Europe Rail News: 24 June 2021
Europe Rail News: 24 June 2021
Night trains are making a comeback, Germany plans to reopen closed routes, Norway’s scenic Rauma Railway, and more Europe rail news.
Welcome to another edition of Europe Rail News. This news cycle is dominated by news of night trains, which are making a spectacular comeback across Europe. It wasn't that long ago when it was looking like night trains were going to be removed entirely. Now they are back in favour, with new routes and better cabins.
Here is a round-up of rail news and inspiring stories.
News
Europe
Night trains make a comeback across Europe
"More and more people want to respect the climate when traveling. Now, European overnight trains are making an unexpected comeback as a more sustainable long-distance option."
New network of European sleeper trains planned
"A French start-up aims to run ‘hotels on rails’ from Paris to 12 cities across Europe, including Edinburgh, from 2024."
Midnight Trains aims to reinvent sleeper trains as a ‘hotel on rails’
"Forget about shared compartments: Europe’s new overnight train experience will be more like sleeping in a luxury hotel room."
Europe’s top 10 scenic train journeys
Belgium
Belgian company joins plan to launch night train to Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague
"Belgian night train operator Moonlight Express will expand its planned services between Brussels and Berlin to include stops in Amsterdam and Prague when it kicks off in 2022."
Czech Republic
New train line from Prague to Budapest resumes service
"RegioJet has resumed service on its line from Prague to Vienna and Budapest, with multiple departures daily; a line to Amsterdam is expected next year."
France
Air France looks to up its rail connection service
"Starting next month, Air France is adding seven new services to its ‘Train + Air’ program in collaboration with SNCF French Railways. Travelers will then be able to journey by train to or from 18 domestic destinations, some served by high-speed TGV rail links, from Paris airports on their airline tickets. The move is part of Air France’s efforts to cut domestic CO2 emissions in half over the next three years."
Germany
German railway announces plan to reopen 20 closed routes
"Germany’s national rail operator on Tuesday announced plans to reopen 20 stretches of railway around the country that have been closed over the years, a move intended to help get more people and freight on trains as the country steps up efforts to fight climate change."
FlixTrain enters the overnight market
"Open access operator FlixTrain is to launch an overnight service between Hamburg, Berlin and München on June 17. The company says many FlixBus passengers like to travel overnight, and that it has always believed there is ‘great potential’ for a night train service. ‘We would now like to gain experience to see how passengers react to the new offer’, FlixTrain said."
Great Britain
London to Glasgow train record attempt falls short by... 21 seconds
"An attempt to break the 37-year-old record for London to Glasgow by train ended with the Pendolino 39004 arriving at Glasgow Central Station 21 seconds over time."
Ireland
"The 210 page report, entitled The Atlantic Railway Corridor – The Galway-Mayo Rail Link: An Appraisal was welcomed today by a spokesman for West on Track who said that it “proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a viable and urgently needed project for the economic development of the West of Ireland.”"
Funicular cable railway to Donegal fort planned in €73m tourism investment
Latvia
Rail Baltica hopes to revamp regional transport infrastructure
"The Rail Baltica railway will make its way through Latvia from Ainaži to Bauska. In total, 16 stations are planned on this route. Project implementer Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas say that these stations will be exploited to change the mobility network in the regions, Latvian Radio reported June 17."
Norway
New high-speed trains debut on Oslo airport’s rail link
Discover Norway’s scenic Rauma Railway
"Norway's Romsdal valley is one of the country's natural beauty spots. The best way to experience it is on the scenic Rauma railway."
Slovenia
New daily direct rail link between Vienna, Ljubljana & Trieste starts today
Switzerland
Scenic Swiss train journeys to cherish for a lifetime
Ukraine
FS to develop high-speed rail feasibility study for Ukraine
"Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian Railways, and Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane signed an agreement on a pre-feasibility study for the introduction of high-speed rail traffic in Ukraine. The study is expected to be completed by the end of the year and Ukraine will take important decisions to implement the project."