Paris 2024 Olympics SNCB EuroCity Train Brussels - Paris in First Class

[@Trainviking]

Jeeej it's online, so fast. Great to see you again.

[@doc7austin]

sure; see you next time !

[@williamcampbell7655]

As an experienced traveller an frequent viewer of travel vlogs...I congratulate you for excellent production..really really great.

[@doc7austin]

thank you for your feedback

[@JamesFerguson-ej2cc]

I would take this over Eurostar, and Mr Trainviking also present, good stuff. Thank you Doc, great video as usual.

[@doc7austin]

thanks for the input

[@trains-et-bagnoles_fr]

C' est beau quand c' est propre, pas tagué...

[@osasunaitor]

Malheureusement, ça ne passe pas souvent :(

[@vstromxt3799]

ni en retard :)

[@blackmercury956]

I really hope it becomes a pernament root. Izy (former thalys low budget train) had the right idea but it was way to ahead of its time since thalys back then offered cheap last minute tickets. If izy came out now it would be a massive hit. Now NMBS/SNCB just have to make 4 round trip (morning, noon, afternoon, evening) a day to Paris as an cheap alternative and watch eurostar foring to lower the price since people would rather be 3 times as long in the train for 3x less the price.

[@doc7austin]

yes, this is also my hope

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

4 times a day? I would love to see this train ever hour like the Intercity between Amsterdam and Brussels!

[@podr0znik1]

@@ElrosTar-Minyatur Well then let's make sure those trains get full, only that will trigger a more frequent service!

[@daylightdaylight6612]

I paid one way €60 in comfort class with the Eurostar from Paris to Brussels.(it was the last train that day)

[@hagmax1531]

Loco hauled intercity connections on classic lines, we need more of them again.

[@doc7austin]

yes, we need a secondary long-distance train network in france on classic lines

[@kayuchifujimoto2218]

Merci beaucoup ! Les I11, rien de mieux à la SNCB !

[@dionb5276]

even though it's just as old as the Thalys stock, these I11 have aged a lot better. I remember being amazed by it on my regular Leuven-Oostende run when it was introduced in 1995 and it still looks better - and more practical (huge luggage space over and under the seats - you can literally sleep under there) - than almost anything introduced after it.

[@jovada]

Indeed, together with the AM96 a timeless design!

[@ToMiKoN]

​@@jovada True, they are still one of my favourite trains in Belgium. They are kept in very good condition! Unfortunately accessibility is an issue on these trains. They should also put more plugs in them, especially on these kind of long distance routs. And the passenger information is still from the 90's.

[@marchulleman9276]

Was altijd al een prima snelle kortste route tussen Brussel en Parijs. Tot de TGV Nord er kwam was dit toen zeer veelgebruikte hoofdroute. Meer te zien onderweg dan die saaie TGV lijn. Laat dus maar terugkomen, zeker als het goedkoper is, de lijn ligt er al. Vroeger hoefde men niet te reserveren en pakte je gewoon een trein tegen vaste prijzen. De Douane controleerde aan boord. Die onnodige tussenstops zijn wel jammer want de reistijd kan best korter, de oude TEE's reden het in iets meer dan 2 uur dacht ik. Zelfs reed hier een trein naar Rusland, maar laten we dat maar even niet doen.

[@rudolffabrie3233]

Trein was vrijwel leeg, dit gaat niet lang duren vrees ik.

[@briangentle5515]

Als ik mij goed herinner, deed de TEE er ook wel mim of meer 3 uur over. Maar je had een restauratiewagen en kon dus erin lunchen! De koerswagens van Parijs naar Rusland gingen naar Mons/Bergen en dan Luik en Aachen, waar zij aan de wagens uit Oostende (Londen) werden gekoppeld om hun lange reis voor te zetten.

[@marchulleman9276]

Heb het nagezocht op Wikipedia, de TEE Etoile du Nord vertrok vanuit Parijs om 17.45 en kwam om 20.05 aan in Brussel Zuid. Dat is 2 uur en 20 minuten. De Thalys nu gemiddeld 1 uur en 27 minuten.

[@lws7394]

De oude Etoile du Nord deed 4h20 over Amsterdam-Parijs tegenover de snekste Thalys nu 3h20 (maar vaak ook 4 uur). Als deze Eurocity geen onnodige tussenstops maakt is ie in goed 2 uur in Parijs. Met z'n prijs is ie te concurerend voor Thalys/eurostar waar nmbs zelf aandeelhouder is ! Dat moet natuurlijk niet ! Daarom worden er overbodige vrrtragende tussenstops ingepland ...😈 Hetzelfde met A'dam centraal - Brussel. Thalys/eurostar doet dat in 1h53/2 uur ( dat was vroeger toch echt in 1h40 ?!🤔) De nmbs heeft voor de ' Intercity Direct bedongen dat ie op belgisch grondgebied als stoptrein rijdt en 5 extra stations aandoet . ( reistijd 2h47 ) Als IC direct er , zonder die extra stops,

[@marchulleman9276]

Om de Thalys en Eurostar te laten passeren en als binnenlandse pendeltrein. Er zijn onvoldoende hiaten voor aparte langzame SNCB treinen. Misschien gaat dit veranderen, vrees van niet. Belooft allemaal weinig goeds als alternatief voor vliegen.

[@MartinBrenner]

Recently I discovered how to get to Lille and further to Rouen and Le Havre from Aachen through Belgium avoiding going through Paris. Excellent when you can buy tickets shortly before the journey. Great that there is an alternative to Thalys/Eurostar for traveling to Paris. 7:02 is too early if I have to get to Brussels first, but the second train after noon looks great. KZbin's algorithm worked this time, thanks for the video!

[@doc7austin]

yes; it is good to know that one can avoid inoui/eurostar when travelling between belgium and france

[@Ksandur]

Interrail and eurail passes not being valid defeats so much of the purpose 😭 Even Thalys connections are covered by these passes if I'm not mistaken, you only pay for your seat reservation. Missed opportunity, hope they backtrack it soon enough.

[@doc7austin]

for thalys/eurostar you have to pay a heavy surcharge (which includes a seat reservation) with a railpass; but it is quota controlled; for this eurocity, i think SNCB alone is carrying all commercial risks

[@alanyearsley9731]

​@@doc7austinYes, and I suppose SNCB might think that if they did allow Interrail and Eurail passes on it, it would become too popular and mean no room for ordinary fare-paying passengers.

[@Locomotiviert]

You can use other trains. IC, L and P in Belgium and TER in France. With some changes in other citys it's possible

[@pleaseinsertacoin]

@@alanyearsley9731 they could still allow interrail access with a lower reservation fee than the eurostar/thalys services charge, considering they already mandate reservations for this service. The infrastructure, booking systems, etc seem to be there.

[@aure44]

​@@Locomotiviert but way longer (at least for Paris to Amsterdam, it was like 7 or 8 hours instead of 4)

[@Alessandrol1989]

Thanks for this video. I think that someone posted about your comment at around 7:47 no there was not decades since a train to Paris reached Mons. In the past there was a Thalys (often called Wallys if I'm not wrong) that was desserving Liège Guillemin - Namur - Charleroi Sud - Mons - Paris Nord. It was circulating oncein the morning -> Paris and once in the evening -> Liège. It was stopped at the same time as another Thalys between Oostende and Paris was stopped despite being full everyday. Some years ago in order to restore an easiest access to Paris from Charleroi, Namur and Mons to Paris they set 2 IC trains between Namur -> Charleroi Sud -> Maubeuge (FR) and Mons -> Aulnoye-Aymeries (FR) where you could continue your journey to Paris using french TER (15 minutes to change train). This was also stopped at Mons and Namur and now the S train the Erquelinnes is extended to Maubeuge. The journey from Charleroi to Paris was 15 minutes longer than reaching Brussel and taking Eurostar. The ticket was also cheaper 42€ second class ticket and several euro more

[@doc7austin]

uh, thanks for this information on past train mons-paris

[@jensch91]

I was the train manager of this train. Cool video! But it is so strange to hear my voice in your video (train announcements )

[@doc7austin]

at brussels midi -> the party; the DJ was playing copyrighted music, so I had to add an audio overlay; the announcements in the train were perfect for that; the two SNCF conductors called you jens

[@jensch91]

@@doc7austin very funny that you recorded that, I thought at first that you saw my name plate on my uniform ;)

[@jeanjacques9980]

Great English I must say.

[@chriswade7470]

Good that SNCB have started this service, sad there is no catering on this train. In the 1990’s Eurocity trains had at least a buffet car.

[@drdewott9154]

Yeah, but catering on trains are sadly becoming a rarity. DSB's trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg dont have catering onboard either apart from a single person walking through with a tray of (a few) snacks and a hot water backpack for cheap instant coffee. Their new trains (including for a planned route to Amsterdam) will feature vending machines and a coffee maker onboard but I doubt people would call that good enough.

[@doc7austin]

@drdewott9154 i doubt that these talgo will ever get delivered to db and dsb

[@drdewott9154]

@@doc7austin Quite a bold statement, I hope that wont end up being the case. So far though things are progressing better than last time DSB ordered a new train type.

[@forestationed]

You got the station names mixed up. Bruxelles Midi (French) = Brussel Zuid (Dutch) = Brussels South (English) Brussels North is a whole different station.

[@alanyearsley9731]

Correct, although I think a lot of Brits tend to refer to it as Brussels Midi rather than Brussels South.

[@doc7austin]

i had it all mixed up.

[@konichiwamina1412]

​@@alanyearsley9731many have used to it so it's alright. Even DB calls it Midi lol

[@michelsmet2611]

FBMZ is the telegraphic code, still in use in 2024 !

[@yvesd_fr1810]

Cela me rappelle mes jeunes années pro où habitant la proche banlieue parisienne, je travaillais à Anderlecht, une commune collée à Bruxelles. En 1 an, j'ai fait presque deux fois le tour de la terre dans le TEE, train express qui mettait presque 2H45 pour faire Paris Nord Bruxelles et vice versa. Très confortable, V limite 160 kmh... Tracation par les fameuses CC 40100 ou par leurs soeurs série 18 SNCB... C'étati le même itinéraire que celui montré sur la vidéo (Bruxelles, Mons, Quévy Frontière, Haumont, Aulnoye, Le Cateau Cambresis, St Quentin, Compiègne, Creil, PN.

[@rv2lyon8]

First class ticket without service congrats SNCB. Not a lot of differences with the service provided when you are on strike 😂

[@doc7austin]

sncb workers also striking as often as sncf staff ?

[@paultijink9966]

Fijn, gelukkig ook in het Nederlands!

[@jamesrobinson9194]

Fantastic carriages. My train of choice whenever I went to Gent to see my then partner (living in Bruxelles, c'était vraiment facile!)

[@mootjedaoudi6495]

Eurocity is veel beter als je geen haast hebt en geniet van de omgeving EC vanaf Amsterdam zou ook heel rendabel zijn aangezien de kaartjes goedkoper zijn

[@HuppeldePupNL]

Bring back this train permanently!

[@doc7austin]

that would be nice indeed

[@UHarshanBlackBoy1995]

Nice video!

[@leebourscheid3961]

I think the lack of passengers is due to a lack of communication, most people are unaware of the existence of this classic train between Brussels and Parls. I hope they will promote it properly and maybe this train will continue after the Olympics.

[@podr0znik1]

Exactly - I generally consider myself fairly well informed about railway news, but didn't know about this new connection. So I think the number of passengers has a large potential to grow still.

[@doc7austin]

hahaha; thats why i have produced this video )

[@ralphzechendorf1644]

Here in Belgium we've had decent communication about it. Guess in France they didn't communicate much... quite sad, as the I11 cars are really great for this kind of service (they have been designed for it after all). Comfortable, lots of luggage space, two toilets per carriage, can drive at 200km without much noise or vibration..

[@doc7austin]

@ralphzechendorf1644 however, no power sockts

[@obiwac]

@@ralphzechendorf1644 i'm belgian and also follow railway news and didn't hear about it until shortly before it went online

[@briangentle5515]

Well, well! Takes me back to the pre-LGV days, when the TEE and other trains used this route between Brussels and Paris. Would I take this over the Eurostar? Well the walk-up price seems noticeably cheaper, though you can get cheaper tickets on Eurostar if you book early enough. Then, the EC train takes over twice as long and there is absolutely no catering on board, as far as I could see. So that might be an argument against. For this route would be that it doesn't seem to be overcrowded, though that might change once people realise it exists. By the way, I wonder if the train got back ok? There was a major electrical problem on the Belgian network on the afternoon of 24 June, which seems to have paralysed much of Wallonia!

[@doc7austin]

also no electric outlets and no wifi; we were luckily not affected by the infrabel software glitch

[@atyourservice]

@@doc7austin just a quick addition : there are some outlets... one per wagon/car next to the door... :)

[@Crepello100]

It's not exactly slow according to your figures, averaging 66mph so I'd guess it runs at 100mph (160kph) for most of the way, just like they used to do on this route. That's good enough for me, plus it's loco-hauled - a propper train! I would choose this over the TGV just for the fun of it.

[@doc7austin]

i think the train could save another 10 minutes; we were quite slow between brussels and mons

[@Crepello100]

@@doc7austin I've found some old (pre-TGV/LGV) timetables. Trains took roughly 2h30 in those days. Fastest I found was 2h27. It's 305km so that's 124km/77mph average.

[@doc7austin]

@Crepello100 Did the trains stop somewhere along the route ?

[@Crepello100]

@@doc7austin Basically non-stop times were 2h27-2h30. 1 stop (either Mons or St.Quentin): 2h35. 3 stops (Mons, Aulnoye, St.Quentin) 2h49-2h57. This from 1991, so no TEE unfortunately.

[@liamtahaney713]

Hmm arent eurocity trains supposed to have a dining car :P

[@doc7austin]

that rule has been long time ago

[@np3551]

I hope this ec train will run soon more often and let it start in Maastricht, Liege, Brussel south, Paris north. Then people from the Netherlands the south part and Germany has a other option to travel between that city's and a more open excess train for people that like to travel spontan and not that expensive.

[@doc7austin]

maastricht - only if the dutch government starts to partially subsidize this train

[@saptarshiray9027]

All the best of luck for Olympics in Paris🇫🇷

[@doc7austin]

hopefully, everything wents smooth there.

[@shiraharataurus1414]

I really love this guy. Nevertheless I'm afraid of this train being cancelled after the Olympics... :/

[@doc7austin]

yeah, we know already that this train is only going to operate during the paris 2024 olympics

[@rkynj756]

@@doc7austin They say it will be a permanent train later this year. Let's see if that happens....

[@rkynj756]

Hi, what do you mean with the following sentence: "Reservation is mandatory, but it is not printed on the ticket - First Come, First Serve" ? As I understood, you have to make a reservation and you will have a guaranteed seat, just like with the Eurostar trains?

[@s125ish]

Counted place reservation

[@barvdw]

They won't sell more tickets than there are available seats, but if the train is full and you get up last, you might have a bit of a search for that last elusive empty seat ;)

[@pepobikest]

I definitely prefer SNCB Eurocity over Eurostar!

[@doc7austin]

i hope sncb/sncf will start a regular eurocity service this december from brussels to paris

[@ikkeinzakkemakka5656]

These class is the more cosy comfy. BN bombardier made in Bruges. The new double decks are full of fault m7/8

[@doc7austin]

i think all toilets in the new double deck cars are broken by default.

[@jimholder6656]

My vote: SNCB Eurocity.

[@paulthiel5145]

If only I had an euro fof every time the words "Paris Nord" were announced 😂

[@doc7austin]

i think the conductor was a flamish native speaker

[@paulthiel5145]

@@doc7austin He most definitely was 😁

[@doc7austin]

@paulthiel5145 Jens was his first name.

[@blackyellowred2000]

@@doc7austin : Yes indeed and I've recognised this immediately being a Belgian citizen

[@walterverbeeck6929]

@@doc7austin It is a Flemish speaker(with an E)😉 Walloons ain't great with other languages. The Dutch speaking Flemish, can speak quite well French, English and German.

[@LiamWalsheliamskitchen]

This is good to have. Hopefully it won't have tight quotas for Eurail passes and can be used as an alternative when Eurostar has nothing available.

[@doc7austin]

at the moment the eurail/interrail quota is zero on this eurocity train.

[@Filufilu]

For personal journey, I'd probably ride this, at least for the novelty. If company's paying - Eurostar 😀

[@doc7austin]

it is good to travel on classic railway lines; 3 hours is not too bad for brussels-paris

[@holidayaviation7078]

I think the seats could be more spacious and I would like to see more details on this train model

[@jackscharlez5555]

Aulnoye mais bravo pour l'idée de reportage les petits fours étaient ils bons !????bien à vous JS

[@akmaldarari8264]

If in the future this Eurocity is operated outside Paris Olympic season and valid for Interrail/Eurail pass holder, i will take this because i expect the reservation fee is more cheaper than Eurostar

[@josemanuelgorrono3827]

Hello! It is necessary to have the ticket printed or the digital one is enough???

[@doc7austin]

digital one is ok; though, nobody has checked my ticket on that ride

[@ombagi1386]

1:05 Bruxelles-Midi is Brussel-Zuid, not Brussel-Noord.😢

[@doc7austin]

ahaha; i mixed it up; sorry

[@vinniewinnie7]

There used to be a hsr train between Paris and Brussels called ezy trains where tickets cost between 15 and 40 euros in 2 hours and a half! This is a step back not a step forward!

[@doc7austin]

ezy trains - which years did they run ?

[@vinniewinnie7]

@@doc7austin it ran before Covid and was called izy train not easy. Here is a trip I made in 2020: VOYAGE LE 12-03-2020 BRUXELLES MIDI > PARIS NORD Numéro de train: 9606 Heure de départ: 15:28 Heure d'arrivée: 17:57 PRIX 1 X STANDARD .... 19 € CN: 16 - SN: 24 VOYAGE LE 14-03-2020 PARIS NORD > BRUXELLES MIDI Numéro de train: 9603 Heure de départ: 11:31 Heure d'arrivée: 13:43 PRIX 1 X STANDARD .... 39 € So basically yeah this new service is overpriced and slower…

[@fussyboy2000]

To be really useful for me it needs a stop at Aulnoye and to accept Interrail. Is it just for the duration of the Olympics or will it become a permanent fixture?

[@doc7austin]

this train is stopping in aulnoye both ways;

[@fussyboy2000]

@@doc7austin Is this for passengers? I got the impression from the video that it was a crew change only.

[@doc7austin]

the sncb crew stayed onboard in aulnoye; as the train stopped there, why shouldnt passengers be allowed to get on or off there ?

[@fussyboy2000]

@@doc7austin Aulnoye is not advertised as passenger stop on SNCB International, OeBB Scotty or the Interrail journey planner. Consequentally you can't book a ticket on that train to there.

[@rudolffabrie3233]

With Interrail valid it will become even more loss making..

[@janwieles5029]

If it could match the old TEE times, somewhere around 2:20/2:30 it would be much more competitive with Euro☆

[@doc7austin]

i think 3 hours is ok; until 2008 the deutsche bahn night train took less than 3 hours between brussels south and paris nord

[@ElrosTar-Minyatur]

Were did the TEE stop between Paris and Brussels?

[@janwieles5029]

@@ElrosTar-Minyatur i thought nowhere. Somerimes a technicus stop in Aulnoye for a crewe change

[@TRANSPORTEXCELLENCE2011]

7:46 The last train from Mons to Paris was in 2015😊

[@doc7austin]

was it that thalys train via namur ?

[@TRANSPORTEXCELLENCE2011]

@@doc7austinExactly

[@younessbensses5203]

Les prèmices d'un train de nuit ? Pas jusqu'à Paris, jusqu'au sud de la France oui.

[@doc7austin]

uh, thanks for this detailed summary. I remember travelling on the DB night train Paris - Berlin, which connected Paris and Brussels via Quevy

[@petrsovicka]

No catering on board? Then it can't be sold as a EuroCity product unless it is a scam on customers. Thank you for the report. Please also include refteshments options and toilets next time.

[@doc7austin]

the catering onboard the competing eurostar is also nothing worth to write about

[@rudolffabrie3233]

Train looks mostly empty. Waste of money?

[@domipa3972]

Bravo pour ce train. Le TGV c'est très bien mais c'est très cher et chacun d'entre nous n'a pas forcément besoin d'aller toujours vite (trop). Autre question: alors que l'Union européenne interdit à tous les pays européens d'utiliser du désherbant chimique pour nettoyer voies et gares, comment font les différentes compagnies, belges, allemandes, suisses, etc, pour garder les installations propres alors que les voies et gares de la SNCF sont généralement envahies par les herbes folles ???

[@doc7austin]

yes, i like that corona train a lot.

[@barvdw]

They are still experimenting with different methods, from boiling water, burning, to less damaging pesticides. At least Infrabel had a special derogation to still use glyphosate, I believe until this year.

[@samtrak1204]

Is the equipment new or refurbsihed cast-off?

[@doc7austin]

not sure about the history of the I11 rolling stock

[@barvdw]

These date from the mid-90s and had some light refurbishment (renewal of the carpet in 1st, linoleum in 2nd, upholstery of the seats, etc), but no major improvements like extra power sockets or stuff. To be honest, still some of the best SNCB rolling stock out there, IMO.

[@gamerworldtvdutch]

@@barvdw Some have newer information screens inside.Or it was a prototype.

[@marinhopaais426]

More competition is needed. This will prove that the Eurostar is overpriced. A second high speed operator not operated by a French or Belgium company. But for example by a Korean or Chinese company will destroy the monopoly by French led Eurostar.

[@doc7austin]

though, sncb is a minority shareholder of eurostar, i think sncb has enough with eurostar operations (high fares, limited capacity, no service into wallonia)

[@sandyneedham6499]

Is this actually available now? I looked up Omio and Trainline in August and neither seemed to show this train!

[@MartinBrenner]

SNCB International website gives you the connections, but you have to disable high speed connections to better see the trains.

[@doc7austin]

yes, and who is proactively deactivating that option - almost no one

[@buzzukfiftythree]

It’s hard to see how this is an effective competitor to Eurostar (Thales). I doubt it will be in existence for very long.

[@doc7austin]

though, i would hope that sncb eurocity gives eurostar a run for their money

[@charlieinla]

The announcer speaks like a priest in a church...loi....annoying 😅

[@physh]

So is it just for the Olympics or is it going to be a permanent thing?

[@blackmercury956]

For now it's just the Olympics but if it becomes a massive hit then it would be abnormal to not continue the route unless eurostar will bribe them to not release the route pernamently. The issue is the rollingstock. Sncb has to invest in fixed rollingstock for the particular route

[@doc7austin]

maybe in december this route could become permanent; no one knows yet; fingers crossed !

[@barvdw]

For now: just Olympics and Paralympics, but they have asked for slots from December, so they can bring it back in December permanently if they prove to be a success. So all those who like this train to exist, I can only recommend buying a ticket and using it.

[@peter59fg]

Les meilleurs TEE mettaient BXL à 2h20' de Paris....

[@doc7austin]

2 hours and 20 min; did they travel via quevy ?

[@Thomas-gs8ug]

Quévy lies in Belgium :)

[@doc7austin]

did i say otherwise ?

[@Thomas-gs8ug]

@@doc7austin yep, on your map it is written Quévy (fr)

[@doc7austin]

@Thomas-gs8ug (fr) stands for frontiere

[@directorient]

€ 69 you payed for a first class ticket. What would be the price in second class?

[@Magic_beans_]

Typically €49. If you book your seat early and are fairly confident you won’t have to reschedule, you may be able to find a seat as low as €34.

[@doc7austin]

@Magic_beans_ i have never seen any first class quota of EUR 49 for the inauguration day.

[@directorient]

I searched in SNCB webpage and chose, as example, the date 6/8. From Bruxelles to Paris EC is cheaper than many Eurostar connections only for about € 20 and, in the early morning, even for only € 10 in second class and € 7 in first class.

[@doc7austin]

@directorient so cheap - the EC train ?

[@directorient]

For example: 6/8 - 6.33 Eurostar 2. class € 59 1. class € 76 - 7.02 - EC 2. class € 49 1. class € 69 / 13.21 Eurostar 2. class € 70 1. class € 99 - EC 13.38 2. class € 34 1. class € 69. In the early morning the difference is not so big....

[@rkynj756]

The difference between first class and second class is so minimal... definitely not worth the higher price.

[@michelsmet2611]

Actuellement, il y aurait des négociations entre SNCF et SNCB pour maintenir une relation IC Bruxelles - Paris en permanence. Mais j'ai des doutes ... On sait que la SNCF a conduit en permanence une politique de report du trafic des trains classiques sur les - très coûteux. - TGV.On voit mal la SNCF changer de politique !

[@doc7austin]

a lot of SNCF personal were keen to see that new eurocity train at paris nord last wednesday.

[@barvdw]

en même temps, filiale Ouigo a expérimenté avec des trains classiques (sur Paris-Strasbourg, par exemple), donc si on pourrait incorporer ces trains de Bruxelles...

[@jovada]

Eurostar is way too expensive. Yet also for this EC, you have the added complexity of getting to Brussels South station first... This can make it a very cumbersome journey. We need more direct trains from Ghent or Antwerp for instance. What I do is drive to Lille and take a cheap and huge (often coupled) TGV Duplex in Lille Flandres. Eurostar lacks capacity. What we need is a longer trajectory, not just from Brussels, and more capacity to lower prices. The EC is nice, but not the final answer.

[@newaegidius]

Nice video! Any catering on board?

[@filipetpilif]

Je vois pas tant d’engouement sur des voitures classiques et loco classiques donc je vois pas en quoi c’est un évènement spécial juste pour un train qui roule ici et que voilà je vois pas trop l’intérêt de faire une fête exprès alors que les TGV ils le font déjà

[@doc7austin]

the problem is that eurostar has the monopoly on the brussels-paris route; it is good to have a second operator on that route.

[@filipetpilif]

@@doc7austinoui mais un tel événement vaut pas le coup si par la suite il veulent le faire de manière régulière et déjà les HLE18 et I11 c’est train qu’on a l’habitude de voir donc au final c’est un Ostende Eupen à la limite

[@mikeschumacher]

Not a bad service. Rather a shame that EURail/Interrail tickets aren't allowed; maybe they'll change their mind if it becomes a permanent service. Was there a food or drinks cart on board?

[@barvdw]

I hope so, too, and unfortunately, SNCB doesn't do catering anymore. I think at least a trolley should be a good idea...

[@mikeschumacher]

​@@barvdw You reminded me of a good point... the longest train SNCB runs is three hours, and like the Dutch their system is set up to be more like commuter/regional rail. Brining back catering for one train isn't cost-effective. Maybe they could look to the Südostbahn trains in Switzerland and add vending machines. Not the best but at least it's something....

[@doc7austin]

@mikeschumacher they could adapt the eurostar catering concept.

[@mikeschumacher]

@@doc7austin Looks like Eurostar is going to a vending machine model for continental trains, which would be equivalent to the Südostbahn trains in Switzerland. I thought EuroCity-branded trains have to run with a dining car though; at least that was my impression. I guess if SNCB ran Brussels-Paris regularly they could rebrand it as InterCity like Brussels-Amsterdam and just not offer catering.

[@yagi3925]

Ce train, c'est largement du bidon. 1°) Si je comprends bien, il cessera de circuler à la fin des jeux olympiques. 2°) Il n'y en que deux par jour, donc on est très loin d'une réelle concurrence avec l'Eurostar/Thalys. 3°) Il ne s'arrete nulle part entre Mons et Paris, si bien que tout le Nord de la France reste coupé de Bxl. 4°) Il n'offre aucune intégration tarifaire avec le reste du réseau belge ni français. En d'autres termes, si quelqu'un veut faire Orléans-Louvain, il devra acheter 3 billets. Bonjour le surcoût! En résumé, la SNCF et la SNCB s'auto-congratulent, alors qu'on est très, très loin d'une situation de réelle concurrence, comme elle existe entre l'Eurostar et l'IC Benelux entre Bxl et A'dam. En supposant même que ce train continue à exister après les JO, ce "service" en train classique Paris-Bxl n'a rien à voir avec ce qu'il était avant l'introduction du TGV/Thalys/Eurostar. Avant cette date, il y a avait 1°) 8 ou 9 trains par jour, 2°) une desserte de plusieurs villes françaises entre Paris et la frontière, qui étaient ainsi reliées à Bxl, 3°) une intégration tarifaire, 4°) pas d'obligation de réserver, sauf sur les TEE, 5°) par conséquent, liberté d'utiliser (quasi) n'importe quel train avec son billet, donc liberté horaire totale. Telle est encore la situation sur l'IC Benelux entre A'dam et Bxl. Pourquoi est-ce "impossible" sur Bxl-Paris?? Halte au holdup!

[@barvdw]

Bon, c'est un expériment, si vous voulez que la SNCB continue à l'exploiter (ils le font sur propre risque commerciale), achetez un ticket et utilisez le train, par-ce que c'est clairement un service qui est ne restera pas si les voyageurs ne suivent pas. Je suis d'accord que rajouter un ou 2 arrêts supplémentaires dans les Hauts-de-France serait une bonne chose, et si les voyageurs suivent, on peut même imaginer des parcours supplémentaires, mais maintenant, rien n'est encore garantie.

[@doriankakwata3217]

ITS MY COUNTRY

[@viewwwwer]

If you believe that 100 minutes of your time are worth less than 56 euros then this is a train for you!

[@doc7austin]

empty train is mostly better than a full and narrow eurostar train

[@barvdw]

it's often a lot more than just 56 euro... And sure, Eurostar is faster, but not everybody is in a rush, I have no issue travelling to the south of France on some Corails via Limoges to Toulouse, for instance, instead of the faster TGV via Bordeaux.