A new dawn at St Pancras is not good news if you're used to travelling to the continent from the South Bank. WaterlooInternational closed down for good last night, and is now being mothballed in readiness for its rebirth as suburban commuter overflow. It must be really galling to South Londoners who used to have "Europe's destination station" on their doorstep to find that they now have to traipse across town to start their undersea journey. Indeed, the following piece of bluster on Eurostar's website must have them seething.
Now I don't know about you, but that phrase "it couldn't be easier" sounds like a downright lie. It's not in any way easy to lug your suitcases down into the tube at Waterloo, nor to squeeze with them into a tiny Bakerloo line carriage. The cross-platform change at Oxford Circus may be a doddle, but escaping up more escalators at the Kings Cross end is hardly a piece of cake. And this particular tube journey takes 16 minutes, according to TfL's journey planner, even for luggage-free travellers. Given that relocating to St Pancras has only shaved 15 minutes off Eurostar travel times, sorry South Londoners, you're the losers here.
Half an hour. That's how long the Journey Planner suggests that this particular bus ride takes. Over Waterloo Bridge, round Aldwych, across various Holborn crossroads, detouring into the forecourt at Euston and finally queueing to join a bus lane to St Pancras. Exactly what sort of "quick and easy" do these Eurostar marketeers think this journey is? Yes, a terminal north of the Thames will benefit far more of the UK's population than did the old, but let's not pretend that it's good news for everyone.
A new dawn at St Pancras is not good news if you're used to travelling to the continent from the South Bank. Waterloo International closed down for good last night, and is now being mothballed in readiness for its rebirth as suburban commuter overflow. It must be really galling to South Londoners who used to have "Europe's destination station" on their doorstep to find that they now have to traipse across town to start their undersea journey. Indeed, the following piece of bluster on Eurostar's website must have them seething.
"It couldn't be easier to reach St Pancras International from Waterloo International... hop on the Bakerloo line from Waterloo International to Oxford Circus, then the Victoria line straight to Kings Cross St Pancras."Now I don't know about you, but that phrase "it couldn't be easier" sounds like a downright lie. It's not in any way easy to lug your suitcases down into the tube at Waterloo, nor to squeeze with them into a tiny Bakerloo line carriage. The cross-platform change at Oxford Circus may be a doddle, but escaping up more escalators at the Kings Cross end is hardly a piece of cake. And this particular tube journey takes 16 minutes, according to TfL's journey planner, even for luggage-free travellers. Given that relocating to St Pancras has only shaved 15 minutes off Eurostar travel times, sorry South Londoners, you're the losers here."Or you could even catch the bus – the number 59 goes all the way from Waterloo International to St Pancras International. Whichever way you choose, it's quick and easy to get to St Pancras International."Half an hour. That's how long the Journey Planner suggests that this particular bus ride takes. Over Waterloo Bridge, round Aldwych, across various Holborn crossroads, detouring into the forecourt at Euston and finally queueing to join a bus lane to St Pancras. Exactly what sort of "quick and easy" do these Eurostar marketeers think this journey is? Yes, a terminal north of the Thames will benefit far more of the UK's population than did the old, but let's not pretend that it's good news for everyone.
