BBC
16 March 2023 (UK)
There's no doubt that Julia Senninger is a train aficionado.
Living in the Swedish capital Stockholm, the 33-year-old regularly travels by rail, not only to visit her family in Luxembourg, but also to her holiday destinations.
She favours train travel over flying mainly for environmental reasons. Yet she adds that trains are simply more enjoyable, especially sleeper services.
"It's so much more fun," says Ms Senninger. "You meet more people, and you more have interesting conversations."
She is in luck, as sleeper trains are continuing to make a comeback in mainland Europe, with a number of new services being launched since last summer, or due to start later this year, or in 2024.
Back in October, Ms Senninger and her husband travelled on the then newly-launched sleeper service from Stockholm to Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city. This is run by Swedish railway company SJ.
The service departs Stockholm every day at 5.30pm and arrives into Hamburg at 6.30am.
"We booked the train as soon as it launched," says Ms Senninger, who works for firm of architects.
"It still sounds like a long time, but you go to sleep, and it's such a nice atmosphere on the train."
The carbon footprint is just a fraction of a flight. Flying from Stockholm to Hamburg results in around 250kg of carbon dioxide emissions per passenger, according to calculation website EcoPassenger. By contrast, the C02 released by travelling via electric-powered train is just 26kg.
The SJ night train has nine coaches, and capacity to carry 400 passengers. Dan Olofsson, head of tendered services at SJ, says the new service was proposed by the Swedish government, "as they wanted to move more people towards climate-friendly travelling, and one of the solutions was the night train between Sweden and Germany".
The service is powered by renewable energy, and Mr Olofsson says it is typically being used by Swedes to connect them to other rail services from Hamburg.
"Hamburg isn't the main destination for most travellers, but is an important hub for people to reach more destinations in Germany and France and so on," he says.
"We have people wanting to travel on it to reach ski resorts, but then also to have meetings in Brussels. That's why we arrive early in Hamburg."
The company plans to extend the route to Berlin from April.
There was much buzz among train fans earlier this year when news emerged that Belgian-Dutch train firm European Sleeper was to begin transporting people overnight from Brussels and Amsterdam to Berlin.
"I'm a big train night fan," says European Sleeper co-founder Chris Engelsman. "It's adventurous, romantic and efficient."
He rolls off lists of his favourite journeys, including Vienna to Kyiv, and Milan to Sicily, which also includes a boat ride. "The holiday starts when you board the train."
Starting services from the end of May, European Sleeper will initially run trains three times a week, with each departure able to hold about 500 people.
But why between Brussels and Berlin? "There's no other night train on this route," says Mr Engelsman. "About six years ago German railways ended the night train service. I was frustrated about it as it always seemed pretty well booked."
European Sleeper intends to extend its route to Prague, the Czech capital, from next next year.
French night train business Midnight Trains says it wants to "reawaken the enchanting experience of the night train" when it launches its first luxurious services from Paris in 2024. Aiming to ultimately serve more than 10 destinations include Rome, Porto and Edinburgh, it claims its trains will be like "hotels on rails" that have old-fashioned "glorious roaring 20s charm".
Meanwhile, existing sleeper train service Nightjet, which is owned by Austrian Railways, will later this year start operating its Brussels-Vienna and Paris-Vienna lines on a daily basis, up from three times a week.
Cat Jones is the founder and chief executive of flight-free travel agency Byway Travel. She says that the returning popularity of sleeper trains are "putting the joy back into travel".
"The point of travel is the experience rather than just the arrival," she says. "People are connecting that the holiday starts when the door opens on the train."
However, depending on the location, and especially if starting from the UK, travelling by train can often be more expensive than flying. Trains fares in the UK can in fact be 50% more costly than flights, according to a 2021 study by consumer choice magazine Which?.
"Like flying, you do need to book ahead to find a cheaper price," says Mark Smith, founder of train guide website Seat61. "But you need to remember airlines pay no duty on fuel.
"Some countries charge VAT on train journeys, but no-one does on air tickets. But then sleeping on a train overnight saves a hotel bill."
He adds that even if long-distance rail travel can be more expensive, "we're seeing lots more people choose the train".
"It used to be that people had a flying phobia or just liked trains, but now everyone is trying to cut their carbon footprint and wants a more enjoyable journey," says Mr Smith.
"People want to get away from the stress of the airport, and once they travel by train and see more scenery from the window, and saunter to the hotel easily when they arrive in the city, they want to do it again."
Source
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64950747
Recommended for you
Increasing to 100 Kmph, a major challenge for Delhi metro engineers
RailFactor Exclusive 22 March 2023 (India) For the engineers of Delhi Metro, bringing the Airport Express Link's operational speed up to 100 KMPH posed a significant engineering task. The key accomplishments of this enormous endeavour included careful planning, 24-hour supervision, and a determination to avoid having the work interfere with passenger operations. One of the most difficult technological developments in the country's annals of Metro train operations will be this. The goal was only reached within six months, far ahead of the anticipated deadlines, thanks to a detailed mechanism for the replacement of some rail components, maintenance and repair of civil structures, and re-profiling of some Rolling stock components. The increase in operational speed required numerous track-related maintenance tasks to ensure that passengers would experience the least amount of inconvenience possible, making it a historic technical development in Metro train operations. In order to make them more compatible with the revised speed strength, the main activity included replacing more than 2.6 lakh existing tension clamps on the rails throughout the complete AEL network with high-frequency tension clamps. Source https://www.delhimetrorail.com/pages/en/pressrelease_details/increasing-to-100-kmph-a-major-challenge-for-delhi
14 hrs ago
Read MoreGermany gives green light to €49-a-month public transport ticket
The Guardian 17 March 2023 (Germany) Plan for ticket covering regional rail, metro, trams and buses across country follows success of €9 scheme last year A follow-up to Germany’s immensely popular €9 (£7.90) monthly public transport ticket scheme has been given the green light in the Bundestag, in a move aimed at getting passengers to switch to greener forms of transport. Parliamentarians on Thursday voted to approve plans to introduce a €49-a-month ticket covering regional rail, metro, trams and bus travel across Germany. The vote in parliament cleared the way for the national government to cover half of the scheme’s annual cost of €3bn for the next three years, with the other half paid for by Germany’s 16 federal states. If, as expected, the €49 ticket is given the seal of approval by the German parliament’s upper house, the Bundesrat, on 31 March, the scheme will come into effect on 1 May. The transport minister, Volker Wissing, hailed the new ticket scheme as a “role model for the whole of Europe” that would boost public transport use. Wissing, of the liberal Free Democratic party (FDP), has been under fire over the transport sector’s failure to meet carbon reduction targets. The original €9-a-month ticket scheme was put in place from June to the end of August last year to incentivise travellers to switch to greener forms of transport and give financial relief to consumers facing a cost of living crisis. With about half of Germany’s adult population having taking part in the scheme that the government subsidised with €2.5bn, the ticket was as popular as it was inexpensive. Whether it had a significant positive impact on the environment has been questioned: most Germans used the €9 ticket to travel around the country for leisure, while there has been little statistical evidence showing that those who commute by car changed their transport routines in any meaningful way. The new ticket – being called “Germany ticket” by the government – is hence designed to be most attractive to people who commute in and out of larger cities, where old subscription-based discount schemes are mostly more expensive than €49 a month. The ticket, available in digital form via a smartphone app or as a chip card, will work on a subscription model that can be cancelled before the 10th day of each month, meaning it may still pay off as a one-off investment for some holidays or weekend trips. Long-distance coaches and trains such as those on the high-speed ICE network are not included in the scheme. Due to Germany’s decentralised political system, tickets bought in different cities or regions will come with different rules and add-ons. In the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, people travelling on a €49 ticket can also take a bicycle and a dog no bigger than a cat on the train with them for free. In and around the southern city of Stuttgart, travellers can transfer their ticket subscription to friends, relatives or colleagues if they pay an additional €9.90. States such as Bavaria are offering discounts for students, trainees and those doing voluntary service, who will only have to pay €29 a month. Source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/17/germany-gives-green-light-new-monthly-public-transport-ticket
15 hrs ago
Read MoreGermany at a standstill as huge strike halts planes and trains
Reuters March 27, 2023 (Germany) Airports and bus and train stations across Germany were at a standstill on Monday, causing disruption for millions of people during one of the largest walkouts in decades in Europe's biggest economy as soaring inflation stokes wage demands. The 24-hour "warning" strikes called by the Verdi union and railway and transport union EVG were the latest in months of industrial action which has hit major European economies as higher food and energy prices dent living standards. They kicked off three days of wage talks which could lead to further strikes if they fail to yield a compromise. Employers have offered 5% more wages over a period of 27 months and a one-off payment of 2,500 euros ($2,700) - proposals unions, which are calling for a double digit rise, call unacceptable amid inflation which reached 9.3% in February. Verdi is demanding a 10.5% wage increase, which would see pay rising by at least 500 euros per month, while EVG is asking for a 12% raise or at least 650 euros per month. "Employees are fed up with being fobbed off with warm words while work conditions get ever worse and there are many vacant posts," Verdi Chief Frank Werneke told reporters. Striking workers wearing high-vis jackets blew horns and whistles, held up banners and waved flags during protests. Germany, which was heavily dependent on Russia for gas before the war in Ukraine, has been particularly hard hit by higher prices, with inflation rates exceeding the euro-area average in recent months. Worsening chronic labour shortages give unions a strong negotiating hand, economists say. The walkout is the biggest in Germany, which has a long history of collective wage bargaining, since 1992, according to Verdi. The Airports Association ADV estimated that 380,000 air passengers were affected by flight suspensions including at two of Germany's largest airports in Munich and Frankfurt, with stranded travellers sleeping on benches. Rail services were also cancelled by railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL). In Cologne, the lack of city trains prompted a dash for taxis. "Millions of passengers who depend on buses and trains are suffering from this excessive, exaggerated strike," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said. Verdi is negotiating on behalf of around 2.5 million employees in the public sector, including in public transport and at airports, while EVG negotiates for around 230,000 employees at Deutsche Bahn and bus companies. Stranded passengers expressed both sympathy and unhappiness about the strike action. "Yes, it's justified but I for one never went on strike in my entire life and I have been working for more than 40 years. At the same time, in France they go on strike all the time about something," said passenger Lars Boehm. Germamy's union strife pales in comparison with protests against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms in France which have sparked the worst street violence in years. MORE STRIKES Persistent cost pressures have pushed central banks to a series of interest rate increases but policymakers say they have no so far seen signs of a destabilising price-wage spiral. "This catching up that we see today, still with negative real wage increases, is compatible with what we would expect for monetary policy purposes," Portuguese central bank Governor Mario Centeno said on Monday. Sharp wage increases could squeeze the fiscal room for manoeuvre for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, making already fractious budget negotiations more difficult. The interior ministry said the demands were equivalent to extra costs of 1.4 billion euros per year - and if that wage agreement were extended to other public sector workers as well as retired civil servants, judges and soldiers, it would equal 4.7 billion euros in total. Employers are also warning that higher wages for transport workers would result in increased fares. EVG chairman Martin Burkert warned further strikes were possible, including over the Easter holiday period. "People have second or third jobs to make ends meet," striking worker Christoph Gerschner said. Data presented to ECB policymakers last month and reported on exclusively by Reuters showed that companies were raising prices in excess of their costs at the expense of consumers and wage earners. Commerzbank Chief Economist Joerg Kraemer said the economic impact of Monday's strike on Germany's 181-million-euro ($194-million)-a-day transport sector was limited so far but this could change if the strikes persisted. "The losses are likely to be limited to the transportation industry because factories will continue to operate and many employees will be working from home." ($1 = 0.9293 euros) Source https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/largest-strike-decades-leaves-germany-standstill-2023-03-27/
15 hrs ago
Read More