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.
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. RU-vid's algorithm worked this time, thanks for the video!
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
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.
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
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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 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.
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
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 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.
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!
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.
You got the station names mixed up. Bruxelles Midi (French) = Brussel Zuid (Dutch) = Brussels South (English) Brussels North is a whole different station.
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?
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 ;)
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
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'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 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.
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.
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
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 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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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..
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 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…
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 ???
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.
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.
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....
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
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.
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 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 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.
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
@@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
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.
though, sncb is a minority shareholder of eurostar, i think sncb has enough with eurostar operations (high fares, limited capacity, no service into wallonia)
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 !
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...
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!
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.
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.
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.
