French summer night train extension to the Basque coast launched
The extension of the night train Paris-Lourdes to the Basque coast was launched by SNCF last Friday. The night train to Hendaye runs for two months this summer, until 28 August.Read more
Thibault Constant on why Amtrak has the most pleasant long-distance trains
If there is anyone who is experienced in taking the train, it is Thibault Constant. On his Youtube channel Simply Railway he reports on train trips across the world. Having spent more than 300 nights...Read more
SNCF launches OUIGO Classic trains on historical tracks
SNCF kicked-off its OUIGO Classic services on Monday. The trains offer low-cost tickets to destinations on the Lyon-Paris-Nantes arch using refurbished rolling stock on some of France’s most historical tracks.Read more
Brussels OK Italian long-distance rail compensation scheme
Italy will be allowed to compensate commercial rail passenger operators for the loss of income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission ruled earlier this week.Read more
Major punctuality drop long-distance trains Deutsche Bahn
A quarter of long-distance trains in Germany did not arrive on time in 2021. According to Deutsche Bahn, a combination of rail strikes, corona lockdowns and floods are the culprit. Read more
Will open access come to Dutch cross-border train connections?
There is a good chance that in the Netherlands, long-distance cross-border train connections that are part of the main rail network concession would also be established in open access. Open access would be a modest...Read more
‘Long distance passenger and cross-border freight equally important’
On the same day the TEN-T regulation was revised, the European Commission published the Action Plan to Boost Long-Distance and Cross-Border Passenger Rail. Such a plan is also needed for rail freight, says the UIRR....Read more
Madrid-Barcelona high-speed trains exceed pre-pandemic passenger numbers
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, more passengers travelled on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line than before the health crisis. The growing trend is expected to continue with the introduction of third operator Ilsa,...Read more
FlixTrain criticises Deutschlandtakt: ‘nobody wants a twenty-minute train’
According to FlixTrain director André Schwämmlein, it is completely unnecessary to run a train every twenty minutes on long-distance routes, as the German government and DB advocate. The supply should be densified at the times...Read more
Deutschlandtakt: when Germany wants to synchronise all its trains
Germany has a major project for the full clockface timetable of all passenger trains. The aim would be to synchronise both long-distance and regional traffic, which is not always the case today.Read more
DB expects busiest weekend of the year after strike
Passenger trains in Germany continue as usual after the strike of the GDL union ended at 2.am on Friday. When the strike for passenger traffic began on Wednesday, only 25 percent of long-distance trains could...Read moreFlixtrain doubles routes in Germany and launches first night train
FlixTrain is doubling the number of routes in its network. For the first time, it includes the route Hamburg – Berlin and Munich – Frankfurt. The private operator is also launching its first night line...Read more