Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.
20.12.2023 - 00:39 / forbes.com / London
Anyone looking for the best train trips in Europe to rival flying was given a boost by the reopening of the Paris-Berlin night train this month. Likewise, it's good news for travelers passing under the English Channel, as many new train startups are throwing their hat in the ring to operate this route.
This month, the Biden administration announced more than $8 billion in investment to improve U.S. train routes, notably high speed legs across California and Nevada—the biggest investment since Amtrak was created over 50 years ago. Across the Atlantic, after nine years out of action, the Paris-Berlin night train made a heralded return.
It might not be the most luxurious train route across Europe—that prize arguably goes to the three-night Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journey which from summer 2024 will also stop at the Italian Riviera gem of Portofino—but fortunately many of the new services starting in Europe don't have the $8,500 price tag to match.
The train is an obvious choice for people who value the economics of travelling in a sleeping car overnight across Europe, leaving Berlin at 8.18pm in the evening and arriving just after ten the following morning, in time for a fresh croissant. If required, there's still time to head onto a Eurostar service and be in London for lunch. Run by the Austrian rail operator ÖBB, which also runs follow-on trains from Berlin to Vienna, the new night train offers three services per week but this will rise to a daily service by Autumn of next year.
Early tickets sold out almost immediately—demand is high and increasing across Europe, as the ecological tide is turning in favor of trains. Every EU country has to find its own way to meet stricter environmental objectives to reduce carbon emissions and the EU has an ambitious plan to double high-speed train travel by 2030. This week, the EU signed preliminary legislation to implement a Trans-European transport network (TEN-T) that works seamlessly from country to country without interruptions or missing links. Many countries such as France are implementing individual measures, such as banning air routes where there are train routes of under 2.5 hours.
The biggest issues are price and bottlenecks. While new airline flights can be added relatively easily, train lines (particularly new ones) need billions of investment and lots of time. Then there's the issue of different track sizes and in the U.K.'s case, the need to process passengers through immigration at a faster rate than is currently the case.
The Eurostar, the company running high-speed trains from London to Paris, currently cannot process travelers fast enough through terminals or border control—there is a lack of staff to get 900 people on each train in time to
Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.
The new financing significantly deleverages Travelport’s balance sheet, giving the company a more robust long-term capital structure. It positions Travelport to continue investing in its technology platforms and further innovating new, exceptional ways for the travel industry to serve customers.
Paris to Venice. Barcelona to Amsterdam. Brussels to Bratislava, Slovakia. European cities could see a flurry of new rail connections in the next few years, as governments and private investors respond to climate concerns and strive to keep up with strong demand for cross-border passenger rail traffic.
Fuel efficient airplane becomes Iceland’s new flying ambassador. Direct flights from London Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol.
New non-stop flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Verona (Italy), Narvik-Lofoten Islands (Norway) and Kalamata (Greece). Resumption of service to Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA). Extension through summer of service to Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina, USA), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Tromsø (Norway).
The principals of the innovative London and New York-based travel company Black Tomato made their name by assembling detail-oriented and sometimes very out of the way travel plans for exceedingly curious, adventurous clients. Having surveyed the market to ascertain what their clients are interested in now and the changes they see in the travel landscape, they’ve come up with the ways they see that travel happening in the next year and in what parts of the world those ambitious travelers could be.
You might be tempted to plan your next train adventure around the many new train routes popping up across Europe.
Travellers in the UK are being warned of hazardous driving conditions and disruptions to rail and air transport as Storm Gerrit batters the country.
Travellers in the UK are being warned of hazardous driving conditions and disruptions to rail and air transport as Storm Gerrit batters the country.
Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is going all out for the end of the year by offering a whopping 50 percent off its already low airfare to Europe.
A last minute Eurostar strike has ruined Christmas travel plans for Brits with tickets booked this afternoon.
Do you already have 2024 New Year’s Eve plans? What if you could celebrate the ball dropping twice in one day? The Napa Valley Wine Train is partnering with the legendary Grgich Hills winery for “Midnight In Paris: A Legacy NYE Celebration” to commemorate not only the new year but also to honor Winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich who recently passed away at the age of 100.