What is the best place to get a Euro-Domino (specifically Germany) in
London and the South East?

I used to go to Gatwick travel centre a few years ago but it appears
that they no longer sell Euro-Dominos.

Of course there is Rail Europe in Piccadilly but I am wondering whether
any National Rail stations still sell them - and are they cheaper?

There appear to be good reviews for DB UK but they don't do personal
callers so therefore I would be relying on the post.  What happens if
400 pounds worth of tickets gets lost in the post?

On 6 Sep 2005 13:42:55 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote in
, seen in
uk.railway:


> What is the best place to get a Euro-Domino (specifically Germany) in
> London and the South East?


Rail Canterbury perhaps? You can Google for their website (which ISTR
told little more than where they were and what they sold, but it's a
start).

 
[...]

> Of course there is Rail Europe in Piccadilly but I am wondering whether
> any National Rail stations still sell them - and are they cheaper?


Doubt it on either count.

 

> There appear to be good reviews for DB UK but they don't do personal
> callers so therefore I would be relying on the post.  What happens if
> 400 pounds worth of tickets gets lost in the post?


Do DB UK offer Special Delivery? It'd be worth the extra fiver for the
certainty (or as close to certainty as you can ever get where Royal
Mule is concerned).

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

In article , Ross
 writes

>Do DB UK offer Special Delivery? It'd be worth the extra fiver for the
>certainty (or as close to certainty as you can ever get where Royal
>Mule is concerned).


Remind me what the DB UK address is please. I might be using them myself
soon.

-- 
Alan

On 6 Sep 2005 13:42:55 -0700, "Richard Adamfi"
 wrote:


>There appear to be good reviews for DB UK but they don't do personal
>callers so therefore I would be relying on the post.  What happens if
>400 pounds worth of tickets gets lost in the post?


I suspect they'd be sent by insured Special Delivery.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 22:04:17 +0100, Ross 
wrote:


>Rail Canterbury perhaps? You can Google for their website (which ISTR
>told little more than where they were and what they sold, but it's a
>start).


We might have had this before - but are they the remnant of the old
Connex Canterbury Railshop?  If so I can definitely recommend them -
they booked my first trip out to Hamburg, and were very helpful and
friendly unlike most other more mainstream agencies I tried.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Tue, 6 Sep 2005 22:32:23 +0100, Alan Osborn
 wrote:


>Remind me what the DB UK address is please. I might be using them myself
>soon.


Website is at <http://www.bahn.co.uk/>

Or you can e-mail sales (at) bahn (dot) co (dot) uk

Telephone: 08702 43 53 63 (Open 9 'til 5 Mon-Fri)
Fax: (020) 8339 4700

Snail Mail: Deutsche Bahn UK Booking Centre, PO Box 687A, Surbiton, KT6
6UB.

It is, however, recommended that you phone or e-mail them for a quote.
They accept payment by most Credit or Debit Cards (but not Amex) and by
cheque.

Never had any problems with them myself, but then I'm not all that far
from Surbiton, being in North London. They normally dispatch by First
Class Post, but will use other methods, at your expense.

HTH,

Barry

-- 
Barry Salter, barry at southie dot me dot uk
Read uk.* newsgroups? Read uk.net.news.announce!

Barry Salter wrote:


>
> Telephone: 08702 43 53 63 (Open 9 'til 5 Mon-Fri)
> Fax: (020) 8339 4700
> 


Is there a geographical phone number for DB UK?

Neil Williams wrote:


> We might have had this before - but are they the remnant of the old
> Connex Canterbury Railshop?  If so I can definitely recommend them -
> they booked my first trip out to Hamburg, and were very helpful and
> friendly unlike most other more mainstream agencies I tried.


I can't say I've heard of these before.

Are they really recommended - and how have past transactions gone on
price comparisons with other outlets?

--
Nick

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 22:08:01 GMT, Neil Williams wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:

> On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 22:04:17 +0100, Ross 
> wrote:
> 
> >Rail Canterbury perhaps? You can Google for their website (which ISTR
> >told little more than where they were and what they sold, but it's a
> >start).
> 
> We might have had this before - but are they the remnant of the old
> Connex Canterbury Railshop?  


Not sure. Their website says that they have over 50 years continental
rail experience, so they could be ex-Victoria or ex-Canterbury or (I
suppose) ex-anywhere-else-which-used-to-have-an-international-
-travel-centre. It does mention the former Canterbury West "rail
shop", so it's possible that they're the staff who formerly worked
there.

You could always ask them: rail(at)rail-canterbury(dot)co(dot)uk

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

Ross wrote:


> Not sure. Their website says that they have over 50 years continental
> rail experience, so they could be ex-Victoria or ex-Canterbury or (I
> suppose) ex-anywhere-else-which-used-to-have-an-international-
> -travel-centre. It does mention the former Canterbury West "rail
> shop", so it's possible that they're the staff who formerly worked
> there.


They are ex-Victoria I believe. I've used them for a couple of years now 
and they are very helpful with my enquiries and bookings.

Phil even made the effort to visit me at work once to hand deliver my 
tickets due to earlier problems with the reservations system.

Now that's service :-)
-- 
Rob
http://www.uicstock.org.uk/
To reply, remove zudo

"Neil Williams"  wrote in message 
news:431e12b6.474151@news.tesco.net...

> On 6 Sep 2005 13:42:55 -0700, "Richard Adamfi"
>  wrote:
>
>>There appear to be good reviews for DB UK but they don't do personal
>>callers so therefore I would be relying on the post.  What happens if
>>400 pounds worth of tickets gets lost in the post?
>
> I suspect they'd be sent by insured Special Delivery.


They certainly come special delivery.

No idea about insured.

tim

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:25:00 GMT, The Doctor wrote in
<0gGTe.106235$Lg2.75937@fe12.news.easynews.com>, seen in uk.railway:

> Ross wrote:
> 
> > Not sure. Their website says that they have over 50 years continental
> > rail experience, so they could be ex-Victoria or ex-Canterbury or (I
> > suppose) ex-anywhere-else-which-used-to-have-an-international-
> > -travel-centre. It does mention the former Canterbury West "rail
> > shop", so it's possible that they're the staff who formerly worked
> > there.
> 
> They are ex-Victoria I believe. I've used them for a couple of years now 
> and they are very helpful with my enquiries and bookings.
>
> Phil even made the effort to visit me at work once to hand deliver my 
> tickets due to earlier problems with the reservations system.
> 
> Now that's service :-)


<paging D7666>
There you go, Nick - a personal recommendation and by the looks of it
the best sort of recommendation you could hope for.

Pity Canterbury's so far away; I'd use 'em myself. Mind you, I suppose
I could actually force myself to use a telephone for once!

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

Ross wrote:


> > Of course there is Rail Europe in Piccadilly but I am wondering whether
> > any National Rail stations still sell them - and are they cheaper?
>
> Doubt it on either count.
>


Gatwick ticket office seem to think Bromley South, Liverpool Street and
Paddington stations sell Euro-Domino tickets.

Can anyone confirm whether or not this is the case?  If they do sell
them, is it possible to phone the travel centres so I can find out
prices?

Ross wrote:


> <paging D7666>
> There you go, Nick - a personal recommendation and by the looks of it
> the best sort of recommendation you could hope for.



And duly noted.

--
Nick

On 7 Sep 2005 14:07:11 -0700, "Richard Adamfi"
 wrote:


>Gatwick ticket office seem to think Bromley South, Liverpool Street and
>Paddington stations sell Euro-Domino tickets.


Presumably they're getting the information from Section O of the Retail
Manual Part 1. I tried to obtain point to point tickets for travel on DB
from Paddington, Liverpool Street and Charing Cross earlier this year,
given the City Travel Centre at Cannon Street is now an M&S Simply Food,
and all three of them pointed me in the direction of RailEurope.

In the end, I booked the tickets through DB UK and got 'em in the post
the following morning...

Cheers,

Barry

-- 
Barry Salter, barry at southie dot me dot uk
Read uk.* newsgroups? Read uk.net.news.announce!

There are no National Rail stations left selling European rail tickets. The 
only exception to this is

Richmond - We sell London to Calais, Oostende, Brugge and Paris via Dover. I 
believe that Charing Cross does as well. (these are a South Eastern Trains 
product)

Liverpool Street sell tickets to Holland via Harwich , as do other ONE 
stations (Richmond also sell these)

I think GNER still offer tickets on Eurostar if purchased with a GNER ticket 
from the 'North'

Everything else, including InterRail & Euro Domino was withdrawn as the 
contract between Rail Europe and ATOC ended.

Hope that helps, if anyone knows any different I would be glad to here

Martin
Martin (a) justbanff.com


>
> Gatwick ticket office seem to think Bromley South, Liverpool Street and
> Paddington stations sell Euro-Domino tickets.
>
> Can anyone confirm whether or not this is the case?  If they do sell
> them, is it possible to phone the travel centres so I can find out
> prices?
> 

Ross wrote:


>
> Not sure. Their website says that they have over 50 years continental
> rail experience, so they could be ex-Victoria or ex-Canterbury or (I
> suppose) ex-anywhere-else-which-used-to-have-an-international-
> -travel-centre. It does mention the former Canterbury West "rail
> shop", so it's possible that they're the staff who formerly worked
> there.
>
> You could always ask them: rail(at)rail-canterbury(dot)co(dot)uk
>


Just phoned Canterbury and they quoted 219 pounds for a 3 day
Eurodomino for Germany (1st class).

However, www.bahn.co.uk states a price of only 194 pounds.

Also, if you look at the "International Guests" section on the DB
website, it quotes 269 Euros (which is 182 pounds).  I will be arriving
by train into Aachen so can I buy a Eurodomino at Aachen station?  Or
at Bruxelles-Midi when I get off the Eurostar?

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:13:52 +0200, "tim \(moved to sweden\)"
 wrote:


>They certainly come special delivery.
>
>No idea about insured.


Special Delivery is insured to a point, though I can't recall what
that point is.  You can pay extra to increase the level of insurance,
though, which I expect DB would be willing to do at your own cost.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On 8 Sep 2005 08:10:48 -0700, "Richard Adamfi"
 wrote:


> I will be arriving
>by train into Aachen so can I buy a Eurodomino at Aachen station?  Or
>at Bruxelles-Midi when I get off the Eurostar?


I wouldn't risk it.  DB will not sell Interrail tickets with Germany
validity within Germany, even if presented with a British passport, so
I expect the same applies.

Yes, this is from experience.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:04:27 GMT, Neil Williams wrote:

>On 8 Sep 2005 08:10:48 -0700, "Richard Adamfi"
> wrote:
>>I will be arriving
>>by train into Aachen so can I buy a Eurodomino at Aachen station?  Or
>>at Bruxelles-Midi when I get off the Eurostar?
>
>I wouldn't risk it.  DB will not sell Interrail tickets with Germany
>validity within Germany, even if presented with a British passport, so
>I expect the same applies.


You should prove where you live, not your nationality...


>Yes, this is from experience.


A friend of mine has bought ED tickets for Germany in Germany on more
than one occasion. I'm not sure though if this is still possible. Some
countries have abolished this in the past.

Belgian Railways will also sell Eurodomino for the same price in euros.
At Brussels South, go to the international ticket counter, draw a number
as someone who needs a ticket for the same day and you'll get your turn
fairly quickly. Issuing a ED only takes a minute or two.
If you continue your journey by ICE, you'll only need a normal ticket to
the border (= Aachen Sd Gr) and no extra reservation or supplement. The
Belgian ticket staff will probably claim you need a reservation, but
this is not true (they've been misinformed), nor do you really need it.

But I think I'd rather order it from DB UK.

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

Rian van der Borgt wrote:

>
> Belgian Railways will also sell Eurodomino for the same price in euros.
> At Brussels South, go to the international ticket counter, draw a number
> as someone who needs a ticket for the same day and you'll get your turn
> fairly quickly. Issuing a ED only takes a minute or two.
> If you continue your journey by ICE, you'll only need a normal ticket to
> the border (= Aachen Süd Gr) and no extra reservation or supplement. The
> Belgian ticket staff will probably claim you need a reservation, but
> this is not true (they've been misinformed), nor do you really need it.
>
> But I think I'd rather order it from DB UK.


Why is it better to order it from DB UK, rather than get it in
Brussels?  The cost is more, and there is the possibility of the
tickets getting lost in the post and there might be errors in the
ticket issuing.  Are the queues really bad in Brussels?

Eurostar tickets are valid to 'any Belgian station' so presumbly I need
only pay from Welkenraedt?

On 8 Sep 2005 08:10:48 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote in
, seen in
uk.railway:
[...]

> Just phoned Canterbury and they quoted 219 pounds for a 3 day
> Eurodomino for Germany (1st class).
> 
> However, www.bahn.co.uk states a price of only 194 pounds.
> 
> Also, if you look at the "International Guests" section on the DB
> website, it quotes 269 Euros (which is 182 pounds).  I will be arriving
> by train into Aachen so can I buy a Eurodomino at Aachen station?  


I think you should be able to get one from the Reisezentrum (ticket
office/travel centre) there. The Germans (and the Belgians) do seem
rather more sensible about general European and rover-type ticket
sales than we do. 



> Or at Bruxelles-Midi when I get off the Eurostar?


They have an international section of the ticket office *plus* the
"Railtour centre" next to the Eurostar check-in. Which one you need is
debatable, but last time I went to change my E* ticket in the
international ticket office I got accosted on entry by a floor walker
and sent to Railtour, so I'm sure they'll put you right.

Whether you'd be able to get your ED in the connecting time at BXS
between an E* arrival and a Thalys/ICE departure is something else,
though.

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

Ross wrote:

>
> They have an international section of the ticket office *plus* the
> "Railtour centre" next to the Eurostar check-in. Which one you need is
> debatable, but last time I went to change my E* ticket in the
> international ticket office I got accosted on entry by a floor walker
> and sent to Railtour, so I'm sure they'll put you right.
>
> Whether you'd be able to get your ED in the connecting time at BXS
> between an E* arrival and a Thalys/ICE departure is something else,
> though.


I'm not in a rush - I intend to get to Aachen via Welkenraedt by normal
Belgian train (not Thalys/ICE) (so I can use my 'to any Belgian
station' ticket) then get a single over the border.  I'm not starting
the Euro-Domino until the next day.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:55:43 GMT, martin wrote in
<zpXTe.7443$k22.263@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, seen in uk.railway:

[...] 

> I think GNER still offer tickets on Eurostar if purchased with a GNER ticket 
> from the 'North'


GNER in Newcastle refuse to issue FIP-discounted Eurostar tickets,
although they do still claim to issue vanilla Eurostar (through their
Business Travel, not Telesales).

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On 8 Sep 2005 11:59:00 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote in
, seen in
uk.railway:

> Ross wrote:
[...]
> > Whether you'd be able to get your ED in the connecting time at BXS
> > between an E* arrival and a Thalys/ICE departure is something else,
> > though.
> 
> I'm not in a rush - I intend to get to Aachen via Welkenraedt by normal
> Belgian train (not Thalys/ICE) (so I can use my 'to any Belgian
> station' ticket) then get a single over the border.  I'm not starting
> the Euro-Domino until the next day.


In that case you also have the option of buying at Lige-Guillemins,
as if the station is still the mess it was when I was there last year,
the booking hall is the only place on the station you can keep out of
the rain. Van outside does a nice hot dog too, as I recall.

And if you're really not in a rush, you could get a EUregio ticket at
Lige, and have a poke around the Lige, Maastricht and Aachen areas. 
<http://www.avv.de/web/hauptdrei/euregioticket.asp>
Bit expensive during the week, but a bargain at weekends if there are
two of you. And if nothing else, the ticket as issued by SNCB in Lige
*really* confuses DB grippers. ;-)

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On 8 Sep 2005 11:44:04 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote:

>Rian van der Borgt wrote:
>>Belgian Railways will also sell Eurodomino for the same price in euros.
>>At Brussels South, go to the international ticket counter, draw a number
>>as someone who needs a ticket for the same day and you'll get your turn
>>fairly quickly. Issuing a ED only takes a minute or two.
>>If you continue your journey by ICE, you'll only need a normal ticket to
>>the border (= Aachen Sd Gr) and no extra reservation or supplement. The
>>Belgian ticket staff will probably claim you need a reservation, but
>>this is not true (they've been misinformed), nor do you really need it.
>>
>>But I think I'd rather order it from DB UK.
>
>Why is it better to order it from DB UK, rather than get it in
>Brussels?  The cost is more,


Er, oops I overlooked that.


>and there is the possibility of the
>tickets getting lost in the post and there might be errors in the
>ticket issuing.  Are the queues really bad in Brussels?


It is busy sometimes, but if you need a ticket for the same day, you get
your turn fairly quickly.


>Eurostar tickets are valid to 'any Belgian station' so presumbly I need
>only pay from Welkenraedt?


For normal trains, yes, and the train even doesn't have to stop there.
The validity of the Eurostar tickets in the ICE to/from Brussels remains
unclear though, as the Belgian Railway doesn't treat the ICE like a
normal train.
As from June last year, the Belgians are not financially involved
anymore and the operator in Belgium is DB. Thus you might even argue
that your ED for Germany (which is in fact a DB ED) is valid in the ICE
from Brussels... but I doubt if that's the case.
As for the "any Belgian station", here's what Belgian Railway says about
that in the conditions:
"The mention 'EBS' permits travel between any Belgian station and
Brussels South station and the opposite direction on all domestic
connections." (translated from Dutch.)
Domestic travel on the ICE to/from Brussels has been permitted since
December 2004, so you could argue that your Eurostar ticket is also
valid.

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 20:34:46 +0100, Ross wrote:

>On 8 Sep 2005 11:59:00 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote in
>, seen in
>uk.railway:
>>I'm not in a rush - I intend to get to Aachen via Welkenraedt by normal
>>Belgian train (not Thalys/ICE) (so I can use my 'to any Belgian
>>station' ticket) then get a single over the border.  I'm not starting
>>the Euro-Domino until the next day.
>
>In that case you also have the option of buying at Lige-Guillemins,
>as if the station is still the mess it was when I was there last year,
>the booking hall is the only place on the station you can keep out of
>the rain.


For that reason, I usually prefer Verviers to change to the local to
Aachen. It's usually quiet there and there's a cosy station buffet where
I can have breakfast in peace :-)

A single Welkenraedt - Aachen is EUR 5,20 (full fare), by the way.

Also, do check the engineering works announcements at www.b-rail.be.
There's a lot going on at the moment between Lige and Aachen and during
the weekends, trains are sometimes retimed etc.


>And if you're really not in a rush, you could get a EUregio ticket at
>Lige, and have a poke around the Lige, Maastricht and Aachen areas. 
><http://www.avv.de/web/hauptdrei/euregioticket.asp>
>Bit expensive during the week, but a bargain at weekends if there are
>two of you. And if nothing else, the ticket as issued by SNCB in Lige
>*really* confuses DB grippers. ;-)


In that case, get your Euregio ticket from the bus company (in front of
the station or from a bus driver); that will probably confuse them even
more...

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On 08 Sep 2005 20:11:48 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
<slrndi16nm.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:

> On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 20:34:46 +0100, Ross wrote:
> >On 8 Sep 2005 11:59:00 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote in
> >, seen in
> >uk.railway:
> >>I'm not in a rush - I intend to get to Aachen via Welkenraedt by normal
> >>Belgian train (not Thalys/ICE) (so I can use my 'to any Belgian
> >>station' ticket) then get a single over the border.  I'm not starting
> >>the Euro-Domino until the next day.
> >
> >In that case you also have the option of buying at Lige-Guillemins,
> >as if the station is still the mess it was when I was there last year,
> >the booking hall is the only place on the station you can keep out of
> >the rain.
> 
> For that reason, I usually prefer Verviers to change to the local to
> Aachen. It's usually quiet there and there's a cosy station buffet where
> I can have breakfast in peace :-)


I'll remember that for the future - cosy station buffets are A Good
Thing to my way of thinking.
 


> A single Welkenraedt - Aachen is EUR 5,20 (full fare), by the way.


I could only find the amazingly-stupidly-named EuregeioAixpress ticket
at EUR 6,50, but I see that's a return.
 


> Also, do check the engineering works announcements at www.b-rail.be.
> There's a lot going on at the moment between Lige and Aachen and during
> the weekends, trains are sometimes retimed etc.


I got caught that way last year; got to Lige to find that the
IRq/RE29 was retimed to half-an-hour earlier (but with the same
journey time), meaning that my +25 became a -5 and it had gone. Didn't
bother me too much as I just did my Lige - Aachen - Maastricht -
Lige circle the other way round instead, and sampled the Aachen -
Eupen bus, too.
 


> >And if you're really not in a rush, you could get a EUregio ticket at
> >Lige, and have a poke around the Lige, Maastricht and Aachen areas. 
> ><http://www.avv.de/web/hauptdrei/euregioticket.asp>
> >Bit expensive during the week, but a bargain at weekends if there are
> >two of you. And if nothing else, the ticket as issued by SNCB in Lige
> >*really* confuses DB grippers. ;-)
> 
> In that case, get your Euregio ticket from the bus company (in front of
> the station or from a bus driver); that will probably confuse them even
> more...


You're nasty. I like that. ;-)

I'd like to get the proper printed card version as illustrated on the
brochure, but I suspect that'll only be sold at the ASEAG office in
Aachen. Certainly SNCB issue on the normal ATB blank.

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:35:55 +0100, Ross wrote:

>On 08 Sep 2005 20:11:48 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
><slrndi16nm.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
>>For that reason, I usually prefer Verviers to change to the local to
>>Aachen. It's usually quiet there and there's a cosy station buffet where
>>I can have breakfast in peace :-)
>
>I'll remember that for the future - cosy station buffets are A Good
>Thing to my way of thinking.
>
>>A single Welkenraedt - Aachen is EUR 5,20 (full fare), by the way.
>
>I could only find the amazingly-stupidly-named EuregeioAixpress ticket
>at EUR 6,50, but I see that's a return.

 
Correct, a day return.


>>Also, do check the engineering works announcements at www.b-rail.be.
>>There's a lot going on at the moment between Lige and Aachen and during
>>the weekends, trains are sometimes retimed etc.
>
>I got caught that way last year; got to Lige to find that the
>IRq/RE29 was retimed to half-an-hour earlier (but with the same
>journey time), meaning that my +25 became a -5 and it had gone. Didn't
>bother me too much as I just did my Lige - Aachen - Maastricht -
>Lige circle the other way round instead, and sampled the Aachen -
>Eupen bus, too.


You might have had a good connection in Welkenreadt from the IC - they
did that on some weekends. Sometimes, the engineering schedules are
also included in DB's electronic timetable, but SNCB don't always bother
to inform DB in time.
 

>>>And if you're really not in a rush, you could get a EUregio ticket at
>>>Lige, and have a poke around the Lige, Maastricht and Aachen areas. 
>>><http://www.avv.de/web/hauptdrei/euregioticket.asp>
>>>Bit expensive during the week, but a bargain at weekends if there are
>>>two of you. And if nothing else, the ticket as issued by SNCB in Lige
>>>*really* confuses DB grippers. ;-)
>>
>>In that case, get your Euregio ticket from the bus company (in front of
>>the station or from a bus driver); that will probably confuse them even
>>more...
>
>You're nasty. I like that. ;-)


I'll probably try that once. I can also get it here in Leuven if I ask
the driver of the 307 bus that comes from Limburg... the ticket is in
credit card format, with a magnetic strip on it, and doesn't show much
more than the text "Euregio-Ticket" and the price. BTW, rumour has it
that you can now also buy a German Wochenende-Ticket on the Belgian
(TEC) buses that run between Eupen and Aachen (*). This would also be in
credit card format wity a magnetic strip and is completely different
from anything sold in Germany. I should buy one of these and use it in
deepest Bavaria :->


>I'd like to get the proper printed card version as illustrated on the
>brochure, but I suspect that'll only be sold at the ASEAG office in
>Aachen.


I believe Dutch bus drivers also sell these printed cards.


>Certainly SNCB issue on the normal ATB blank.


Yep. Although SNCB grippers can now also issue Euregio Tickets, on the
small credit card sized tickets that you usually get on the train here.

(*) The buses between Eupen (B) and Aachen (D) are jointly operated by
ASEAG (D) and TEC (B). In practice, however, both ASEAG and TEC use the
same subcontracter who runs half of the buses on that line in ASEAG
outfit and the other half in TEC outfit...

Gre,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven/Lwen, Belgien.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Achtung: neue E-Mail- und Webadresse, weil mein Provider es fr ntig
hielt, seinen Namen zu ndern.

wensleydale@pacersplace.org.uk (Neil Williams) wrote in 
news:43207d48.1115704@news.tesco.net:


> I wouldn't risk it.  DB will not sell Interrail tickets with Germany
> validity within Germany, even if presented with a British passport, so
> I expect the same applies.
> 
> Yes, this is from experience.


Recent experience? I bought a Zone C Interrail at Koeln Hbf. without 
difficulty, but it was a few years ago. I even brought a couple of utility 
bills along to prove my UK residence, but passport proof was sufficient. 
The exchange rates at the time meant I saved almost UKP 40, IIRC.

Rick.

On 08 Sep 2005 18:27:21 GMT, rvdborgt+@evonet.be (Rian van der Borgt)
wrote:


>You should prove where you live, not your nationality...


The trouble is that that can be rather difficult, given that there is
no residency registration requirement in the UK...  though to be fair
I *was* living in Germany, so was trying to cheat the system slightly.


>If you continue your journey by ICE, you'll only need a normal ticket to
>the border (= Aachen Sd Gr) and no extra reservation or supplement. The
>Belgian ticket staff will probably claim you need a reservation, but
>this is not true (they've been misinformed), nor do you really need it.


ISTR the ICE departure posters in Koeln Hbf suggesting these trains
were "reservierungspflichtig" - though I always took that to be a
printing error as it didn't say so anywhere else.


>But I think I'd rather order it from DB UK.


Agreed.  If your trip depends on having the ticket, it's probably a
safer option to get it beforehand even if the price increases slightly
as a result.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:49:52 +0100, Rick Hughes 
wrote:


>Recent experience? 


No, about 1999.  To be fair I *did* actually live in Germany so was
pushing it a bit, though I didn't have any more or less proof of UK
residency on me than otherwise.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Fri, 09 Sep 2005 06:56:22 GMT, Neil Williams wrote:

>On 08 Sep 2005 18:27:21 GMT, rvdborgt+@evonet.be (Rian van der Borgt)
>wrote:
>>If you continue your journey by ICE, you'll only need a normal ticket to
>>the border (= Aachen Sd Gr) and no extra reservation or supplement. The
>>Belgian ticket staff will probably claim you need a reservation, but
>>this is not true (they've been misinformed), nor do you really need it.
>
>ISTR the ICE departure posters in Koeln Hbf suggesting these trains
>were "reservierungspflichtig" - though I always took that to be a
>printing error as it didn't say so anywhere else.


For a few months' time, DB also said you needed a reservation for these
ICEs - in one direction only... but after that no more.


>>But I think I'd rather order it from DB UK.
>
>Agreed.  If your trip depends on having the ticket, it's probably a
>safer option to get it beforehand even if the price increases slightly
>as a result.


Or - if DB UK use an unfavourable exchange rate - order directly from DB
in Germany (website or call centre), or a German travel agent... (my
favourite one is in Husum :-)

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On 08 Sep 2005 20:57:43 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
<slrndi19dp.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:

> On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:35:55 +0100, Ross wrote:
> >On 08 Sep 2005 20:11:48 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
> ><slrndi16nm.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
[...] 
> >>Also, do check the engineering works announcements at www.b-rail.be.
> >>There's a lot going on at the moment between Lige and Aachen and during
> >>the weekends, trains are sometimes retimed etc.
> >
> >I got caught that way last year; got to Lige to find that the
> >IRq/RE29 was retimed to half-an-hour earlier (but with the same
> >journey time), meaning that my +25 became a -5 and it had gone. Didn't
> >bother me too much as I just did my Lige - Aachen - Maastricht -
> >Lige circle the other way round instead, and sampled the Aachen -
> >Eupen bus, too.
> 
> You might have had a good connection in Welkenreadt from the IC - they
> did that on some weekends. 


No, not on that weekend. I got to Lige, checked the monitors and
wondered why the Aachen wasn't showing. It was when I headed for the
booking hall that I noticed an engineering work poster, and discovered
that the service had been retimed to depart _before_ the IC. Not that
I was too bothered.


[...]


> >>>And if nothing else, the ticket as issued by SNCB in Lige
> >>>*really* confuses DB grippers. ;-)
> >>
> >>In that case, get your Euregio ticket from the bus company (in front of
> >>the station or from a bus driver); that will probably confuse them even
> >>more...
> >
> >You're nasty. I like that. ;-)
> 
> I'll probably try that once. I can also get it here in Leuven if I ask
> the driver of the 307 bus that comes from Limburg... the ticket is in
> credit card format, with a magnetic strip on it, and doesn't show much
> more than the text "Euregio-Ticket" and the price. 


De Lijn? I have a 3-dagenpas Net on a standard blank from my last
trip. Useful tickets, but the standard magnetic cards aren't exactly
collectable.



> BTW, rumour has it
> that you can now also buy a German Wochenende-Ticket on the Belgian
> (TEC) buses that run between Eupen and Aachen (*). This would also be in
> credit card format with a magnetic strip and is completely different
> from anything sold in Germany. I should buy one of these and use it in
> deepest Bavaria :->


Oh, yes. That'd be fun. 

Mind you, given the total lack of interest showed by bus drivers in
the VRR area (NRW) to a card headed "InterCityHotel" once the magic
words 'KombiTicket' were uttered, maybe they wouldn't care.
 


> >I'd like to get the proper printed card version as illustrated on the
> >brochure, but I suspect that'll only be sold at the ASEAG office in
> >Aachen.
> 
> I believe Dutch bus drivers also sell these printed cards.


Hmm. Perhaps I'll have to approach my next Euregio-day from the Dutch
direction instead of the Belgian.

 
[...] 

> (*) The buses between Eupen (B) and Aachen (D) are jointly operated by
> ASEAG (D) and TEC (B). In practice, however, both ASEAG and TEC use the
> same subcontracter who runs half of the buses on that line in ASEAG
> outfit and the other half in TEC outfit...


And the AVV timetable shows the ASEAG workings as (what I freely
translate as) "Operated on behalf of ASEAG" but the TEC workings as
"Operated by TEC". 

It wasn't until my most recent trip to Belgium that I realised both De
Lijn and TEC used contractors; I'd just assumed that they ran their
own vehicles.

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:33:26 +0100, Ross wrote:

>On 08 Sep 2005 20:57:43 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
><slrndi19dp.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
>>I'll probably try that once. I can also get it here in Leuven if I ask
>>the driver of the 307 bus that comes from Limburg... the ticket is in
>>credit card format, with a magnetic strip on it, and doesn't show much
>>more than the text "Euregio-Ticket" and the price. 
>
>De Lijn?

Yep.

>I have a 3-dagenpas Net on a standard blank from my last
>trip. Useful tickets, but the standard magnetic cards aren't exactly
>collectable.


collectable = worth collecting?

You're out of luck then in Belgium. All three regional operators use
these...


>>BTW, rumour has it
>>that you can now also buy a German Wochenende-Ticket on the Belgian
>>(TEC) buses that run between Eupen and Aachen (*). This would also be in
>>credit card format with a magnetic strip and is completely different
>>from anything sold in Germany. I should buy one of these and use it in
>>deepest Bavaria :->
>
>Oh, yes. That'd be fun. 


Another thing I've been wanting to do is to buy a Rail Pass in German
(only available in Eupen) and fill it out in German, while travelling
through deepest Wallonia :->


>Mind you, given the total lack of interest showed by bus drivers in
>the VRR area (NRW) to a card headed "InterCityHotel" once the magic
>words 'KombiTicket' were uttered, maybe they wouldn't care.

 
Bus drivers are notorious for that kind of thing. Some of them would
accept just about anything. A friend of mine got away with showing his
Railcard (Voordeelurenkaart) on a number of occasions. A bus driver said
to another friend of mine he usually accepts anything, "even a fishing
permit or a library pass"...


>>>I'd like to get the proper printed card version as illustrated on the
>>>brochure, but I suspect that'll only be sold at the ASEAG office in
>>>Aachen.
>>
>>I believe Dutch bus drivers also sell these printed cards.
>
>Hmm. Perhaps I'll have to approach my next Euregio-day from the Dutch
>direction instead of the Belgian.


I believe the Hermes bus drivers have these. Not sure about the rest.
The NS ticket machines (the old ones) now also have the Euregio-Ticket.
The code (0150) is only advertised on the the machines in the region
where the ticket is valid, but works on all NS ticket machines of the
older type.
 

>>(*) The buses between Eupen (B) and Aachen (D) are jointly operated by
>>ASEAG (D) and TEC (B). In practice, however, both ASEAG and TEC use the
>>same subcontracter who runs half of the buses on that line in ASEAG
>>outfit and the other half in TEC outfit...
>
>And the AVV timetable shows the ASEAG workings as (what I freely
>translate as) "Operated on behalf of ASEAG" but the TEC workings as
>"Operated by TEC". 


Indeed. But AFAIK all TEC bus services in German speaking Belgium are
run by subcontractors.


>It wasn't until my most recent trip to Belgium that I realised both De
>Lijn and TEC used contractors; I'd just assumed that they ran their
>own vehicles.


They've used subcontractors for quite some time now; De Lijn usually
puts a line (or a groups of lines) out to tender. De Lijn and TEC also
run part of the lines themselves. The buses all have to have the same
standard outfit. The only thing is that a subcontractor bus will have
the subcontractor's name shown on the backside of the bus. And you can
also see it from the make of the bus: De Lijn basically runs Van Hool
and some Jonckheere (Belgian bus industry...), but subcontractors also
use lots of other makes.

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On 09 Sep 2005 22:39:58 GMT, rvdborgt+@evonet.be (Rian van der Borgt)
wrote:


>Bus drivers are notorious for that kind of thing. Some of them would
>accept just about anything. A friend of mine got away with showing his
>Railcard (Voordeelurenkaart) on a number of occasions. A bus driver said
>to another friend of mine he usually accepts anything, "even a fishing
>permit or a library pass"...


Now if only it was like that in the UK... the usual situation is that
bus drivers won't even accept an obviously valid ticket...

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On 09 Sep 2005 22:39:58 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
<slrndi43pg.i49.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:

> On Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:33:26 +0100, Ross wrote:
[...] 
> >I have a 3-dagenpas Net on a standard blank from my last
> >trip. Useful tickets, but the standard magnetic cards aren't exactly
> >collectable.
> 
> collectable = worth collecting?


Yup. I don't generally collect tickets, but I keep one of each
"foreign" operator to complement any photos I've taken.



> You're out of luck then in Belgium. All three regional operators use
> these...


Aye. I've a couple of the STIB variant too. Should have a TEC one as
well, but it's not with my other "foreign" tickets.
 


> >>BTW, rumour has it
> >>that you can now also buy a German Wochenende-Ticket on the Belgian
> >>(TEC) buses that run between Eupen and Aachen (*). This would also be in
> >>credit card format with a magnetic strip and is completely different
> >>from anything sold in Germany. I should buy one of these and use it in
> >>deepest Bavaria :->
> >
> >Oh, yes. That'd be fun. 
> 
> Another thing I've been wanting to do is to buy a Rail Pass in German
> (only available in Eupen) and fill it out in German, while travelling
> through deepest Wallonia :->


I could just see how the Walloons would react to that. Can I get you
the address of a body-armour stockist? ;)
 


> >Mind you, given the total lack of interest showed by bus drivers in
> >the VRR area (NRW) to a card headed "InterCityHotel" once the magic
> >words 'KombiTicket' were uttered, maybe they wouldn't care.
>  
> Bus drivers are notorious for that kind of thing. Some of them would
> accept just about anything. A friend of mine got away with showing his
> Railcard (Voordeelurenkaart) on a number of occasions. A bus driver said
> to another friend of mine he usually accepts anything, "even a fishing
> permit or a library pass"...


Here it's one extreme or the other IMX; they'll either accept anything
at all or flat refuse to accept anything they don't recognise.
 
I think the KombiTicket concept is a great idea, but I can see real
problems if it were transplanted to the UK. People on this group
complain about problems with railway staff, but compared to the bus
industry Britain's railways are paragons of virtue. :(



> >>>I'd like to get the proper printed card version as illustrated on the
> >>>brochure, but I suspect that'll only be sold at the ASEAG office in
> >>>Aachen.
> >>
> >>I believe Dutch bus drivers also sell these printed cards.
> >
> >Hmm. Perhaps I'll have to approach my next Euregio-day from the Dutch
> >direction instead of the Belgian.
> 
> I believe the Hermes bus drivers have these. Not sure about the rest.


Perhaps I'll find out one day.



> The NS ticket machines (the old ones) now also have the Euregio-Ticket.
> The code (0150) is only advertised on the the machines in the region
> where the ticket is valid, but works on all NS ticket machines of the
> older type.


I'll remember that, thanks. Never know when it may be useful.

  
[...]

> >It wasn't until my most recent trip to Belgium that I realised both De
> >Lijn and TEC used contractors; I'd just assumed that they ran their
> >own vehicles.
> 
> They've used subcontractors for quite some time now; De Lijn usually
> puts a line (or a groups of lines) out to tender. De Lijn and TEC also
> run part of the lines themselves. The buses all have to have the same
> standard outfit. The only thing is that a subcontractor bus will have
> the subcontractor's name shown on the backside of the bus. 


Yes, it was that which made me realise; I noticed the operator names
whilst I was pottering around the (decrepit) bus station complex
adjacent to Brussel Noord station.
[...]

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

Rian van der Borgt wrote:

>
> I believe the Hermes bus drivers have these. Not sure about the rest.
> The NS ticket machines (the old ones) now also have the Euregio-Ticket.
> The code (0150) is only advertised on the the machines in the region
> where the ticket is valid, but works on all NS ticket machines of the
> older type.
>


That's useful info - however presumably you need to have 13.50 Euros in
coins as they don't take Euro notes or British bank cards.

I've had Euregio tickets before and I usually get them from Dutch bus
drivers at Maastricht or Sittard or Maastricht Airport and I have
always got the design of ticket as on the leaflet.

Once, however, I got it at the DB ticket machine in Aachen and as a
result the bus drivers speak to you in German.

Richard Adamfi wrote:
<SNIPPED>

> 
> That's useful info - however presumably you need to have 13.50 Euros in
> coins as they don't take Euro notes or British bank cards.
> 
> I've had Euregio tickets before and I usually get them from Dutch bus
> drivers at Maastricht or Sittard or Maastricht Airport and I have
> always got the design of ticket as on the leaflet.
> 
> Once, however, I got it at the DB ticket machine in Aachen and as a
> result the bus drivers speak to you in German.
> 


Actually, the NS ticket machines do take UK-issued Maestro cards - or at 
least have accepted mine recently. Visa and Mastercard don't work though.

A

Anonymouse wrote:

>
> Actually, the NS ticket machines do take UK-issued Maestro cards - or at
> least have accepted mine recently. Visa and Mastercard don't work though.
>


True, the new NS touch screen machines take Maestro, however it appears
only the old style machines which you enter a four figure code offer
the Euregio ticket.  I don't think the old style machines take Maestro.

On 11 Sep 2005 09:09:24 -0700, Richard Adamfi wrote:

>Anonymouse wrote:
>>Actually, the NS ticket machines do take UK-issued Maestro cards - or at
>>least have accepted mine recently. Visa and Mastercard don't work though.
>
>True, the new NS touch screen machines take Maestro, however it appears
>only the old style machines which you enter a four figure code offer
>the Euregio ticket.  I don't think the old style machines take Maestro.


Correct. You have to have the 13.50 euros in coins.

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:35:55 +0100, Ross wrote:

>On 08 Sep 2005 20:11:48 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
><slrndi16nm.fl3.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
>>For that reason, I usually prefer Verviers to change to the local to
>>Aachen. It's usually quiet there and there's a cosy station buffet where
>>I can have breakfast in peace :-)
>
>I'll remember that for the future - cosy station buffets are A Good
>Thing to my way of thinking.


BTW, as long as it's still there, the station buffet in Lige isn't that
bad either. They have a breakfast offer (croissant, "pain-au-chocolat"
and coffee/tea for EUR 2.70) and there's railway-related stuff on the
walls.

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On 11 Sep 2005 20:02:38 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
<slrndi93ag.fna.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
[...]

> BTW, as long as it's still there, the station buffet in Lige isn't that
> bad either. They have a breakfast offer (croissant, "pain-au-chocolat"
> and coffee/tea for EUR 2.70) and there's railway-related stuff on the
> walls.


Hmm. EUR 2,70 is roughly GBP 1.90. Not bad value at all.

I wonder how many British buffets could offer a breakfast sandwich and
a cuppa for less than two pounds? I think the standard
sandwich-plus-drink offer here is "under three pounds".

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:22:54 +0100, Ross 
wrote:


>On 11 Sep 2005 20:02:38 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
><slrndi93ag.fna.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
>[...]
>> BTW, as long as it's still there, the station buffet in Lige isn't that
>> bad either. They have a breakfast offer (croissant, "pain-au-chocolat"
>> and coffee/tea for EUR 2.70) and there's railway-related stuff on the
>> walls.
>
>Hmm. EUR 2,70 is roughly GBP 1.90. Not bad value at all.
>
>I wonder how many British buffets could offer a breakfast sandwich and
>a cuppa for less than two pounds? I think the standard
>sandwich-plus-drink offer here is "under three pounds".


But is the Liege tea likely to be a glass of luke-warm water and
something strangely coloured and herbal, rather than Real Tea? :-)

And have they finished building the station yet. It seems to be taking
forever.
-- 
Arthur Figgis                Surrey, UK

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 23:23:49 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:

> On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:22:54 +0100, Ross 
> wrote:
> >On 11 Sep 2005 20:02:38 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
> ><slrndi93ag.fna.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
> >[...]
> >> BTW, as long as it's still there, the station buffet in Lige isn't that
> >> bad either. They have a breakfast offer (croissant, "pain-au-chocolat"
> >> and coffee/tea for EUR 2.70) and there's railway-related stuff on the
> >> walls.
> >
> >Hmm. EUR 2,70 is roughly GBP 1.90. Not bad value at all.
> >
> >I wonder how many British buffets could offer a breakfast sandwich and
> >a cuppa for less than two pounds? I think the standard
> >sandwich-plus-drink offer here is "under three pounds".
> 
> But is the Liege tea likely to be a glass of luke-warm water and
> something strangely coloured and herbal, rather than Real Tea? :-)


As I don't drink "Real Tea", I doubt I'd care: I can be pretty certain
that the Hot Chocolate they offer in Lige will be better than the
equivalent offered at a British buffet. :)
 


> And have they finished building the station yet. It seems to be taking
> forever.


I haven't been to Lige-G since last year, so I dunno. But I'll not be
surprised if it's still being built/rebuilt/whatevered when I next
visit, which will likely be next year.

-- 
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)
Hon. Pres., National Soc. for the Encouragement for Cruelty to Dogboxes
Proud to be the target of various trolls, sock puppets and other idiots

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:02:35 +0100, Ross 
wrote:


>I haven't been to Lige-G since last year, so I dunno. But I'll not be
>surprised if it's still being built/rebuilt/whatevered when I next
>visit, which will likely be next year.


It does seem to be taking longer than Manchester Picc, which is saying
something.  However, that may be understandable as the new structure
looks (or looked as of last November) rather more impressive...

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 23:23:49 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

>On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:22:54 +0100, Ross 
>wrote:
>>On 11 Sep 2005 20:02:38 GMT, Rian van der Borgt wrote in
>><slrndi93ag.fna.rvdborgt+@xs1.xs4all.be>, seen in uk.railway:
>>[...]
>>>BTW, as long as it's still there, the station buffet in Lige isn't that
>>>bad either. They have a breakfast offer (croissant, "pain-au-chocolat"
>>>and coffee/tea for EUR 2.70) and there's railway-related stuff on the
>>>walls.
>>
>>Hmm. EUR 2,70 is roughly GBP 1.90. Not bad value at all.
>>
>>I wonder how many British buffets could offer a breakfast sandwich and
>>a cuppa for less than two pounds? I think the standard
>>sandwich-plus-drink offer here is "under three pounds".
>
>But is the Liege tea likely to be a glass of luke-warm water and
>something strangely coloured and herbal, rather than Real Tea? :-)


I haven't tried their tea yet. In the morning, I prefer coffee :-)
But most probably, you can choose which tea variety you want and how
long you leave it in the water :-)


>And have they finished building the station yet. It seems to be taking
>forever.


Of course not. They've just started with the roof, which is a
technically difficult and expensive construction. Further, they first
need to finish the last new platform and the new station tunnel and
hall, before they can close and tear down the old station building. And
only then, they can finish they new tracks 1 and 2, close the old
tunnel, then remove the last part of the old platforms and lay down the
new track layout on the Brussels side.
I guess it will take another 2 or 3 years...

Regards,

          Rian

-- 
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: rvdborgt+@evonet.be  www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/
Attention: new e-mail and web address because my provider found it
necessary to change its name.

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:02:35 +0100, Ross 
wrote:


>I haven't been to Lige-G since last year, so I dunno. But I'll not be
>surprised if it's still being built/rebuilt/whatevered when I next
>visit, which will likely be next year.


ISTR that the more obscure Lige Palais is another station to add to
the list of ones with seemingly inappropriate names. 
-- 
Arthur Figgis                Surrey, UK