You’ll soon be able to fall asleep in Paris and wake up in Berlin thanks to the return of Austrian rail operator ÖBB’s night train service.
25.08.2023 - 14:22 / skift.com / Edward Russell
Spain’s rail operator Renfe has begun testing two new cross-border high-speed rail routes to France that could begin carrying passengers by summer.
Renfe tested through AVE train service from Madrid Atocha to Marseille on Tuesday, and from Barcelona Sants to Lyon on Monday. Once driver training and familiarization is complete, the operator aims to begin initial revenue service of three weekly trains on each route by summer. Renfe plans to increase the number of trains on both routes to twice daily — or 28 high-speed trains a day between France and Spain — under its second phase service plan.
Renfe did not disclose the expected duration of both routes. However, the Madrid-Marseille service would make 13 intermediate stops, including in Barcelona; and the Barcelona-Lyon route would make seven stops, including in Perpignan.
Expanding cross-border rail links is a goal of European Union authorities as they aim to cut the bloc’s carbon emissions. While many individual countries have invested in their own high-speed rail networks, connections between the networks are limited. Only about 7 percent of cross-border trips in Europe are made by rail, according to the European Commission’s DG Move department.
The rail link between France and Spain first opened in 2013. Renfe and France’s SNCF previously cooperated on cross-border rail service between Barcelona and both Lyon and Marseille but terminated their partnership in December. The SNCF operated Barcelona-Lyon trains made the trip in roughly 5 hours. Renfe’s new through trains will replace some of the services previously operated under the partnership.
SNCF operates three daily high-speed TGV trains between Barcelona Sants and Paris Gare de Lyon.
You’ll soon be able to fall asleep in Paris and wake up in Berlin thanks to the return of Austrian rail operator ÖBB’s night train service.
If you prefer ski holidays to beach breaks, get ready to hop aboard the Eurostar Snow train.
The CEO of bankrupt Scandinavian airline SAS, Anko Van der Werff, does not see the carrier’s position in the northern European market as “diminished” by recent market share grabs from the likes of Norwegian Air and Ryanair.
The Eurostar train is launching a new weekly service this winter, making it easier to get to the French Alps in time for ski season.
The price of airline tickets has reached an all-time high this year. With costs soaring, passengers are desperately searching for cheap flights.
As flight-free travel gains momentum, European train journeys are experiencing a renaissance.
The European Union has upheld France’s landmark climate law that bans select flights on routes where trains are time competitive.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, November 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn will reduce travel times between Munich and Stuttgart to under two hours when a new high-speed rail line opens in December.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, December 6. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
JetBlue Airways will land on the European continent next summer with new flights to Paris.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, December 9. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.