And even so, it can be a pretty minimal extra cost to use HS services - taking a CDR from somewhere in North London to Canterbury, I think the difference between HS and non-HS fares can be as little as £2.
If I wanted to go from Hatfield to Gillingham, would an any permitted ticket allow me to use HS1?
I thought it was free from most north of London stations due to it now been the Shortest route. I have used any permitted tickets on it and not been questioned many times now. (with no cheaper fare for Not HS1 offered)
Hi everyone, I have just been told on another thread that 395s on HS1 don't run at 140mph!!
Is this true?
But they do have somewhat different purposes and the 395s certainly fit there use very well.
Imagine if they'd simply spread the premium out so it applied to all tickets, and you simply chose the route you wanted to suit your needs?
The "extra" cost really only applies beyond Ebbsfleet- on the 3rd rail network the trains that run onto HS1 can be used by all passengers.
Like I said I would happily pay the difference but unfortunately for the location I work in it wouldn't make my journey any quicker, it would only add more changes.
Is the premium covering the (loss of) passengers it would have if the supplement didn't exist?
Rumour has it that SET have ordered one (or 6 depending on where you hear it from) more Class 395s at a cost running into multiple millions.
That seems suppressing relative to how busy they seem, though i don't know how busy the ashford trains are and they obviously have the biggest gain all-round.
They certainly seem to run quite a few trains in 12 car formation during the peak times (Can they open all the doors at every station?) but they always have plenty of empty seats.
Maybe for the Olympics?
Hang about. SET have persuaded the Govt to let them get up to 6 new Javelins, but Virgin can't get their all their Pendos lengthened to avoid logistical nightmares from 2011?
Spherical objects.
I think the 395s are great, find them brilliant for getting to and from nights out in London (wish I could get them to work).
But it has to be said the difference in ride quality between 125 and 140 is very notable, they feel much more comfortable at 125, they (arguably)feel less stable than the Eurostar at 186 at 140, the Eurostar are way ahead in terms of ride quality and sound proofing. But they do have somewhat different purposes and the 395s certainly fit there use very well.
Quite a few interesting points in this thread:
Firstly, I've used the 395s quite a bit and I would say that although slower than Eurostar, they actually feel faster and are somewhat more fun to ride on. Yes, I do think the articulation on the Eurostar is where the difference comes in that respect.
Secondly, most of the HS1 services do seem to run up to at least 135mph and a large number do touch the full 140mph. But there is quite a bit of slack in the timetable because yes, it is timed for 126mph. During the second snow period this year I caught a late running up service at Ashford; roughly 20 minutes down. The driver very expertly took it to the limit ( and, I stress, not over the limit at all ) and in combination with the slickest, best-executed station stops I have ever seen at Ebbsfleet and Stratford, recovered about half the deficit by arrival at St Pancras.
Thirdly, about the passenger volumes - there is an intense burst of additional down services out of St Pancras for the evening peak, but these all depart close to 17.00. I have observed these, and travelled on them, and found them quite lightly loaded. Since most people leave work between 17.00 and 17.30 ( and then have to get to St Pancras! ) I consider that this "burst" of services should be re-timed for either 30 or 60 minutes later. I mentioned this to SET and the reply came that my comments have been passed on to the train planners.
Finally, has anyone any idea as to whether or not the remaining classic services - both peak and off peak - in and out of Victoria are rather crowded or not following the timetable change? If they are, then that would be a good indication that the balance of services is not right.