Rail News
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| Europe is continually speeding up service with its newest generation of trains. |
Updated November 3, 2009
Get More with Your Railpass
Riding the rails through Europe can be less stressful than driving a rental car. It's also environmentally friendlier — and just plain friendly, offering a relaxed way to connect with traveling Europeans. Our online Guide to Eurail Passes will help you sort through the dozens of confusing railpass choices out there, to help you tailor the pass that best fits your travel plans.
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Latest News Briefs
What's happening in Europe? Check Rick Steves' European Headlines for Travelers every weekday for links to news of special interest to travelers.
Rail Service Changes Expected from December 13, 2009
These night trains will be discontinued for both directions of travel as of December 13:
- Strasbourg–Vienna (Paris-Vienna overnight routing will include a change of trains at Munich.)
- Amsterdam-Vienna (Amsterdam-Vienna overnight routing will include a change of trains at Cologne.)
- Amsterdam-Milan (Several connecting routes are possible in the absence of a direct train.)
- Geneva/Zurich-Rome (This leaves no Switzerland-Italy night train. Meanwhile, daytime trains will pick up a little more speed.)
These direct daytime trains will be discontinued, though daytime connections and direct overnight trains will still run:
- Vienna-Venice daytime trains will always require a connection, often including a bus on the leg between Villach and Venice (Venezia Piazzale Roma).
- Munich-Venice daytime trains will always require a connection at Verona (or choose the route via Villach with bus connection).
- Krakow-Prague daytime service will always require one or more connections.
These routes will get faster:
- Amsterdam-Paris high-speed Thalys trains will reduce travel time down to three hours and 18 minutes on direct runs, due to new track opening. Amsterdam-Brussels travel time drops to under two hours, but we'll still prefer the cheaper, unreserved trains for that route.
- Milan-Rome travel time will be cut by 30 minutes, down to three hours, when Italy opens new high-speed track on the Bologna-Florence segment, as well as Novara-Milan and into Naples.
- Munich-Vienna-Budapest fast service via Railjet will increase to five departures per day (but in the reverse direction, one of the five will end at Salzburg instead of Munich).
- Spanish train schedules will continue to change, as they did through 2008, as that country introduces more high-speed service and considers removal of some overnight trains.
Also:
- Switzerland-Italy Cisalpino fast trains will be discontinued December 12 and international service will be re-classified as EuroCity.
Construction Affects Fall Schedules
All revisions apply for both directions of travel. For complete, up-to-date schedules between any two towns in Europe, including small towns and connections, see Train Schedules online, currently published through December 12.
Spanish Hotel Trains (Elipsos) between Madrid or Barcelona and Paris, Zurich, or Milan will be cancelled for several fall travel days and delayed or rerouted on other dates through early December. The Madrid - Paris line that usually runs daily has cancelled two mid-week departures through March. It's always wise to reserve well ahead for these trains, and doing so now will also help you confirm that the service you want is running.
Paris-Milan Artesia Day Trains will run only two direct services most days his fall, cancelling the later afternoon service each way. Other connecting services are also available.
Dublin-Belfast train line is closed due to emergency viaduct repairs. Replacement buses will operate through the end of November.
Dürnstein-Krems trains along the Danube are replaced by a bus until further notice.
Dover-Calais Ferry Service Reduced
SeaFrance will take passengers with vehicles only and stop accepting foot passengers between Calais and Dover at the end of September 2009, so Eurail passholder discounts will no longer apply.
"Easy Access" Reservations for France Pass Holders Only
Travelers with a France Pass now qualify for two reservation rates on fast TGV trains within France (or other domestic trains that may require reservations, such as Corail and Teoz). Any pass that covers France (including multi-country, Eurail-branded passes) qualifies you to reserve a seat for about €3-5 or $11-15 in 1st or 2nd class, but seats at this price can sell out quickly, especially in 2nd class. Once those are sold out, travelers with a France Pass (but not a pass for two or more countries) can choose the new France Easy Access seat reservation for $18-36 in 1st or 2nd class. You're paying more to get a seat on a busy train, but no extra services are included and availability is still limited. Multi-country passholders boarding with the Easy Access reservation can be fined the cost of a full-fare ticket on their route. International reserved trains (such as Eurostar, Thalys, Artesia, and international TGV) have different passholder price ranges.
Details and web foibles:
- For $11-15 per seat, regular TGV seat reservations are all in one limited availability "bucket." When booking these, France Pass and Eurail Pass travelers are differentiated to help keep track of sales. When reserving online at http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/passholderrequest.htm, this rate is currently described as a Eurail passholder fare and the France Pass is not on the list of eligible passes. This is an error. There is no problem for a France passholder to reserve at this price. The error may be fixed online by late September.
- For $18-36, the new France Pass Easy Access reservation rate cannot be used with a pass for more than one country. When reserving online, you'll only learn these fare rules by clicking on the fare type (important here, even though a similar click-through on the rate above brings you to flawed info). Rules are not described during the most visible steps of online check-out, but they do apply.
Italy Schedule and Rule Updates
From June 14, railpass holders can board InterCity trains in Italy without a reservation or extra fee (as is common in most countries), even though point-to-point ticket buyers on the same trains will buy tickets for specific dates and times. Check train schedules online, since some departure schedules and train categories changed in June. The IC Plus category name is no longer in use. For the fastest trains (Eurostar Italia, Eurostar Alta Velocita, and Eurostar City) passholder seat reservation prices have dropped to €10 in Italy, or $15 in the USA.
Eurail Pass Special Raises $28,000 for Bread for the World
Rick's annual spring Eurail pass offer was a success, with 35 travelers helping support a good cause! Read more about how it worked and how you can make your own contribution on our Charity Special page.
Railpass Insurance Coverage Expanded
For purchases from March 30, 2009, Rail Europe's Pass Protection Plan will cover expanded railpass refunds when necessitated by the unexpected illness, injury, or death of the traveler or an immediate family member. See details at How Railpasses Work.
2008-09 Rail Service Changes
Some of these are new as of December 14, 2008, while others changed earlier in 2008. All apply for both directions of travel. For complete, up-to-date schedules between any two towns in Europe, including small towns and connections, see Train Schedules online. All train stations also post schedules and most stations have information agents who can help.
In-Country Daytime Routes:
- Milan-Bologna rail service is faster, dropping from 1.75 hours down to just one hour, which should also benefit passengers continuing to Florence, Rome, or further south.
- Milan-Rome Eurostar AV (Alta Velocità) trains taking just 3.5 hours nonstop increase from one daily roundtrip to several, timed for business travelers.
- Milan-Venice Inter City trains (many of which did not require reservations) are replaced with reserved Eurostar City trains, leaving just a few trains on that route that don't require reservations (though there are a few more unreserved trains to/from Verona instead of Venice).
- Paris-Dijon new, medium-speed (3 hours) non-reserved trains run to/from Paris Bercy station, offering an option to the reserved TGV service (1.5 hours) that runs to/from Paris Lyon station.
- Tours (Loire Valley)-Dijon is now served by two direct weekday regional trains that travel via Nevers, taking 4.5 hours. This provides an alternative to TGV service via Paris, which requires both reservations and changing stations (crossing the city by subway or taxi) in Paris.
- Marseille - Aix-en-Provence rail service resumes as construction was completed on that line.
- Avignon-Paris TGV trains may leave from Avignon Centre station (about 7 departures daily) instead of Avignon TGV station (which hosts most TGVs). It's a good idea to confirm schedules locally, especially if your printed ticket does not specify Avignon Centre or Avignon TGV station.
- Spanish high-speed trains are running on several new lines, serving Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Malaga and Madrid-Valladolid. As more fast lines open, prices tend to go up, and some overnight trains may stop running.
- Barcelona-SanSebastian/Bilbao/Irun faster Alvia service runs once daily, taking about 6 hours, with stops at Pamplona and Zaragoza. Leaves in early morning from Barcelona and late afternoon from the eastern ends.
- Burgos, Spain has a new station, called Burgos Rosa de Lima, located north of the city, replacing the old central station. At least one direct Talgo train between Burgos and Madrid is expected to start running in spring 2009.
- Zurich-Interlaken train service is no longer direct, but still just as fast (2 trains/hour, 2 hrs, with 1 - 2 transfers in Thun, Luzern, Bern, or Spiez).
- Berlin-Hamburg schedules will change from March 1 to June 14, 2008, due to engineering work on that line.
International Daytime Routes:
- Amsterdam-Berlin daytime trains increased from three to five direct daily departures, stopping at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Zuid stations. Trains from Amsterdam Centraal station require a connection.
- Munich-Prague daytime services increased from three to six direct daily departures, in addition to frequent departures with a connection in Salzburg.
- Munich-Vienna-Budapest has additional service by new, high-speed Austrian Railjet trains, starting with one departure in December 2008, several departures per day in April 2009, and more in June.
- Vienna-Prague direct daytime trains increased from 5 to 7 (and 8 on the reverse trip), plus at least 2 departures with a connection at Breclav.
- Vienna-Venice trains dropped from 2 direct daytime trains to 1. Direct overnight train still remains, along with a few connecting options.
- Ljubljana-Venice dropped to two daytime connections (no direct) and an overnight around 2:00 a.m.
- Krakow-Budapest no longer has direct daytime service. Direct overnight train still remains, along with a few connecting options. Daytime trains takes 11 - 12 hours with 1 - 2 changes of train, 2-3 departure choices. Krakow-Eger takes 13-14 hours by day.
Night Trains:
- Paris-Madrid Elipsos Hotel Train runs 5 days/week Dec. 14 – March 26, then returns to daily service.
- Barcelona-Milan and Barcelona-Zurich hotel trains ran three days per week all year in 2008, never daily.
- Paris-Hamburg/Berlin City Night Line train is combined with the Paris-Munich night train, so that it leaves from Paris Est station and the train divides at Mannheim, avoiding Belgium. This train runs only 3 – 4 days/week in winter but returns to daily service from late March to late October.
- Brussels is no longer served by any night train (change to a night train at Köln for many destinations).
- Amsterdam-Vienna/Milan City Night Line trains runs to/from Amsterdam Fri-Sun year-round. The rest of the week, the train runs only to/from Dortmund (change trains there for Amsterdam).
- Amsterdam night trains were added: Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague, Amsterdam-Warsaw-Moscow, and Amsterdam-Vienna. All operate in both directions and also stop in Köln. No need to change trains in Frankfurt. Moscow trains split at Berlin to go to/from Munich and Basel, too. Amsterdam-Berlin arrival is early (4:20 a.m.).
- Germany-International City Night Line trains on several other routes also run only 3 – 4 days/week in winter but return to daily service from late March to late October, including Zurich-Amsterdam/Hamburg (same train on the Zurich end, with cars splitting or joining in Germany) and Amsterdam-Munich/Innsbruck. CNL trains can be reserved starting 6 months in advance.
- Munich-Milan overnight (previously went via Switzerland) discontinued both ways. Munich-Venice and Munich-Florence-Rome overnights still run.
- Munich-Prague overnight discontinued both ways. Frankfurt-Prague overnight still runs both ways.
- Prague-Venice overnight couchette cars (not always shown in schedules but previously bookable in Europe) no longer run and are replaced with sleepers running Prague-Ljubljana-Zagreb.
- Vienna night trains to/from Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Moscow use Vienna Westbahnhof, not Sudbahnhof.
- Paris-Milan-Venice night train departure time may be different from the Eurail timetable.
- Nice-Italy night trains no longer run (to/from Venice/Florence/Rome).
- Nice-Cerbere/Port Bou overnight discontinued both ways (the one that went almost to Barcelona).
- In France, most domestic overnight trains don't have double sleepers (international routes not affected).
- Krakow-Budapest night train travels via Breclav, Czech Republic, rather than through eastern Slovakia. (A second night train runs the eastern route during peak summer season.) That changes the options for traveling from Krakow to Eger, Hungary, too. See details in our Eastern Europe Book Updates online.
- Tallinn-St. Petersburg night train no longer runs. Several buses depart daily.
- Newcastle, England - Norway ferries no longer operate.
Scandinavian Ferries Restrict Youth Travelers
Ferries serving Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn have age restrictions:
Swiss Scenic Excursions
Some of Switzerland's scenic railways have reduced service in winter, including:
- Glacier Express official service closes for maintenance between October 19 and December 13, 2009. Other regional trains continue to serve the route during that period.
- Golden Pass, and Bernina Express train service run a regular winter schedule. The Tirano-Lugano bus portion of the Bernina route does not run after October 18 and restarts in May.
- Wilhelm Tell boat and rail excursion ends for the winter on Octboer 19 restarts in May.
- Chocolate Train finishes for the winter at the end of October and restarts in June.
Wi-Fi Access for Rail Travelers
Wireless Internet access has a toehold in Europe's fast trains and train stations. Services are already available onboard Belgium's Thalys and Sweden's X-2000 departures and are promised for the future on France's TGV trains. Wi-Fi can be found in Eurostar departure stations on both sides of the Chunnel, plus 48 stations (and counting) in France and 31 stations in Switzerland. There is generally a small fee for use, with some exceptions. In stations, buy vouchers at France's "Relay" service points, or Eurostar ticket offices and Travel Centers.
Luggage Tags Mandatory on French trains
For security, all luggage must carry a luggage tag with the traveler's first and last name and current address. This applies to small hand luggage as well bags placed on storage racks above the seats or near the doorways of train cars. Free tags are available at all train stations in France. Luggage tags are also required on Thalys and Eurostar international trains.
