Rail News: A Crystal Ball for 2005 and Beyond
By Rick Steves
Europe Through the Back Door is one of the top sellers of railpasses in the United States. We get our passes from the country's leading wholesaler, Rail Europe. I just enjoyed a lunch with the head of Rail Europe (Fabrice Morel) and his leading staff people. As we compared notes and concerns, he shared his vision for where rail travel is headed in Europe. While nothing is really certain, here are some thoughts on where we may be railing.
Railpass sales were up 20 percent in 2004 for both ETBD and Rail Europe. Twelve million Americans traveled to Europe in 2004, and lots of them enjoyed riding the rails. Americans are tending to travel with smaller passes rather than the big, classic 17-country Eurailpass. In 2004, we sold more than 17,000 passes, and only 2,000 of those were Eurailpasses. The best-selling passes are the mix-and-match, three- to five-country Eurail Selectpasses.
In 2004, the two-country passes (e.g., France/Italy, France/Spain) were very successful. In 2005 German/Denmark and Greece/Italy have been added. We'll see more of these in the future. Two-country passes that include Switzerland don't work as well — while the Swiss national rail lines are covered, those with a focused trip to Switzerland usually want to use the private, scenic high-altitude lines (which are generally not as well covered by multi-country passes). As European countries are having a tough time agreeing on big multi-country pass prices, more and more will negotiate and offer two-country deals. Eventually countries may dispense with railpasses altogether and offer only point-to-point fares. This will take away some of the fun of Eurail travel — going where you like, when you like, by simply hopping on a train and flashing your pass.
Europe has a powerful vision for slick and speedy train travel. The network of bullet trains is spreading steadily across the Continent. In 2007, the new TGV line from Paris to Strasbourg (making the trip in 2.5 hours) will be complete, opening the way for zippy connections between France and the great cities of Germany. Also in 2007, the new dedicated Eurostar ("Chunnel") line into London will be complete, cutting the Paris-to-London train journey time from 2.5 hours to about two hours flat (with the trip under the English Channel taking only about 15 min).
Speaking of Eurostar, the Paris-London supertrain is a huge hit, but comes with ever more complex pricing. And as they try to wring as much money as possible out of this impressive line, the pricing will only get more convoluted. Since more businesspeople use this train to get between London and Paris than all airlines combined, Eurostar hopes to have travel agencies selling their rail tickets on airline-booking computer programs. Because air tickets are priced according to departure point, this might mean that Eurostar prices will vary depending on where you leave from (Paris, Brussels, or London). Some bad news for American travelers: There was a recent tabloid-type scandal exposing how many British travelers were buying tickets as Americans (who, when booking from the United States, receive preferable rates). This resulted in an uproar among British travelers, and — to recoup lost goodwill — the Eurostar folks are phasing out the discounted prices for us traveling Yanks.
Sure, rail travel is getting pricey. But if you've never experienced 21st-century rail travel (and you haven't, if your experience is limited to rail travel in the U.S.), you may find that it's still about the best travel deal going.
Every year, on January 1, prices and passes offered are tweaked. For 2005, Eurailpass prices are staying the same, while Selectpasses and single-country railpasses went up about five percent. BritRail passes will see the biggest price hike, going up 10 percent. (The Brits feel their pass was way underpriced in 2004.) These increases are to recoup losses from the falling value of our dollar. The euro, now worth nearly $1.30, is at an all-time high against the dollar. As our dollar drops, prices in Europe will rise (but, until next January 1, rail pass prices are fixed regardless of our dollar's fate).
Railpass Changes for 2005
Find complete prices and details in Rick Steves' 2005 online Guide to European Railpasses.
Passes Discontinued in 2005
• Prague Excursion Pass: Last day to purchase is December 29.
• London Visitor Travel Card: Last day to purchase from ETBD is March 31, 2005; vouchers can be exchanged for use in London through March 31, 2006.
New Regional Passes for 2005
• Austria & Czech Republic: Flexipass offering 4–10 days of travel within 2 months.
• Austria, Slovenia, & Croatia: Flexipass offering 4–10 days of travel within 2 months.
• Greece & Italy: Flexipass offering 4–10 days of travel within 2 months.
• Germany & Denmark: Flexipass offering 5, 6, 8, or 10 days of travel within 2 months.
• Hungary, Slovenia, & Croatia: Flexipass offering 5, 6, 8, or 10 days of travel in 2 months.
Changes implemented for 2005
• Eurail 17-country passes: No change to adult or saver rates; youth rates drop an average 7%. No change to countries covered.
• Select passes: Adult and saver rates increase 5%; youth rates drop 4%. New regions available to choose as one "country" are Slovenia/Croatia or Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro. Italy can link directly to Spain (without passing through France) thanks to new ferry service.
• Austrian Flexipass: Prices increase 2–10%.
• Britrail Passes: Most fares increased 10–13%; except Scotland pass to rise 46%.
• Czech Flexipass: Prices increase 8–16%.
• European East Pass: Prices increase 2–16%.
• Finnrail Flexipass: Average 16% price increase.
• France Pass: Average 4–5% price increase.
• France & Italy Pass: Prices increase 4%.
• France & Spain Pass: Prices increase 4%.
• Great British Heritage Pass: Prices increase 20–45%.
• Holland Railpass: Prices increase 25%.
• Hungarian Flexipass: Prices increase 4%. New structure offering 5–10 days of travel and 1st or 2nd class option.
• Portugese Flexipass: Prices increase 23%.
• Romanian Flexipass: Prices to drop 3%.
• Switzerland & Austria Pass: 3–5% rise for adult and saver fares; 5% drop for youths.
• Swiss Passes: Prices increase 3–8%, including Swiss Card and Swiss Transfer Ticket.
• Trenitalia Pass: Prices increase 7 - 18%.
• Rail & Drive Passes: Most types have a price increase of about 5%, except 17-country Eurail.
No Change in 2005
• Balkan Flexipass
• Benelux Tourrail Pass
• Bulgarian Flexipass
• German Flexipass
• Germany & Benelux Pass
• Iberic Flexipass (name changes to Spain & Portugal)
• Norway Railpass
• Scanrail Pass
• Spain Flexipass