and Waterloo will get better services to such delights as Southampton and Guildford, and possibly a direct service to Heathrow airport with the new space that is created.

St Pancras station is pretty awesome I have to say.

A direct service to Heathrow from Waterloo would be fantastic!

Oh YES please! Direct to Heathrow...

The proposal is called Airtrack - http://www.airtrack.org - but it's far from a done deal.

See also http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/60

it once took me longer to get from Waterloo to Borough than it did from Paris to Waterloo (loads of luggage, rain - no taxis, tube broken down, no buses.......

Ivanhoe wrote:

It's a real shame, isn't it. I know that most of the country is north of London, but this means that a lot of people in the south will now have to cross London to get to St P to get the Eurostar.
It probably sounds like a moan from someone who lives near Waterloo and is miffed at losing the Eurostar, but if the journey to St P adds an extra 30 or 40 minutes (which it could easily do if you're travelling with luggage and having to change from train to tube

Remember that Thameslink trains will stop at St Pancras from November (the current Kings's Cross Thameslink station is to be shut) which is about 15 minutes from London Bridge at a guess. Combined with the faster Eurostar journeys from St Pancras as compared to Waterloo I think it will be quicker, or at least the same, to get to Europe from SE1 via St Pancras as it was from Waterloo.