European Railroad Discussion > Eurostar to Amsterdam

The downside to Eurostar is the waiting area at St Pancras, bright and clean but far to small and no natural light.
The food whilst good has got smaller, probably one chicken would have fed the whole coach, it probably cost more to put the 2 x 10mm pieces of asparagus on the plate than the asparagus itself.

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Eurostar set at Amsterdam
NS [Nederlandse Spoorwegen] has a minor livery update, reducing the amount of blue and a bigger logo. Seen on 2 VIRM units.
1700 class loco bringing the Berlin service into the station from the carriage sidings.

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Intercity service heading South with a class 186 Traxx loco.
Amsterdam Centraal and the GVB ferry terminal.
Amsterdam Eurostar waiting area, nice and pleasant with windows to look out on to the Eastern station throat.

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Sadly the waiting area at St Pancras International was not designed for the more intensive post-Brexit passport checks which take place today. Another of the Brexit 'dividends' we're so grateful for 😡



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/22 06:08 by 86235.

What more intensive checks, other than adding a stamp to my passport they are exactly the same process.

3rdboxcar Wrote:
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> What more intensive checks, other than adding a
> stamp to my passport they are exactly the same
> process.

They also have to check your Visa to make sure you haven't reached your 90 in 180 day limit in the Schengen area. Coming will be the biometric checks for later this year.

3rdboxcar Wrote:
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> What more intensive checks, other than adding a
> stamp to my passport they are exactly the same
> process.

Before Brexit passport checks at St Pancras International for British passport holders were pretty cursory, now they're not. There are limits to the amount of time UK citizens are allowed to stay in the EU. Validity of passports have changed, the EU will not recognise a passport which is over 10 years old. And passports must have at least three months validity left on the date you plan to leave the EU. None of this was relevant when we were in the EU, it all needs to be checked now. That means extra time.

Well you must be lucky, I have never had a cursory look, in 2019 I was begining to think they were not going to let me through, not far short of the Spanish inquisition and every page on passport thumbed through, even wife was getting jittery as she went through before me and wondered what was going on.
This time passport scanned and on my way.
Must agree it must take all of  0.5 of a second for the computer to check passport age, validity left and amount of time spent in EU.

3rdboxcar Wrote:
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> Well you must be lucky, I have never had a cursory
> look, in 2019 I was begining to think they were
> not going to let me through, not far short of the
> Spanish inquisition 

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Dave

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"Our chief weapon is surprise, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope."

DavidP Wrote:
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> 3rdboxcar Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Well you must be lucky, I have never had a
> cursory
> > look, in 2019 I was begining to think they were
> > not going to let me through, not far short of
> the
> > Spanish inquisition 
>
> NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
>
> Dave

Since I retired from working in West Africa We have been using our second residence in France quite freely and enjoyably.  Now the 90/180 rule has become a headache.  The first ferry crossing to Caen found us last car off and then a 2 hour wait through formalities.  We left the terminal at 11 pm.  More recently, leaving Caen the new passport check procedure after the Le Mans Classic weekend (full ferry) was manned by only two out of four booths available.  The ferry left 40 minutes late.  We are considering moving back to using Eurostar and then TGV service onward.

I should also re-introduce myself, at one time Focalplane but now Paul_Ashton.  Good to see a few familiar names!

Paul

Paul_Ashton Wrote:
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> I should also re-introduce myself, at one time
> Focalplane but now Paul_Ashton.  Good to see a
> few familiar names!
>
> Paul

Nice to see you again Paul, how are you?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/22 10:00 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
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> Paul_Ashton Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I should also re-introduce myself, at one time
> > Focalplane but now Paul_Ashton.  Good to see a
> > few familiar names!
> >
> > Paul
>
> Nice to see you again Paul, how are you?

Hi Nick (is that correct?)

We are doing well but have moved to Winchester area, ironically to be closer to the ferry terminal at Portsmouth. Then along came COVID.

In France we bought a “Railway Room with house attached” and I am into Gauge O with a model of Birmingham Moor Street. But I am also thinking of a switching plank in HO scale in England, based on the SP line out of Houston toward Hempstead.

Sorry to get off topic!

Paul

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