The Man in Seat 61: Will Eurostar will ever have competition?
Mark Smith – The Man in Seat 61 – thinks it’s possible that Eurostar will have competition, but it will take time. I spoke to the train travel expert in Episode 233 of The Ski Podcast. After news of bids to compete on the cross-channel line from Virgin Trains, Gemini and Evolyn, I wondered what...
Case Study: UK to St Gervais Le Fayet by train and bus
In August 2025, Iain travelled from the UK to Saint Gervais Le Fayet in France. Iain was in the region to take part in the OCC Ultra Marathon in Chamonix, but preferred to stay in the much better value Le Fayet. London St Pancras-Gare du Nord I started my journey in Brighton, arriving at Eurostar...
The Night Train to the French Alps is back!
Next winter a new night snow train will be running from Paris to Bourg Saint Maurice in France. French tour operator Travelski have announced that the new train service will operate from 19 December 2025 through to 20 March 2026. The train will leave Paris Gare d’Austerlitz on Friday evenings and depart from Bourg Saint...
How to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon in Paris (and back)
I’ve often heard people say that they would travel by train on their ski holiday if it wasn’t so difficult to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon in Paris. [Sigh] It’s really not that difficult! It’s two stops on the RER on a service that usually takes about 20 minutes from platform...
Case Study: Les Arcs to London by train
In August 2025, Iain travelled by train from Les Arcs to London in the UK. Arc 1800-Arc 1600, 09:15 The different ‘stations’ of Les Arcs are connected by an efficient bus service, that runs on a reliable timetable. I took the 0915 navette from Arc 1800, which is scheduled to link perfectly with the funicular...
The Eurostar Snow Train 2025/26 – Everything you need to know
In June 2025, Eurostar confirmed that they would be running the ‘Eurostar Snow Train’ again for the forthcoming 2025/26 winter season. This is great news, plus there are some key changes to this year’s service that will make the journey more attractive for many travellers. What dates will the Eurostar Snow Train operate? The Eurostar...
The Future of French Rail: Inside the New TGV INOUI 2025 Trains
At a recent meeting organised by A Tout France, I had the opportunity to find out more about the revolutionary new generation of TGV trains – a €3.5 billion investment by SNCF. The new ‘TGV INOUI 2025’ trains by SNCF have been designed around three priorities: comfort, sustainability, and inclusivity. In their words, “This isn’t...
More direct TGVs from Paris to Tarentaise
SNCF Voyageurs is strengthening its TGV INOUI service to the Tarentaise Valley by adding 5,000 seats this summer. The TGV service is being launched as a test to meet the growing demand for mountain travel in the summer. From 12 July to 10 August 2025, there will be an extra rotation connecting Paris to Bourg-Saint-Maurice...
Gemini Trains Team up with Uber on high-speed trains from UK to Europe
A new railway start-up has confirmed that it intends to go into competition with Eurostar and run high speed trains from London to Paris and beyond. Chaired by the public transport veteran Lord Berkeley, Gemini Trains has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road for a train operator’s licence and to be...
Most Europeans want governments to ban short-haul flights…if high speed rail is an alternative
A majority of Europeans want governments to ban short-haul flights where high-speed rail is an alternative. Support for short-haul flight bans…if high speed is an alternative The survey by SavantaComres found that 67% of Europeans support such bans if there is a high-speed option, with the highest level of support in France and Spain. More...
Charges for cross-channel train lines to be cut for new operators
The narratives regarding new competitors on the HS1 line from London to Europe is moving very quickly. In recent months, we have reported on the plans from new operators Virgin Trains and Gemini trains to run trains on the route in competition with Eurostar. This week it was reported that access to St Pancras for...
Case Study: UK to Selva Val Gardena by train
In March 2025, Iain travelled by train from the UK to Selva Val Gardena in the Dolomites in Italy. Brighton-London-Brussels I live in Brighton, so my journey started at 11:02 on a direct train to London St Pancras, arriving at 12:20 for a 13:01 Eurostar. It’s just my opinion, but I’m never going to turn...
