It's already been ruled out, Eurostar apparently doesn't want to license. Also, the route is mostly tunnels ( around 30 minutes under the English Channel alone) which would be off-putting.
yes, but! it is still several years ahead, but Virgin Trains gained license for the tunnel service... so who knows, maybe if TSW is still alive and kicking a few years into the future, we might finally get the channel route
20min underneath the sea in a tunnel.... I love that #NOT And then asking 40 pounds.... Easy money for DTG hehehe And don't forget with the best light baking that we have seen on Mannheim Kaiserslautern.... So no better no Eurostar is my advise!
Licensing aside it would be an incredibly boring experience. Whether it’s LGV, SEHS or SKW high speed in a train sim is just not that exciting. If DTG were to open up more of France I would prefer to see a Classic era non TGV/Eurostar route.
Describe exactly how amazing it would be to be in a tunnel non-stop for about half an hour. (Clue: it wouldn't be.)
Another reason it won't happen: Most of the English side of HS1 already exists. They won't extend the current one through to France nor recreate it.
The problem is also the significant language barrier. The French speak very poor English, and DTG doesn't have any French staff, which basically makes it impossible from the start. France is actually one of the worst English-speaking countries in Western Europe.
As a French person, it's true that we're not very good at English (English classes at school are extremely poorly designed) BUT I don't think the language barrier is a problem if we had LGV on TSW it's because DTG and SNCF managed to communicate. Companies that deal with international matters need to speak English and French companies are no exception.
Fair enough, but one thing people keep forgetting (And is quite annoying), is that it is only a small section of the whole route in whole. On one side, you have HS1 from Folkestone right through to London, with additional traffic on the route from the Javelins and surrounding segments of other lines. On the other side, you have a 1 1/2 hour journey right through the scenic french countryside, incorporating major locations such as Lille and the approach (including the triangle junction to the south), right through to the northern suburbs of Paris. I implore you take these into account, and not a 20 min segment, which I personally find a little interesting, given the routing and crossovers.
I can only judge by the parts of France I've been to on holiday, but that's not been my experience. Normandy in particular has a lot of English speakers, I've found. One thing I remember from Paris, though, was the waiter in one restaurant treating better those tourists who tried to speak French, compared to those who didn't even attempt a s'il vous plaît or merci.
Jokes aside, it's true, in France we're struggling when it comes to the English language. In fact, the practice of English became widespread with my generation, those born in the 80s, and the rise of the mainstream internet in the 2000s. We are far from Northern Europe in this respect. Yes, but it's understandable to some extent (of course I'm not talking about being disrespectful, but just being a little more welcoming to someone who takes a step towards you). Anyway, back to topic, half an hour in a tunnel is not that pleasant, what would be nice would be to continue further into France (coming all the way from St-Pancras).
So people visit a country where French is the native language and they can't understand why no one speaks English? I would like to see a Eurostar route in France. Not in the UK though as it's short and relatively boring. Maybe the final stretch into Paris.
how about the route between Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi. Only takes an hour and a bit. You have end to end services, plus some going on further. Lille could be included, to allow a mixture between the Red and Blue services.
This would be one of the most boring routes in the game if it ever was made. 30-40 minutes travelling in the channel tunnel whilst trying not to fall asleep. No thanks.
it’s about 20 mins iirc. Again, people keep pointing out this one segment of the route and forgetting the rest.
Because its the longest at around 31 miles. One of the first things that would come up in a discussion around Eurostar is the Channel Tunnel. 20 minutes isn't long but it is when you're going through a tunnel of that length no matter what speed you're travelling at.
Done the Eurostar twice in my lifetime and it’s definitely more than 20 minutes in the channel tunnel. Unless my driver was going easy on the acceleration.
Was joking mate. I agree with what you say. Every time I've been to France, if I try talking the little french I know, the french will try talking the little English they know.
why should france speak English (excluding the touristic places)? France would expect people from foreigners to speak french.
