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APRIL 2020 businesstraveller.comR
ailservicesacrossmainlandEuropearebeing
invigorated.Thereareseveralreasonsforthis,
mostnotablyconcernfortheenvironmentand
the arrival of new operators. In the case of the
former, the growing “flight shame” movement
has contributed to an 11 per cent increase in rail
traffic in Sweden and an expansion of services
in Switzerland, with Swiss-Franco company TGV Lyria
boosting capacity on its routes by 30 per cent. In Germany,
a VAT cut on long-distance tickets (part of the government’s
climate package) led to a record 12.2 million passengers
travelling on Deutsche-Bahn in January.
Meanwhile, a number of newcomers have appeared on
the scene as the European Union promotes competition for
state-owned rail incumbents. This, in turn, is encouraging
current rail operators to expand their existing services and
introduce new ones. A more serious challenge is set to come
from high-speed international competition. For example,
while not included here because approval is still awaited from
France’s rail regulator, Arafer, Italian state-owned operator
Thello is planning to operate from Milan to Paris in June.
Here is a round-up of ten services on the Continent to
have on your radar.- EUROSTAR AMSTERDAM-LONDON
The full potential of Eurostar’s London-Amsterdam route
will be unleashed on April 30 when the operator launches
direct twice-daily services from Amsterdam to London,
to be followed on May 18 by Rotterdam-London (details
correct as we went to press). Currently, passengers have to
take a Thalys train from the Netherlands to Brussels, clear
immigration and security checks, and then take the Eurostar
to St Pancras International. The London-Amsterdam leg
already runs direct up to three-times daily, and the operator
plans to add more frequencies in both directions. eurostar.com - NIGHTJET VIENNA-BRUSSELS
In January, Austria’s Nightjet extended its Viennese network
to include Brussels, with Amsterdam due to follow in 2021.
Granted, Nightjet’s sleeper service plies Brussels Midi-
Vienna only twice a week (with a third service planned for
December), but it is a start and hopefully frequency will be
increased in the future. Note that these overnight services
mean en route possibilities, such as Liege in Belgium and
Linz and Innsbruck in Austria. nightjet.com
RAIL
JANA ERIKSSON; OBB/HARALD EISENBERGER- MTRX STOCKHOLM-GOTHENBURG
MTRX, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based MTR Group,
operates regular services between Stockholm and
Gothenburg, using Stadler Flirt trains (the same new
trainsets operated by Greater Anglia – see “Track changes”,
February 2020 issue). They cover the 457km route in three
hours 15 minutes. mtrx.travel/en - DEUTSCHE-BAHN MUNICH-BERLIN
Many readers will know about Deutsche-Bahn’s ICE
trains, which operate services to Cologne, Hamburg
and Frankfurt. Lesser known is its new 623km route
linking Munich with Berlin via Nuremburg and Leipzig.
Schedules range between three hours 55 minutes and
four hours 40 minutes, two hours faster than previous
timings. bahn.co.uk - TGV LYRIA PARIS-SWITZERLAND
TGV Lyria is capitalising on flight shame and targeting
the corporate market with a capacity boost of 30 per cent
by using duplex trainsets. Regular three-class, high-speed
trains link Paris Lyon to Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and
Zurich in journey times of three to four hours. tgv-lyria.com
Continental rail services
are expanding, with new
competitors spurring
existing rail operators
to up their gameTRAINS TO TRY