train travel

I'm currently twenty-three hours into a forty-seven hour trip on Amtrak's Empire Builder train, a journey which travels more than halfway across the US, from Seattle to Chicago. As I write this, the train is hurtling across Montana's northern plains between Malta and Glasgow. To the north, it's dead flat as far as the eye can see; to the south, there are hills in the distance, but they are mostly insignificant.

This is a distinct change from earlier in the day, as the train weaved its way through the Rocky Mountains, so high in altitude that even the tracks were covered in snow.

This is farming country - the landscape is occasionally interrupted by farmhouses, barns, grain silos and graveyards of rusted-out agricultural machinery. I haven't seen a car on the road that runs beside the railway line for about half an hour, and I can't recall the last place where my mobile broadband device had a signal.

Not wanting to shell out $400 or more for a sleeper, I've chosen coach class, which effectively means being unable to lie down and stretch out for two nights in a row. The seats in couch class do have the ability to recline quite a way, and have a decent legrest that pops up, but it's still not quite the same as having a bed to stretch out on. I'm fortunate that the train is more than half-empty and I have staked a claim on both my seats; this let me lie across both of them during the previous night and get around eight hours of - frequently interrupted - sleep. Not ideal, but considerably better than a bus.

The entire journey costs $153; possibly less if booked in advance - but, strangely, at least $100 more if broken in the middle for a night. As you might imagine, I've decided not to go with that option, and thus am in it for the long haul.

Naturally, there's not a lot to do, other than look at the scenery or eat in the cafe, so bring a lot of reading material or a laptop if you're inclined to get bored easily. My carriage had power points at each seat, but other Amtrak trains I've been on haven't always had this, so be prepared to charge your electronic equipment up in the toilets.

The dining car is available during breakfast and lunch, but must be reserved for dinner; the cafe is open during daylight hours, although strangely the attendant takes a break smack bang in the middle of breakfast time.

The train's air conditioning seems to run permanently, and it can get cold in the middle of the night, so I recommend either bringing a blanket, or wear as much layered clothing as you can. I'd also recommend a facemask, if you're sensitive to light when trying to sleep, because it's never completely dark inside the train.

The French engineering firm Alstom have launched the prototype of their new high-speed AGV train at their rail test centre in La Rochelle. The train, when operational, will be able to travel at 360 km/h, covering a distance of 1000km in just three hours. It will also have more seating than existing TGV trains, with space savings coming from the removal of motor carriages at the ends of the trains - instead, the trains will have distributed motors underneath each carriage.

The Northern Territory News reports today that a new luxury passenger service is planned for The Ghan, the famous inland Australia railway line that runs from Adelaide to Darwin.

Prices have not yet been announced, but the article mentions that GSR, the operators of the Ghan, had been studying a similar service that operates in South Africa for $1000 per night. According to GSR's website, they expect the service to begin in late 2008.

Of course, for those of us who can't afford to pay four figures for every night of a trip, there are still the standard classes of travel on the Ghan; it's worth noting on that table that there are significant discounts for members of YHA Australia.

Anyone who's had to fly this Christmas knows how bad the experience can be. If the trip out to the airport, which by necessity is incredibly inconveniently located, isn't bad enough, then there's the queues, delays and cancellations once there. And after that, the flight - stuck in a seat with no leg room, for hours.

Fortunately, just in time for the new year, The Guardian has provided a list of ten non-flying trips. Of course, you have to be in Europe, first...

As of December 9th, it's now much easier to cross Switzerland from north to south, with the opening of a new high speed rail link, in a tunnel through the Alps. Known as the Lötschberg tunnel, it runs from Frutigen to Raron, and will shave off around 30 minutes on trips from Bern to Brig.

International travel will also improve, with six daily trips from Bern/Basel to Milan starting in 2008.

Since December 7th, the French rail corporation SNCF has been trialling wifi internet access on its TGZ Est services (Paris to Strasbourg), and if successful, this will be extended to all SNCF trains (with estimates of all TGV lines having access by 2010).

I can't imagine too many backpackers would want to carry their laptop with them (I know that I hate dragging mine around with me), but as small devices like PDAs and mobile phones with wifi access become more common, this could reduce the need for travellers to seek out dodgy internet cafes to find accomodation and communicate with home cheaply.

After reading this article, which describes an itinerary that will get you from London to Marseilles in six hours, with the newly opened UK high-speed leg of the Eurostar, it made me wonder just where you can get to within six hours, without needing to fly.

Virtually all of Belgium is now within easy reach, taking in the very popular Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, and of course, Brussels.

London to Amsterdam comes in at five hours and 34 minutes, with a change to an Intercity train at Brussels. Theoretically, the Thalys train on the Brussels to Amsterdam leg should be a little faster than the Intercity service, given it has fewer stops, but it's probably not worth the extra fare.

London to Frankfurt only just overshoots the mark, coming in at six hours and seven minutes, but just once a day: the 14:32 service, changing at Brussels (arrive 17:23. depart 17:59).

Strasbourg comes in at an average of five hours and 45 minutes, with the shortest trip being five hours and thirteen minutes (departs London at 10:30, arrive Paris Nord 13:53 and then stroll across to Paris Est to catch the TGV Est service to Strasbourg at 14:24).

Luxembourg can be reached via either Brussels or Paris, and ranges from five hours 40 minutes to six hours, with ten departures a day.

The area around Cologne, in Germany, is easily reachable in five hours and ten minutes - and two trains a day will get you there in only four hours and 48 minutes, departing London at 6:57 or 10:00 and changing in Brussels).

Lyon, too, with its high speed TGV line, is an easy destination, coming in anywhere between five and six hours, the shortest trip being just four hours and 50 minutes (departing London 11:05).

Sympathy must go to any travellers currently in France or planning to be there in the next day or so, as a strike by rail workers has currently crippled most of the French system.

This has left several lines of the Paris metro not running, and it's estimated that only 90 out of 700 TGV services were still in service. One interesting side-effect of this was the newfound popularity of Paris's free bicycle scheme, in the wake of the strike.

Be warned, however that if you plan to try to avoid the strikes by somehow escaping to Germany, rail workers there are planning to strike on Thursday, also. I would recommend heading for Belgium or Spain, instead...

After ten years of work, London's history St Pancras railway station has been restored to its former glory, and reopened by Queen Elizabeth, in a ceremony on Tuesday.

Passenger services from St Pancras International, which previously went to the rather unimpressive Waterloo International station, will begin on November 14th, to Paris (two hours, fifteen minutes) and Brussels (one hour and 51 minutes).

Pictures from the BBC.

If you're heading to Europe with a Eurail pass, you'll probably have been given a small booklet which shows European train routes and times. What they don't tell you, however, is that this booklet lists only major railway lines and is generally limited to Intercity, Eurocity and Intercity-Express trains - it doesn't carry any information about regional railways and local trains, and in many cases you may not even be aware that they exist.

Fortunately, Thomas Cook publishes the European Rail Timetable and Overseas Timetable, which I consider to be essential luggage items for any trip that involves a considerable amount of train travel. They contain timetables for all rail services in their designated area, as well as detailed route maps, ferry timetables, and long-distance bus timetables for those area that don't have rail transport.

The European edition is published monthly, and the Overseas edition is published every two months. Each new edition has a special feature; the December edition of the European timetable has a feature on night trains, and the November/December edition of the Overseas timetable looks at trains in Australasia.

Admittedly, they're not small (the European version is around 500 pages), but I didn't find that carrying one added significant weight to my backpack, and it made my trip considerably easier to navigate while on the move.

The BBC reports that the Eurostar has set a new record speed of 325km/h on the new high-speed line in the UK.

The Eurostar is easily the most convenient method of travel between London and Paris/Brussels, but has been held back for many years by the conventional tracks on the British side of the line. The new line will open to the public on November 14th, and is expected to cut 20 minutes off journeys.

Remember to book well in advance, if you're planning on taking the Eurostar - you'll get a much better deal than if you purchase tickets close to your date of travel.

The Independent has an article on the ten greatest rail journeys in Europe. While I haven't travelled on all of those in the article, I'd like to add a few of my own:

• Tirano to St Moritz: like the Glacier Express, this part of the Bernina Express route, from Tirano to St Moritz ,provides you with amazing views of snow-covered peaks, as the stereotypically bright-red Swiss train winds its way up the peaks. Unlike the Glacier Express, this train is covered by your Eurail pass - no expensive supplement required.


• Salzburg to Villach: if you're heading to the Balkan region from northern Europe, then this route through Austria is a good choice, as it takes you through the eastern Alpine region, with views of a spectacular gorge.


• Åndalsnes to Dombas: while not as well-known or well-travelled as Norway's highly popular Oslo to Bergen route, the Raumabanen travels past more of Norway's mountain peaks, including the famous Trollveggen.


• Koblenz to Mainz: If you're travelling from Cologne to Frankfurt, avoid the fast intercity express trains, and instead catch the slower, regional trains which take a different route with wonderful views of the Rhine and the surrounding gorge.

What are your favourite European rail routes?

With the news that several high speed European rail companies are forming a partnership to integrate routes and ticketing, under the name of Railteam, my first thought was to wonder if the fun was going from travelling by train. Obviously, this partnership is good news; any way to avoid flying is a good thing, and it's very true that trying to buy tickets for multiple routes in Europe is an exercise in frustration.

I find high-speed trains to be quite sterile, however. The interiors aren't much different from those inside aeroplanes, the windows tend to be small and much of the time, they travel through cuttings that block out the scenery. Compare this to the slower Eurocity trains, that travel long distances between capitals, without any intention of breaking land-speed records. The mix of travellers aboard is far greater than their high-speed counterparts, you get time to see the countryside that you're passing through, and much of the time, they're more comfortable.

Taking that concept even further, I've often deliberately travelled over reasonably long distances using only slower regional express trains. Obviously, you don't get far fast, but it gives you a much better feel for the places you're travelling through, and you can meet the locals.

Travelling this way gives you the freedom to jump on and off the train whenever you feel like it, and it forces you to be flexible; it's hard to book accomodation ahead of time if you don't necessarily known where you'll be at the end of the day. Furthermore, it's relaxing. You're not rushing anywhere, you're just having a leisurely journey across a region. It's certainly one good way to combat travel fatigue.

It helps to be prepared, however. If you're planning on doing this, I'd recommend carrying one of the Thomas Cook rail timetable books; even just for the route maps, they're invaluable. There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a small town and finding there's no train out until the next day!

Links

European High Speed Operators launch Railteam - Raileurope blog

With last week's opening of the new Paris to Basel high-speed TGV railway line, Switzerland is more accessible than ever. Four trains a day run to Basel, taking 3.5 hours; one continues Zurich (Paris, 8.28am, taking 4.5 hours).

The Trans-Siberian railway has long been a goal for many a dedicated traveller, but has a reputation for fairly poor accomodation standards.

Now, a new luxury service has started, for anyone who has a cool $10000-$17000 to spare.

The Age takes a ride on the new Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express.