Vital ferry route from UK to France is being axed 3 weeks EARLIER than planned after more than 40 years
A VITAL ferry route to France is being axed three weeks earlier than planned after operating for over 40 years.
Customers have been told they will receive a full refund or alternative travel routes following the shock announcement.
Brittany Ferries has confirmed that the Poole to Cherbourg route will close three weeks earlier than planned.
The last crossing was originally set to take place at the end of the month.
All passengers who were set to be travelling in the latter half of the month will receive a full refund or be provided with alternative travel on Portsmouth routes.
The early axing of the Poole-to-Cherbourg route has occurred for two reasons.
Firstly, Brittany Ferries is selling the vessel which currently operates on the Rosslare/Cherbourg route – Cotentin.
To prepare, the vessel must be withdrawn from the service by mid-October.
Secondly, a back-up vessel, the Commodore Clipper, suffered gearbox failure earlier this month rendering the ferry out of action pending remedial work.
The gearbox issue forced the early closure of the Portsmouth-Le Havre route, but has now meant the company has needed to move Barfleur onto a new route and finish Poole-Cherbourg sailings earlier than planned.
Barfleur, the vessel which has served the crossing since 1992, is set to be moved to the Rosslare/Cherbourg route from October 12.
CEO of Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu, said: “The reality is that, post-Brexit, Rosslare/Cherbourg has become a strategically significant route for Brittany Ferries, carrying nearly 25 percent of all freight traffic so we must prioritise.
“I know there will be disappointment with this operational change, and I apologise to all those travelling from Poole in the latter half of October.
“We shall of course refund tickets or provide alternative travel on routes out of Portsmouth.
“It has been a privilege to serve the Poole-Cherbourg route since 1986.”
The company revealed it would be shutting down the 40-year route owing to growing financial pressures, particularly affected by the pandemic, the EU’s Emissions Trading System and competition on the Eastern Channel.
The crossing closure is forecast to affect around 20 jobs and the decision forms part of a wider restructuring by Brittany Ferries.
Brittany Ferries has confirmed that passengers will still be able to head out to France from Poole, instead via the company’s seasonal service to St Malo.
Customers can also cross the Channel via routes from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo and Roscoff.
A new high-speed crossing between Poole, Guernsey and St Malo is set to be debuted in 2027.
The MS Barfleur first began her voyages between Dorset and France in 1992 and was the shortest journey over the Channel, taking just four hours and 15 minutes.
The crossing garnered a huge amount of success, leading to a £6million refurbishment of the ferry terminal in the 1990s.
The route has faced difficulties more recently, seeing a temporary closure in 2010 following a decrease in ticket sales – however it was reopened in 2013.
One of Europe’s busiest railway stations to close for ‘vital’ works with Eurostar trains cancelled
ONE train station that sees over 167,000 passengers each day will completely close next week.
Due to essential works, no trains will run to or from Amsterdam Centraal on October 3 – this includes Eurostar services to and from St Pancras.
The train station that serves the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands is about to undergo ‘vital’ rail works.
As a result it will be closed for one full day on October 3 with schedules significantly reduced on the two following days between October 4-5.
The upgrades include connecting new tracks around Amsterdam Centraal to the rail network.
ProRail’s construction manager Wai Ko explained: “We are adapting the station step by step so that there will be more space for passengers and trains in the future.
“Over the weekend of October 3, together with contractor Dura Vermeer, we will connect track 11a to the rail network. We will also disconnect track 14a.
“That involves a great deal of visible work, such as physically joining the tracks, as well as a great deal of work that passengers never see.”
Other works taking place will be ‘invisible’, held within the signalling systems in technical rooms and at the traffic-control center.
It’s likely to cause major disruption over the weekend considering that Amsterdam Centraal is the second-busiest railway station in the Netherlands and one of the busiest in Europe.
As a result of the engineering works, Eurostar has said that there will be no trains between St Pancras and Amsterdam between October 3-5.
On its website, Eurostar apologised for the disruption.
On Saturdays there are typically three direct Eurostar routes to Amsterdam Centraal and 15 indirect routes from London St Pancras.
There are also the same number of services between Amsterdam and London.
On Sundays there are usually four direct routes and nine indirect journeys with the same from Amsterdam to London.
Eurostar usually has five direct Amsterdam services on Monday and nine indirect services – on the return are typically five direct trains and six indirect.
Eurostar’s services to Rotterdam will remain unaffected.
If you were due to travel to Amsterdam on these dates – these are the options provided by Eurostar…
Eurostar has provided the following options for those affected by Amsterdam Centraal’s closure between October 3-5…
• Use your ticket to get on or off your train at the station before or after your cancelled stop if your planned journey is only partially disrupted.
• Exchange your booking for free to travel in the same travel class at a different time or date. It only takes a minute to rearrange your trip.
• Cancel your booking and claim an e-voucher. You will have 12 months from the date of your disrupted journey to redeem it on eurostar.com.
• Cancel your booking and get a refund. You’ll receive a refund for the value of your ticket but not for any booking or exchange fees. We’ll process your request within 28 days.
You have three months from the date you were due to travel to claim your preferred option.
Vital ferry route from UK to France is axed EARLIER than planned after more than a decade
A FERRY route connecting England to France is being scrapped earlier than planned after running for 13 years.
The vital transport link, which has been taking passengers across the channel since 2013, was set to be axed at the end of September.
However, the Brittany Ferries route between Portsmouth and Le Havre in France is being stopped earlier than planned.
The scrapping of the ferry route was initially given the green light due to financial challenges, with September 28 outlined as its final sailing date.
However, the service has been forced to retire early, due to technical issues with the Brittany Ferries Commodore Clipper vessel.
In a statement, the company confirmed that the final voyages would not be made and apologised to passengers.
A Brittany Ferries spokesperson said: “We apologise to all affected customers, and are sorry that the route can’t complete its final sailings; we know many had hoped to be part of them.
“It has been a pleasure for all at Brittany Ferries to link Portsmouth and Le Havre since 2013.”
The statement continued: “The current economic context means the route is no longer viable and, sadly, we have had to make the difficult decision to close it.”
The cuts to various Brittany Ferries routes were announced back in June.
The business explained that it was having to “adapt” and “plan for a secure future” after facing a bill of €27 million in 2026.
Brittany Ferries also confirmed the end of its Poole to Cherbourg service, which will set sail for a final time on October 31.
This particular ferry route has been in operation, in either a passenger or freight capacity, for over 50 years.
The Poole to Cherbourg route is set to be replaced by a daily service from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, which will begin in November, as part of a “more efficient” schedule.