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Lyon Train

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I am trying and trying to figure out the "booking horizon" for Eurostar direct to Lyon. Their website simply says: Tickets on the direct* Eurostar train go on sale between 150 and 280 days in advance, depending on when you book.

However as far as I can see tickets are only now on sale for the next 60 days.

I could call them, but that will cost £10.

Anyone got any info on this.

Thanks
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I found it easier to book from the SNCF website, which is a lot less clunky than the Eurostar one. As it happens, I ended up having to book on the phone for my very recent journey, because even the SNCF site was having problems, but they were very helpful on the phone and waived the booking fee.

I've never gone all the way to Avignon by train, such a lovely way to travel. Very Happy
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thanks - yes, less clunky. Good tip. Appreciate it.

But still can't see when tickets for February go on sale!
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@TheManOnTheBus, maybe just try phoning with that question?
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Thanks, Hurtle. Yep - as said above - it would cost £10, so thought a quick question here might produce something useful.
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Surely the £10 call fee is only if you actually make a booking during the call?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
You could also ask them on their Facebook page.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Hells Bells wrote:
Surely the £10 call fee is only if you actually make a booking during the call?
Yes, that's what I would have thought too.
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Lyon is a lovely city, with its two rivers (Rhône and Saône), the Fourvière hill with the Basilica and the nearby Roman amphitheatre and Museum, the Lumière brothers home and museum, the Parc de la Tête d'Or etc.

It is also of course a centre of cuisine and gastronomy. Very Happy
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Click on the live chat button on the bottom right corner of their website. Ask them. I had similar questions before the booking horizon for the direct winter service to Bourg St Maurice and they were able to quickly and accurately answer them.
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@TheManOnTheBus, I don't think there is a direct Eurostar to Lyon between around the start of November and the end of March. (Probably the rolling stock used to provide the Lyon / Avignon service in summer is that for the Bourg St Maurice ski train in winter).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@TheManOnTheBus, You could, of course, change at Lille at any time. Or fly to CdG and get the train from there
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@TheManOnTheBus, as @ecureuil notes, there is no direct service London-Lyon from 5 Nov 2017 until spring 2018 (see https://www.seat61.com/eurostar-to-lyon-avignon-marseille.htm). Changing at Lille is quite convenient though if you want to avoid crossing Paris on the metro.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Thank you. I did call them in the end.... They said that they couldn't tell me at all when the tickets would open up and "no decision had been made" as to whether they would run.

Interesting that Seat61 said no trains until spring 2018. That might be right, which is a shame.

BUT, the train did operate last year direct one day a week (a friend took it and met me at Lyon). AND Eurostar says they will operate "all year round": https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/city-breaks/lyon. But they just don't tell you when tickets go on sale.

Puzzling. Perhaps Eurostar is out of date. I suspect that is it.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@TheManOnTheBus, my friends in Provence also tell me that the direct train is now operating once a week throughout the year. Eurostar customer service is just awful. Did you try SNCF? (Personally I've given up on seat61, I don't think he updates it properly.)
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Thank you @Hurtle, that is encouraging.

According to this site there is a sparse winter direct service (including Feb half term which is when I would want it):
https://loco2.com/destinations/london-lyon-train . . Don't know if loco2 is more reliable than Seat61

So there is hope yet. I will call SNCF to figure out when trains (if they run) may go on sale.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It appears that the Eurostar Lyon/Avignon/Marseilles service has been suspended after 4 Nov 2017 until Eurostar decide what to do.

Eurostar bookings are open six months in advance (except the ski train which has always had special dates). But they are showing nothing at all on the Marseilles route in 2018.

This is a great pity. This year they ran a Saturday service from January to March 2017, then started a more frequent service from April 2017.

I am beginning to worry that this service may be scrapped completely.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
AndrewsPeppers wrote:
... This year they ran a Saturday service from January to March 2017 ...

I'm surprised, as they certainly didn't do that up to and including 2016 (although there were occasional xmas / new year / half-term services).

Perhaps 2017 was a trial - that may not have attracted enough custom?
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Take a look at Trainline.com. I'm about to book a train from San Remo to London and back, in late November. Changes in Ventimiglia and Paris. Direct would be nice, but Paris isn't difficult to change in. The Belgian trains change at Lille which is very easy.
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Eurostar ran the Saturday Lyon/Marseille service through Jan/Feb/March 2016. And also through Autumn 2015.

I've just had a look at my old Eurostar bookings to confirm this.

My memory is that Eurostar said they would run a year round service to Marseille, it is only this year that they have cancelled all the winter (ie Qtr4 2017/Qtr1 2018) Saturday timetable.
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AndrewsPeppers wrote:
Eurostar ran the Saturday Lyon/Marseille service through Jan/Feb/March 2016. And also through Autumn 2015.

I've just had a look at my old Eurostar bookings to confirm this. ...

Did you travel to Lyon every Saturday in Jan-Mar 2016? Or perhaps just on one date at around half-term?
I went to Lyon in early March 2016, and Eurostar could only offer a change at either Lille or Paris (or the ski-train to Moutiers and a local train back). And I looked into the same route at a similar time in previous years - with a similar result.
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From snowcarbon email

Eurostar cancels its 2017-18 via-Lyon winter service
Ugh! Eurostar has cancelled its 2017 winter service from London and Ashford to Lyon - which had made a good route to a lot of different French ski resorts.

Eurostar has stated that it is 'lack of demand' for the service,
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@ster, damn them! Do you know when the service resumes? I want to use it to get to Avignon again.
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Hurtle wrote:
@ster, damn them! Do you know when the service resumes? I want to use it to get to Avignon again.


No word on the snowcarbon email/site but sounds like the man at snowcarbon might lobby to get it re-instated for the following season.

But imagine you can get Eurostar to Paris then a Paris-Lyon normal French train? Just a bit more of a pain ticket/timing wise?
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@ster, yeah, it's so much more of a faff than sauntering on to the train at St Pancras and sauntering off it again in Avignon a few hours later.
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Yep bummer: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/news/new-rail-route-to-austria-helps-skiers-make-tracks/
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Resuscitating this thread to see if anyone can explain what Eurostar are up to this year and if anyone knows what is happening re changing at Lille. (It seems clear there is no winter direct train as there is in the summer, which is a shame.)

Last season I booked London to Lyon Part Dieu with a very, very easy interchange at Lille.

This year, the Eurostar booking engine (nor Trainline) gives me the option of changing at Lille.

Anyone know why?

Thanks
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