December 13th 2024.
Travelling between two of Europe's most beloved cities has never been easier, thanks to a revolutionary new train service. Ougio, a low-cost operator, is now offering daily journeys between Paris and Brussels, providing a wallet-friendly alternative to the Eurostar. However, there is a small catch - the journey will take twice as long as the Eurostar.
Beginning on December 19, the service will be run by the renowned French train company, SNCF. While the Eurostar takes a swift one hour and 27 minutes, the Ouigo train will take three hours to complete the same trip. Despite the longer travel time, there will be three daily return journeys between Paris Gare du Nord and Bruxelles Midi, making it a convenient choice for travellers.
For adults, tickets prices range from €10 to €59 for a single journey, while children's tickets are capped at a maximum of €8. This is significantly lower compared to the Eurostar, which can cost up to £100 for a one-way ticket through Trainline. Tickets can be reserved up to six months in advance and are already available to book through the SNCF Ouigo website and the Trainline app. Passengers can book their journeys up until March 31, 2025.
The Ouigo train times between Paris and Brussels are as follows: trains from Paris will depart at 08:18, arriving at 11:21; 12:28, arriving at 15:21; and 19:15, arriving at 22:21. Trains from Brussels will depart at 18:38, arriving at 21:35; 7:38, arriving in Paris at 10:36; and 13:38, arriving at 16:44.
Not only is the Ouigo service more affordable for passengers, but it is also more environmentally friendly. SNCF and SNCB, the national railway company of Belgium, have highlighted that the carbon footprint of this train journey is significantly lower compared to travelling by car. Olivier Piron, director of international partnerships at SNCB, stated that "the carbon footprint of a passenger on board one of our new trains between Brussels and Paris will be seven times less than that of a passenger making the same journey by road [in a combustion car]." This is a significant step towards sustainable travel and reducing our impact on the environment.
Interestingly, a recent report from the campaign group Transport and Environment has ranked Eurostar as the worst-performing rail service in Europe. The report, which evaluated 27 operators on factors such as ticket prices, punctuality, and customer satisfaction, found Eurostar's performance to be lacking in many areas. In contrast, Ouigo scored higher than Eurostar and was ranked among the most affordable services, alongside Flixtrain and RegioJet.
In response to the report, a Eurostar spokesperson expressed surprise and disagreement with the conclusions. They stated that they are confident their score would be higher if the report were redone. Metro has reached out to Eurostar for further comment.
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