mint Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 [url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3206426/U-S-Marines-armed-gunman-onboard-high-speed-train-Amsterdam-Paris.html[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I don't know Mint, I've never been to Nowhere [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 OK then, is Anywhere safe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Nowhere to Anywhere is a great distance, my dear Nimt, and there are many pitfalls in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lehaut Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Nowhere is an unincorporated community in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. Nowhere is located at the southeast end of Fort Cobb Reservoir 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-southwest of Albert and 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Anadarko.But to answer the question, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Pessimist, though I think that tours of Mosul and Palmyria are probably best avoided for the next week or two. But you could probably get your deposit back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Our elder son was on a Eurostar out of Paris to London at around 20.00 yesterday evening.SNCF must have acted pretty quickly to divert that Thalys train off of the TGV mainline, because he knew nothing of the problem and wasn't delayed at all.Chancer may be able to confirm, but I reckon that they took the affected train off on to the so-called classic line to get it out of the way and in to Arras where they could 'manage' the incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 The TGV's and RER's share the same lines through that secteur I think but that will be the first time that the Lille-Paris TGV will have stopped at Arras, thank god it did though, had it gone on to the scheduled stop at the gare de betteraves (TGV Haute Picardie) the response time would have been in weeks not minutes.I think the Police municipale are more capable of dealing with terrorist actions than the betterave munching rural Gendarmeries also the hospital services are capable of reacting to large scale incidents and regularly rehearse their response plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 The terrorist is supposed to have got on the train in Brussels. Given that baggage and people are searched and x-rayed there, something has gone badly wrong with Belgian security. One can only suppose that he had help to get his arms past the scanners. Up to the police to find who was responsible.He was also known to the security services, so why was he not flashed up when he got on the train - false papers, I guess. Perhaps we will all have to use fingerprints or similar in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Nothing amiss with Belgian security. There is none. Nada, nothing, no scanners, no body searches, no baggage checks.Security is only there for Eurostar trains to the UK (Paris, Lille and Brussels).There is (perhaps that might now be was) no more security for other TGV services than there is for a local train - and that applies in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 The reality is that no situation (other than locking yourself in your own loo (24/7) is totally safe these days.It would be impossible to vet all boarding passengers on national & international (Eurostar excepted) rail networks. Equally & worse, you can't search everybody who wants to spend time in any of the European city squares you could name on a Summer evening like this.Sadly, the bad guys have the upper hand.You have to take the view that the chances of being 'affected' are long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JandM Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Thalys isn't Eurostar, so I don't think that their trains are subject to the security checks that you get when you're leaving or entering the UK. If that's the case, it wouldn't have made a jot of difference whether the terrorist had got on the train at Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris or anywhere else within the Schengen area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Discussions on travel safety will continue with plenty of politicians etc telling everyone what should be done. Great thanks are due to the men who stepped in and prevented what could have been another massacre.I loved it that the maire of Arras presented some of those brave men with medals; do all mairies have a drawer full of medals in case a brave deed takes place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Chancer, this was a Thalys train, so I was wondering if that usually stops in Arras? If you know, ofcourse[:)]? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 GG, I wondered that about the medals too! Not much mention of it on TV news, just a picture of the 3 guys holding the medals, but it was so soon after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 They don't.The TGV line from Paris (& the 'avoiding' line via CDG) runs direct to Lille Europe & Lille Flandres for Eurostar and TGV services and to Brussels for Thalys trains (and then on to Holland & Germany).There are some TGV services which run from Paris & other locations and which leave the high speed line just before Arras to call there. They continue to Lille and (I think) places like Dunkirk.I'm (almost!) certain that all Thalys services are non-stop between Paris & Brussels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 But the trains can be rerouted via Arras if necessary but it may not be a TGV dedicated line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote user="gardengirl "]I loved it that the maire of Arras presented some of those brave men with medals; do all mairies have a drawer full of medals in case a brave deed takes place?[/quote]Yes, we do have medals in our mairie[:D] Gold ones and silver ones too, for "lesser" acts!However, I have only seen them given for service to the community and such like though, if some brave Americans (or indeed any brave people of any nationality), were to disable any terrorists in our village, I am sure the gold medals will be pressed into service.Lovely recognition on the part of the maire of Arras, I thought, such a nice gesture, don't you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote user="mint"][quote user="gardengirl "]I loved it that the maire of Arras presented some of those brave men with medals; do all mairies have a drawer full of medals in case a brave deed takes place?[/quote]Yes, we do have medals in our mairie[:D] Gold ones and silver ones too, for "lesser" acts!However, I have only seen them given for service to the community and such like though, if some brave Americans (or indeed any brave people of any nationality), were to disable any terrorists in our village, I am sure the gold medals will be pressed into service.Lovely recognition on the part of the maire of Arras, I thought, such a nice gesture, don't you think?[/quote]I think that's a good idea, ready for whenever they are needed! You learn something new about France every day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Have a look at the picture at the bottom of THIS report on the BBCIf this is an example of Belgium's finest then any terrorist must be shaking in his boots - notI reckon even I could get away from them at a slow jog [:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereford Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Agree Pierre. Have you seen the photo of Hollande with the men after giving them their medals? Someone should tell him that to keep your jacket done up when you have your arms around men a lot taller makes you look silly. His tailor must weep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 If it was just his tailor, fine, but now it is most of the French nation, at least, the more sane part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 [quote user="Gardian"]The reality is that no situation (other than locking yourself in your own loo (24/7) is totally safe these days. .[/quote]Not even that if your name is Steenkamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I have to say it is strange and worrying that the French staff locked themselves in a room and wouldn't allow any passengers in including a couple with their children. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hollande's tailor must weep? Never seen the president in a proper fitting suite yet. Maybe he should simply get a good tailor.And yes, the rail staff did lock themselves away all safe and sound, were they the ones who were feliciated today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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