Love it or loathe it, the Snow Train from London to the French Alps was certainly ‘an experience’. Now, citing a weak pound and higher costs, the S Train is not leaving from any platform.

There is a chance that Rail Europe may re-instate what some consider to be an institution next season. Others, for whom the Disco Coach holds no fond memories, will not bat an eyelid.

The idea of getting on a train at Waterloo, then not having to touch your overburdened and overlong bags again until Bourg St Maurice, is certainly appealing. Anyone who’s fought their way through airports with ski bags scything down the unwary, paid over the odds to airlines for their luggage, then prayed that said bags appear at the arrival carousel the same day as their owners, may well be dewy-eyed.

Then again, there are those who will not miss being woken up by the Student Ski-trip cretin who (at 4 in the morning) has gained access to the conductor’s public address system. Now, I like the Kings of Leon, but I don’t care what is ‘on fire’ that early in the morning – unless it’s life threatening. Sliding around on a beer sodden floor in the Disco Coach, as the train wobbles along, has little going for it. This is particularly so when the Disco’s 15 watt music system had obviously been inexpertly ripped out of a brown 1970’s Peugeot, with the previous incumbent’s music cassette still stuck in the machine.

However times do move on, even in the world of railway cum snow nostalgia. Trains have improved, pa systems have a keycode, and cassettes are a thing of the past (fortunately the Kings of Leon are still here). Eurostar offer a replacement that runs direct: London, Ebbsfleet or Ashford to Moutiers, Aime la Plagne, and Bourg St Maurice (from £149). The night train leaves on Friday evening, with the return trian on Saturday night, giving a potential eight days in the resort. This get’s you to Bourg St Maurice in just under 12 hours, from there the likes of Les Arcs, Val d’Isere and Tignes are but a short hop, while Moutiers gives you the Trois Vallees and more, and Aime la Plagne serves La Plagne (curiously enough).

There’s also a cheaper option (from £124) that uses SNCF trains after the Eurostar arrives in Paris Gare du Nord. These leave from Gare de Lyon, or Gare Austerlitz, with a wider range of destinations (including (big breath): Annecy, Briançon, Bourg St Maurice, Chamonix, Val d’Isère, Morzine, Grenoble, Serre Chevalier, St Moritz, Klösters, Lourdes, Barèges, Les Angles, St Lary, Pas de la Casa, Soldeu, Bardonecchia and St Anton – Phew!).

For other eco-friendly ways to get to the Alpes, check out the GreenTraveller website. Author Richard Hammond is awash with ways to Green your way to the slopes.

The Snow Train is dead, long live the Ski Train.