Will Gemini Trains leave the station any time soon?

Q Do you think the new Gemini services from London to Paris will actually happen?

Rebecca H

A Gemini Trains is one of several contenders aiming to compete with Eurostar, the incumbent operator from London St Pancras International to Paris, Brussels and the Netherlands. Eurostar has had the lucrative cross-Channel passenger train market to itself since the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994.

The start-up plans to purchase 10 new trains for the service and promises “competitive fares on comfortable, high-quality and frequent train services between the UK and continental Europe”. If it is permitted to launch trains through the Channel Tunnel, services will not start from the terminal at St Pancras – but six miles down the track at Stratford International.

Stratford is served by the Elizabeth Line from central London, Heathrow airport and Reading. Two Underground lines – the Central and Jubilee – provide other connections, as does the London Overground, Greater Anglia and the Docklands Light Railway. Regrettably, it is a 10-minute walk from Stratford’s main station to the International station, but perhaps some kind of shuttle will be provided. Gemini Trains will also call at Ebbsfleet, the north Kent station mothballed by Eurostar since Covid and Brexit.

Gemini’s chances of success improved sharply when the transport tech giant Uber said it would go into partnership. Services from Stratford to Paris Nord and Brussels Midi could begin by 2030 – which might look an age away, but in international rail terms is relatively swift. One big concern is stabling for the trains; Temple Mills depot is close to full just with Eurostar trains. As well as Gemini Trains, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Italy’s state railway operator FS Italiane Group are hoping to start services from London to Paris. I expect at least one of them to launch – hopefully, all three will do so. The High Speed 1 line and the Channel Tunnel are both running at about half their capacity, and the traveller deserves better.

open image in gallery

Q You have been writing about fare dodging and the complexity of rail fares. Perhaps a small number of exceptionally quiet off-peak services could be free? That would allow legitimate travel for those who can’t afford to travel at convenient times.

Peter C

A Your idea is well worth an airing. Fresh thinking about public transport is much needed. As a frequent rail passenger across the UK, I always feel despondent when boarding (for example) an early afternoon midweek train and find I am virtually the only passenger in a carriage built for 70 or 80: what a waste of safe, swift capacity. Could it not be used to transport people who are currently not paying? This would provide much-needed mobility, and possibly tempt motorists to switch to the train.

Well, I have modelled what might happen if, for example, the 1.18pm Greater Anglia service on a Wednesday from London Liverpool Street to Clacton in Essex was declared free. This is one of many such trains that are almost certain to be lightly loaded. It stops nine times along the way to the resort at the end of the line, including Chelmsford and Colchester.

I predict that most passengers who would normally travel around lunchtime on trains to those cities would switch to the free option. In addition, people whose final destination is Ipswich or Norwich would take the opportunity to cut the cost of their journey. They would avail of the free train and pay only for the segment onwards from Colchester. They would change trains and wait for the next express to Suffolk and Norfolk, which would become extremely crowded with people who had the same plan.

Moving motorists to trains is a noble ambition, but I must point out that Luxembourg introduced nationwide free travel five years ago, and traffic congestion is still terrible. Perhaps, though, I can finesse your concept by recommending a heavily discounted fare – perhaps £5 compared with a typical price of £20. That is pitched temptingly low for people who currently travel ticketless to conclude fare dodging is not worth the risk – but not quite so cheap that mayhem breaks out on Greater Anglia as existing passengers converge on a bargain train. The train operator will soon come under UK government control – a good moment to test the concept.

open image in gallery

Q I read your article about easyJet passengers spending 23 hours travelling from Palma to Liverpool. Two things intrigued me: is it normal for a person whose condition causes a diversion to be allowed back on the flight? And will the passengers be due any compensation?

Jenny R

A An easyJet plane from Mallorca to Merseyside was at 38,000 feet over southwest France shortly after midnight on Wednesday when crew were alerted to a male passenger experiencing a health issue. The pilots decided to divert, turned around and landed half an hour later at Bordeaux airport.

Paramedics attended the aircraft. The passenger, who was able to walk off the aircraft, was taken to a local hospital for a check-up. While that was happening, the normal procedure would be for the plane to refuel and continue its journey. But no fuel was available due to the late hour, and the flight could not continue. As a result, everyone was offloaded. Passengers had to spend almost all of the next day in Bordeaux as a new crew was found for the flight.

Happily, the gentleman who was unwell on the original flight was also on board after undergoing checks and being passed as fit to fly. So there was no reason for him not to fly home with everyone else (including the original crew, who travelled back as passengers).

This is far from normal. In almost all other cases, one or both of the following happens: the medical condition is serious enough to warrant extended medical treatment, or the flight is able to continue once the passenger (and their baggage) have left the aircraft.

It is clear that easyJet was dealt a difficult hand, with almost all hotels in the area full. Some passengers had to spend the night – and much of the following day – at the airport. Under air passengers’ rights rules, no one is entitled to any cash compensation. Unlike “delay repay” on the railways, the deciding factor for a payout is whether the airline was at fault. When the pilots divert due to concern for a passenger’s health, that is classed as an “exceptional circumstance” and easyJet is excused from paying compensation.

open image in gallery

Q We will be visiting our daughter in Australia this November and will spend some time in Adelaide en route. We would also like to visit Kangaroo Island. Is this doable on a day trip or would you recommend a stay on the island?

Chris B

A Kangaroo Island lies west of Cape Jervis in South Australia, which itself is about 100km (62 miles) southwest of the state capital, Adelaide. It is Australia’s third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Islands in the Northern Territory – and bigger than some sizeable English counties, such as Kent and Cornwall. Yet if you want simply to see some highlights, there are plenty of tours that will take you there for the day. They mostly involve the ferry from Cape Jervis – a 45-minute voyage to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island.

Three main island attractions are on the western half of the south coast: sea lions frolicking at Seal Bay Conservation Park; the weirdly sculpted Remarkable Rocks on the edge of the Southern Ocean; and the boardwalk descent towards another natural feature, Admirals Arch, at Kangaroo Island’s version of Land’s End. The other essential: Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, plumb in the middle of the island, where you can see the island’s distinctive kangaroos – shorter, stockier and darker than the mainland marsupials.

If time and money are not on your side, go for the Sealink one-day trip from Adelaide, costing $227 (£109). While it is a long day – 16 hours – you will get a sense of the island. Ideally, though, make it a longer adventure: three days with a rental car from Adelaide. This will allow you to pause and enjoy the scenery of the Fleurieu Peninsula along the way rather than racing through to Cape Jervis. More importantly, it will give you time to appreciate the island in more depth. In particular, you should sample at least a few hours of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail.

The stretch of this trans-island path running east from the Southern Ocean Lodge is particularly rewarding for both coastal views and inland nature. If you plan to splash out at any time during your Australian trip, and have an industrial-strength credit card, consider staying there for two nights (the minimum stay) – for around £3,500.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder