China to add new high-speed rail route

 

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has given the go ahead for a major new high-speed rail link between Shanghai and Hangzhou.

The new route is part of a broader push to expand the country’s already vast rail network, news hub Travel Mole reports.

The 222.8km line will connect Shanghai East - a new station under construction near Pudong Airport - to Hangzhou in just 40 minutes.

Both cities are already linked by a high-speed train but the new line will cut nearly a third off the current fastest journey.

The $US9.35 billion project will serve nine stations. It includes new stops at Fengxian, Shanghai Jinshan, Pinghu City, and Linping.

Existing stations at Situan, Jiaxing South, Tongxiang, and Hangzhou West will be upgraded to handle the expected surge in traffic.

For Shanghai East, the project marks a significant milestone. The station is set to become a key transportation hub, linking Pudong Airport with high-speed rail for the first time.

The project will boost the airport’s competitiveness with its rivals in China, including Hong Kong.

The new line is expected to drive economic integration between Shanghai and Zhejiang province, supporting growth in the Yangtze River Delta, one of China’s most dynamic economic regions.

The NDRC also approved construction of a 234.5 km line in Tibet on the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. The $US3.1 billion project will initially open with five stations. It will improve access in a region where rail development can be logistically challenging.

Meanwhile, construction will begin next month on the Yining–Aksu line in Xinjiang, a region bordering Central Asia.

The 794km single-track electrified line will require six years to build and carry a price tag of $US5.3 billion. Designed for speeds up to 160 kmh, it will feature 24 stations, half of them equipped with passing loops to support mixed passenger and freight traffic.

In Australia, meanwhile, the interstate rail network remains prehistoric.

New rivals for dominant French railway company

Two new rail companies are set to offer some serious competition to dominant French national railway company SNCF.

Enter Le Train and Velvet.

SNCF already faces some domestic competition from Italian Trenitalia and Spanish Renfe, but both have faced difficulty making headway against the giant monolith

Le Train and Velvet are expected to launch in 2028.

Le Train aimed for its first journeys as early as 2026, but has been forced to push back, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

Instead of competing on rail routes from and to Paris, Le Train wants to tackle high-speed connections in the west of France, from Brittany to the south-west, including Bordeaux.

The company has ordered 10 new-generation Talgo Avril trains, similar to those that the Spanish Renfe wants to deploy on a potential Paris-Lyon-Marseille route.

Le Train says has the ambition of offering up to 50 daily trains in western France from its first year, including from Arcachon, Bordeaux, Angoulême, Nantes, and Rennes.

It is touting a travel time of under three hours between Nantes and Bordeaux instead of almost five 

hours now, as passengers need to change in Paris.

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The future look of Le Train (Image: Le Train) 

Former TGV head Rachel Picard heads Velvet, which has signalled its aims to prioritise comfort and environmental commitment.

“We want to create an experience where passengers feel at ease, where every detail matters, while remaining committed to the environment,” Picard told French media earlier this month.

Velvet plans to launch its first high-speed trains by 2028, initially focusing on western routes out of Paris (Angers, Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes). The company promises to provide 10 million annual seats.

On track to enjoy Britain in serious style

Keen to tour Britain in conspicuous style?

Britain’s first luxury sleeper train will welcome its inaugural passengers on July 21, when it makes its maiden journey from London's Victoria Station.

The Britannic Explorer, operated by luxury travel specialists Belmond, will offer three-night itineraries to Britain’s most iconic regions, including Cornwall, the Lake District, and Wales.

The train features 18 cabins, including three grand suites and 15 suites, restaurant cars, and an onboard spa.

Each journey will include a program of off-board experiences, including scenic hikes, lavender farm visits, wood-fired saunas, art classes, and yoga by the sea.

Fine dining experiences will be designed by renowned chef Simon Rogan, from L'Enclume in the Lake District.



Passengers are invited to unwind and mingle in the train’s bar, located in the Observation Car, which is designed as the social heart of the Britannic Explorer.

The Cornwall and Lake District routes will run from Friday to Monday, while the Wales route runs from Monday to Thursday.

"I am incredibly proud to launch this revolutionary new train, which further enhances Belmond’s global portfolio of market-leading luxury rail experiences," said Gary Franklin, vice president of trains and cruises for Belmond.

"The Britannic Explorer offers something truly unique; an opportunity to discover the rugged Cornish coastline and the vast expanses of the Lake District like never before."

Belmond’s boutique hotel, The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London, is just a 20-minute transfer from Victoria station.

The experience will not come cheap. 

Luxury accommodation aboard the Britannic Explorer starts from £11,000 based on a double cabin to include a three-night itinerary, excursions, meals, wine and alcoholic beverages on board. For more information see here.

Now Eurostar will have a rival on cross-Channel rail routes

Virgin Trains, part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is set to begin operating passenger trains to mainland Europe through the Channel Tunnel following an announcement by the UK rail regulator. 

Virgin Trains has also announced the acquisition of a fleet of high-speed trains as it gears up to challenge Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on routes to Europe since 1994.

Virgin Trains said this week that there are “no more major hurdles to overcome” before it can begin operating. 

It has acquired a fleet of 13 high-speed trains for future services from London through the Channel Tunnel to Paris, Brussels and onwards to Frankfurt, starting in late 2027.

Thanks to a financial package negotiated with BlackRock, Virgin has purchased the 330 kmh trains from Germany’s Deutsche Bahn. 

The Siemens-built 406 series trains were most recently in service between Frankfurt, Brussels and Amsterdam. Each train is composed of eight carriages and seats 425 passengers, news portal Travel Mole reports.

“The opportunity to purchase these trains now was an offer too good to turn down," Branson told British media. 

"With no need to wait for new trains to be built, we can bring forward our plans for new services through the Channel Tunnel that customers have been demanding. 

"Anyone who has taken one of these trains has been enchanted by their reliability and comfort.”

Virgin Trains will start its services in December 2027, with seven return trips planned each day from 
London to Paris, and six a day to Brussels. Two of the Brussels services will continue to Germany. 

That will make Virgin the first company to offer direct UK-Germany services.

Virgin Trains head of European Operations Jean-Eric Suiscon said “We are happy to have 
found a way to adapt services in Germany for Channel Tunnel services."

First we take Paris, then we take Berlin

 

Travelling by train is often the best choice in Europe - and two of the continent's great capitals are now linked by a direct high-speed train connection. 

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn and France's SNCF introduced a daytime InterCity Express (ICE) service between Paris and Berlin last month and are planning to add a second route between the two capitals in 2026.

Taking advantage of its new fleet of 322 kph ICE3neo trains, the once-a-day service takes around eight hours in each direction, also serving Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt on its 878km trip.

The trains link Paris Gare de l'Est with Berlin Hauptbahnhof. 

Fares start from around $100 Aus and each train has capacity for 444 passengers, of which 111 are in first class.

The new high-speed ICE service is the first direct daytime train between Paris and Berlin since the 1990s and complements the Nightjet sleeper service introduced in 2023.

Unfortunately, speeds on some section are reduced with trains having to use lower speed lines, but the service is expected to prove popular with both business and leisure travellers. 

The price of a Paris-Berlin ticket varies depends on many parameters such as whether you have a discount card or an SNCF subscription, the dates of the journey and the railway company.

For more details see https://www.sncf-connect.com/train/trajet/paris/berlin

New direct rail route to link Bangkok with Penang

Here's a new rail journey that sounds exciting.

Thailand’s State Railway (SRT) and KTMB, which operates trains in Malaysia, will shortly launch a direct train service connecting Bangkok, Thailand, to Penang, Malaysia.

Previously, travellers had to switch trains at the border. The SRT cancelled its previous daily express service between Bangkok and Butterworth in 2016.

The Bangkok-Penang train route will begin with a six-month trial period to assess the viability of the service.

Key benefits for tourists will include seamless connectivity with the service from Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Terminal (above) to Penang, with stops at Padang Besar and Butterworth.

The route provides an opportunity to experience the diverse landscapes of Thailand and Malaysia, from bustling cities to serene countryside, and connects two rich cultural hubs.

Bang Sue Grand Station (officially known as Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal) is the new central railway station of Bangkok. The station will be the terminus for all current long-distance rail services and future high-speed railways, and through-trains for the SRT commuter lines and 3-airport HSR line. It is also connected to the mass transit system in Bangkok via the MRT Blue Line.

The railway companies of Malaysia and Thailand have also extended the route of the MySawasdee tourist train further north to Surat Thani.

MySawasdee operates only during holiday periods, taking travellers from Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai. 

The extended route to Surat Thani is expected to boost seasonal tourism to Thailand’s resort islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan.

On the right track: Vietnam plots a railway revolution

Clunking through rural Vietnam on a slow-moving long distance train may soon be a thing of the past - although probably not soon enough.

I recently spent a whole lot of hours each way on a vey slow train from Hanoi to Hue, and then from Danang back to Hanoi.

I was in a four-berth sleeper cabin and it was an adventure, but not one I'd repeat in a hurry.

While the cabins have been tarted up, they are claustrophobic and the rolling stock rattles and clunks its way up and down the country. How fun your journey is might well depend on who your travelling companions are. Pot luck.

The various classes of travel on Vietnamese trains are soft sleepers, hard sleepers, soft seats, and hard seats, with soft sleepers as the most expensive.

Most tourists opt to journey in a soft sleeper because each berth has a pillow, sheet, a soft quilt, and a personal reading lamp. There are power points - and even wifi most of the time. Snacks are provided and you can buy food from vendors who roam up and down the carriages,

You need to stay on the lower berths in the daytime - and need the agility of a gymnast to scale an upper berth. Make sure to book a lower berth!

But now two sections of Vietnam's north-south high-speed railway - to connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - are slated to begin construction in late 2027, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Vietnam's parliament this week approved a resolution supporting the $67 billion high-speed rail project.

The railway, Vietnam's most ambitious infrastructure project, will eventually run all the way from the capital Hanoi to the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City. The 1,541-km (958-mile) project is expected to be completed in 2035.

The Hanoi-Vinh and Nha Trang-HCMC sections will break ground in late 2027, and construction of the Vinh-Nha Trang segment is scheduled to start between 2028 and 2029.

The proposed railway is designed to support trains travelling at 350kph.

Ticket prices will be offered in three tiers, depending on the service class.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has suggested extending the line beyond its current endpoints to include the northern province of Quang Ninh, home to UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay, and to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

It can't come a moment too soon.

Fast tracking your way around Japan

Forget driving. Catching the bus? No chance. 

If you have to travel long distances in Japan then there is only one way to go: on a bullet train, also known as Shinkansen. 

The fast train network covers most of Japan - and we used rail passes to travel from Tokyo to visit the regional town of Kanazawa and surrounds. 

There are range of Japan rail passes to choose from and you only need to make one or two journeys to cover your costs. 

We used a Hokuriku Arch Pass, which cost around $300 for eight days of travel, including in the Metro Tokyo area. 

The trains are clean, fast and comfortable. And reliable. There is plenty of free luggage storage space, announcements in English and free wifi on board.  

The Hokuriku Shinkansen connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region. 

It is a joint venture between JR East and JR West. 

Stops include Nagano, the host city for the 1998 Winter Olympics and Japan's dinosaur capital of Fukui.

The pass can be used from Kansai Airport, Narita Airport, and Haneda Airport, and also includes the Limited Express Thunderbird between Osaka and Kanazawa.

It is also possible to use the Narita Express between Narita Airport and Tokyo, as well as the Limited Express Haruka between Kansai Airport and Shin-Osaka, and between Kansai Airport and Kyoto.

Tokyo to Kanazawa takes under 2 1/2 hours on the fast train - covering a distance of 450km. It would take over six hours - and a whole lot of stress - to drive between the two destinations, and you will have to pay toll fees for at least five different expressways.

But the system can be a complex one. Do your homework before you get to the station. Be aware that the majority of trains require a (free) seat reservation. And be prepared for massive crowds in stations if you travel at peak times.   

The route of the final Hokuriku section to Shin-Osaka was expected to be completed by the late 2020s - but then financial issues struck, Nikkei Asia reported. 

Concerns are emerging that the project may fail to pass a cost-benefit test that is one condition for starting construction.

Extending the line to Osaka is now expected to cost as much as 5.3 trillion yen ($36 billion), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recently told lawmakers - more than double the initial estimate.

Pass holders can actually use their passes between Tsuruga and Osaka - but on slower regional trains.

The sharp increase owes to higher labour and materials costs. The ministry also said construction could now take up to 28 years, up from its previous estimate of 15, owing partly to labour reforms.

The ministry plans to provide information as early as 2025 on whether the project still meets the necessary conditions to go ahead, including on its benefit-to-cost ratio and funding.

Authorities are weighing three options to extend the line from Tsuruga to Shin-Osaka station, with plans to begin construction by the end of fiscal 2025.

All three options under consideration involve building an underground section through Kyoto.

Depending on your destination, a rail pass might be worth considering if you plan to travel in Japan. https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/hokurikuarch.html 

# The writer paid his own way

Viva the Revolution Express: Vietnam on the right track

Two original pre-independence steam locomotives have been restored to power the Revolution Express, a new heritage tourism experience in central Vietnam that will start in late 2024 or early 2025. 

Indochina Rail Tourist Service  and Wafaifo Optimisers have signed a management agreement for Wafaifo Optimisers to manage the Revolution Express steam train, a new tourist experience in central Vietnam. 

The two original steam locomotives from the 1960s have been refurbed to prime condition and the locomotives will pull two fully appointed retro-styled carriages that can seat up to 57 passengers each, as well as a custom-made kitchen carriage and a baggage carriage.

The locomotives are the last remaining working steam ones in Vietnam, dating from the pre-independence era, both built locally in Vietnam, based on the French Mikado design. 

They have been restored over a number of years, using original parts and utilising the skills of the last remaining steam engineers working for Vietnam Railways.

The Revolution Express will make a return trip between Danang city and the former royal capital of Hue each day. Each journey will traverse the scenic Hai Van coastal mountain range and stop at Lang Co, adjacent to beautiful lagoon and beach scenery.

Served by staff  in period costume (that sounds a bit naff), passengers will be able to enjoy light food and drinks as they view one of the most picturesque coastlines and mountain passes in south-east Asia.

Indochina Rail and Wafaifo Optimisers signed the partnership agreement on May 20  represented by Indochina Rail chairman Michael Gebbie, and Wafaifo Optimisers’ managing director Pieter van der Hoeven and commercial director Mikkel Krantz.

“We are proud to bring these old dames of rail back to life and to showcase important periods in Vietnamese history from imperial through colonial rule and finally the struggle to independence,” said Gebbie.

“We seek to give visitors an interactive sense of Vietnam's history and future. Whether you enjoy learning about history or trains, or just want to ride an authentic heritage steam train over the famously scenic Hai Van Pass, the Revolution Express will offer a magical experience for young and old alike”

Highlights of the tourist experience will include themed dining at the three railway stations on the route: Kim Lien (Danang), Lang Co and Hue. Each station will have its own menus and entertainment schedules to meet the arrival of the Revolution Express.

The train stations with their restaurants and retail offerings are being designed to also attract other road and VNR (Vietnam National Rail) passengers travelling between Danang, Lang Co and Hue on the scenic coastal route.

In Hue, the original train maintenance building is being refurbished as the Station Restaurant. The venue is being themed in an imperial manner befitting the history of Hue, the last bastion of the dynastic era in Vietnam.

In Lang Co, the restaurant will be themed to mark the independence that Vietnam enjoys today. Apart from a full restaurant offering, food carts will be on the station platform offering homemade ice cream, freshly squeezed fruit juices, Vietnamese coffee, and newly pressed sugar cane. Regular VNR-run trains all stop at Lang Co station for passenger refreshments.

Potentially, the third restaurant at the station on the outskirts of Danang will also be developed. If so, it will be themed in a colonial manner to reflect a different era in Vietnam’s national journey.

Wafaifo Optimisers will be responsible for marketing, booking and catering for the Revolution Express and its stations. The company will also open its own urban resort in the heritage city of Hoi An in the third quarter of this year (see previous story).

Further announcements on the commencement of the Revolution Express and how to book will be made in the next few months.

Polar opposites. Travel from the inside looking out

Enjoy travelling vicariously with some quirky companions?  

How about a journey from New Zealand to Spain undertaken almost entirely by train? 

Meet amusingly eccentric French horn player Gregory Hill and his German violinist wife Anne. 

Gregory somehow came up with the idea of travelling from one point on the globe - his home in Wellington - to its exact upside, or antipodes, which turns out to be somewhere between near Salamanca in Spain. 

He remembers doing a similar exercise with an old school atlas. Now he decides to try it real life, which turns into a 38,000 kilometre trip in 78 days, with 31,000 of those kilometres covered by rail. 

On the right tracks, so to speak. The trip from Saigon to Spain was conducted entirely on steel tracks. 

So 33 trains, 19 countries and a whole lot of interesting, sometimes amusing, encounters, fortunately completed before Covid made a trip of this nature impossible.

The trip takes us from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar and a wide range of trains with stops Xi'an and a hilarious experience with Chinese bureaucracy, and possible drug dealers in Siberia.

Well illustrated with maps and photos, this is a fun armchair journey with Gregory and Anne with musical interludes including the Bolshoi Ballet and the Paris Opera. 

The Antipodean Express is published today in Australia by Exisle Publishing. $44.99. 
https://exislepublishing.com/product/the-antipodean-express/ 

Full steam ahead: Thai railway journey turns back the clock

Love trains? Visiting Thailand in March? 

A special train will run from Bangkok to Ayutthaya using historic steam locomotives to mark the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)'s 127th anniversary on March 26.  

SRT’s governor bureau chief Ekarat Sriarayanphong said this historic train trip will also commemorate

the opening of the train route between the current and previous capital cities on March 26, 1896, by King Rama V.

Travellers will get a chance to ride Pacific-class steam locomotive numbers 824 and 850, built by Japan’s Nippon Sharyo in 1949 and 1950, respectively.

The train will leave Hua Lamphong station at 8.10am and arrive in Ayutthaya at 10.20am. Passengers will have six hours to tour the ancient capital, before the train leaves at 4.40pm to arrive in Bangkok at 6.50pm.

There will be stops at Samsen, Bang Sue, Don Mueang, and Rangsit stations, so passengers can board or disembark at any of these stations.

Snacks and drinks will be available for passengers throughout the trip.

Those interested can reserve tickets at SRT stations nationwide or via D-Ticket mobile application and website: www.dticket.railway.co.th.

The SRT is also partnering with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Ayutthaya Office to offer a special one-day tuk-tuk tour for passengers travelling by the steam locomotive excursion train. 

Passengers can book the tuk-tuk tour via the website: https://eform.tourismthailand.org/public/26-2567. 

Are US travellers ready to embrace fast trains?

Inter-city trains have never been a big thing in the US. High-speed rail links are almost non-existent as Americans traditionally prefer to travel point to point in their gas-guzzling cars.

But now the US Administration has approved $US3 billion in funding from its Bipartisan Infrastructure fund for the Brightline West high-speed rail project.

This plans to connect Las Vegas to Southern California and is scheduled for completion in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. It projects journeys would take 2 hours, 15 minutes. 

It will become the first true high-speed rail system in the US, Travel Mole reports.

“The dream of American high-speed rail is about to become reality,” said Ray LaHood Co-Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition, a former US Secretary of Transportation.

“We greatly appreciate the commitment of the Biden Administration, our Coalition members and many others who have worked hard to spark America’s high-speed rail revolution,” LaHood said.

Andy Kunz, CEO of US High Speed Rail said: “Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system, reducing congestion and helping end our dependency on fossil fuels.

“This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress.”

The new route is part of a planned West Coast Corridor connecting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Other high-speed rail lines planned for the future include in Texas and a cross border connection from Vancouver in Canada to Portland and Seattle.

The Las Vegas project is not government run but a private-public partnership led by Brightline, a Florida-based company that runs a successful commuter line within that state. including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Brexit "blessings" continue with Eurostar blow

Planning to catch a Eurostar train between London and Amsterdam next summer?

Sorry, the bad news is that you might have to fly instead.

It was announced this week that Eurostar’s Amsterdam service could be facing a suspension of up to 11 months due to renovations to be undertaken at Amsterdam’s main railway station (above).

The work at the station will limit space, meaning a lack of facilities to complete post-Brexit passport checks for Eurostar Amsterdam travellers. Yet another Brexit bonus.

The work will last from June 2024 to May 2025, Travel Mole reports.

The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure says it could complete the renovation work within seven months. But the best estimate is 11 months.

The work will eventually shift the Eurostar terminal to a lower level beneath the main rail station.

Eurostar Amsterdam trains run four times daily.

“We calculate it means 21 extra flights between Schiphol and London and that is crying shame,” Eurostar said in a statement.

Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave is in the Netherlands this week for talks with government officials.

Unless a solution can be found, the suspension would see the Eurostar network reduced from a pre-Brexit total of 13 year-round stations to just four: London, Lille, Paris and Brussels.

Why staying on the right tracks can enhance a European travel experience

The last couple of times I have visited Europe, I have stayed on the rails as much as possible.

Trains in Europe are fast, efficient and comfortable - sometimes just a bit too popular. And they take you from city centre to city centre, rather than depositing you at some airport in the middle of nowhere.

I Italy last summer, I used several trains that were fast, efficient and on time - and they didn't lose my luggage..

There are several reasons why one should consider exploring Europe by train and the team from Rail Europe have shared their top reasons to pick trains over planes, buses and cars. They are, of course biased, but make several good points.

1. Hassle Free

With no check-in queues and traffic-related issues, one can simply show up at the train station minutes before the train departs (unless it's the Eurostar or Thalys, which require a little bit more time). The convenience of city centre to city centre connections also ensures one gets to the final destination quicker.

2. Freedom and Flexibility

With the choice of passes and point-to-point tickets, travellers can decide the options that best suit their needs, and go anywhere and at any time across 33 countries in Europe. This also makes day trips and short excursions convenient.

3. Cost Effective

When booking in advance, travellers can save a significant amount of money. And when travelling on overnight trains, there are savings on hotel costs, too. Families can also enjoy savings as children under 16 travel for free when accompanied by an adult in Switzerland, and the Eurail Pass allows free travel for children under 11.

4. Comfort and Convenience

Trains in Europe offer comfortable and spacious seats with lots of leg room across all classes. In addition on-board dining services (trolley or restaurant/bar carriage), most modern trains also have power points available for charging electronic devices - and some offer wifi. And unlike air travel, there is also no baggage limit on trains - which some guests make the most of in annoying ways.

5. The views, the views

One of the biggest highlights of train travel is the exposure to some great views. Try to get a window seat to take in the ever changing landscapes, colours, architecture and more.

6. Environmentally Friendly

Trains, especially the well-established high-speed rail systems such as the Eurostar, France’s TGV, Spain’s AVE, Italy’s Italo and many others, emit a lot less carbon than air and road options.

7. Social

Europe has an extremely efficient rail system used by most locals. To get acquainted with the people and learn more about their culture, or obtain some tips and local insights, travellers can easily strike up a conversation with other fellow passengers in the relaxed environment of a train.

For more information and bookings, check out www.raileurope.com, which has been a partner of train operators for 90 years. International travellers who want to travel by train easily throughout Europe can also book their travel - including Eurail passes - directly through the website and app. Rail Europe is headquartered in Paris.

Train journeys free - until the end of the year

Locals and visitors to Spain can now benefit from free train travel on many short- and medium-length journeys until the end of the year.

Rail passengers are being offered complimentary journeys on various routes run by state-owned operator Renfe as part of the Spanish Government’s plans to reduce the cost of living.

The move follows a similar plan in Germany, where rail fares returned to normal on Thursday after a three-month experiment with €9 tickets for a month’s unlimited travel on local and regional public transport networks.

But because this is Spain, the plan is convoluted.

Passengers must obtain a rail pass via Renfe’s app or at a railway station. They must then nominate a destination and pay a deposit of €10 for suburban lines and €20 for middle-distance journeys, after which a QR code on the app will serve as their ticket.

The deposit will be refunded at the end of the year if the ticket holder has travelled at least 16 times to the specified destination.

The ticket applies to all destinations in the same zone as the specified station. In the case of Madrid or Barcelona, for example, it means free travel within a radius of about 50km of the city.

Visitors to Spain can sign up using their passport number, and for those using a city as a base to explore the surrounding area there are significant benefits. For example, a return ticket from Madrid to nearby Aranjuez costs €12.50, and to El Escorial, €8.10. Even if they forfeiting the €10 deposit, they have already saved money.

Also, metro fares in Barcelona have been cut by up to 50% until December 31.

When in Canada, take the train

My disenchantment with the incompetent buffoons at Air Canada is well recorded - but there is another transport company in Canada that offers a very good service.

VIA Rail offers fastish, clean and on-time rail services between most of the major cities - and is a boon when your destination is somewhere midway between Montreal and Toronto.

I took trips from Montreal to Kingston and Kingston and Toronto recently and both delivered an excellent experience - albeit not cheap. And I avoided spending more time in the chaos of Montreal's Trudeau Airport and Toronto's almost equally frenetic Pearson Airport.  

Given Australia's dismal inter-city train offerings, going by rail might not be upmost in mind at home, but it is certainly well worth considering for trips in Canada.

If you are planning a visit it is worth getting on the VIA Rail mailing list in advance for offers like 20% discounts for bookings made on a Tuesday.

Via Rail operates over 500 trains per week across eight Canadian provinces and 12,500 kilometres of track, and is largely owned by other railway companies, including Canadian National Rail (CN).

There are a range of fares on offer including discounted escape fares, economy, business and touring, sleeper plus and prestige on long-distance trains.

Food service is available on most trains with snacks, light meals and beverages for purchase. Most of the services also offer complimentary wifi, although it is spotty in my experience. Staff - with a lot of seniors employed - are uniformly chatty and helpful. 

The majority of trains operate in the Ontario and Quebec service corridor between Quebec City and south-western Ontario.

On my list of things to do: the Maple Leaf operates between New York City and Toronto via Albany, Buffalo and Niagara Falls. It is jointly managed by VIA Rail and Amtrak.

Starting in this year, VIA Rail has begun deployment of a new generation of trains on the Quebec City-Windsor corridor.

For details visit https://www.viarail.ca/en but be aware the website doesn't like processing Australian credit cards.

 

  

Rocky Mountain high: a brand new railway experience

The Rocky Mountaineer company is known for some of the most spectacular railway journeys in the world. 

This week, the company launched its inaugural route launch in the south-west United States with the first-ever luxury train journey between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. 

The preview season runs through to November 19, with a seven-month season planned for 2022.

The Rockies to the Red Rocks route is a two-day journey with all of the premium elements that have made the Rocky Mountaineer experience famous. 

Guests can expect spacious glass-domed train coaches, remarkable scenery, on-board storytelling, fine cuisine, friendly service, and a social atmosphere, the publicity blurb promises.

Between Denver and Glenwood Springs, the train will travel alongside the Colorado River and through a series of canyons with steep, rugged rock walls, while the route between Glenwood Springs and Moab features mountain vistas, desert cliffs and rock formations. 

The on-board culinary experience features cuisine prepared using ingredients local to the south-west and will be complemented with beverage service and served directly to guests' seats, so they can enjoy the scenery as they dine.

The inaugural US route is the latest step in Rocky Mountaineer's long-term vision of expanding its journeys to diverse destinations, adding to the three rail routes in Western Canada that run between Vancouver and the spectacular towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

"This new Rockies to the Red Rocks route is a celebration that has been several years in the making as we continuously seek unique locations with incredible scenery and iconic destinations that are best experienced by train," said Peter Armstrong, founder and Interim CEO of Rocky Mountaineer. 

"We look forward to welcoming guests for a train journey that delivers the incredible experience and award-winning service that Rocky Mountaineer is well known for while they enjoy the epic scenery, flavours and hospitality of the south west United States."

The  two-day rail journey, which includes one-night hotel accommodation  in  Glenwood Springs, starts from  $US1,250 per person. 

See www.rockymountaineer.com/train-routes/rockies-red-rocks 

Tibet bites the bullet with high-speed trains

When you think of Tibet, you probably consider somewhere that is remote, mountainous and perhaps a little old-fashioned.

When you think of Sydney you probably think of a modern, first-world city with excellent infrastructure.

You may be surprised, then, to learn that while Sydney has rattling suburban trains with no high-speed links to Melbourne or Brisbane, in Tibet they have have commenced operations of the an electrified bullet train.

Preconceptions eh?

The remote Himalayan region now has 150kph service linking the Tibetan capital Lhasa with Nyingchi, a Chinese town close to the Indian border.

The 435km Lhasa-Nyingchi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway opens up part of the Tibet Autonomous Region for public transport for the first time, as China ramps up tourism development in the region.

The services are operated by the China National Railway Corporation (CNRG).

The Fuxing railway, China's first single-line electrified railway, will take passengers from Lhasa to Nyingchi in 3 1/2 hours.

The Lhasa-Nyingchi route connects the existing Lhasa-Shigatse Railway and the existing Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which is also an important part of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway under construction.

Forget the plane; catch the train

France has moved to scrap domestic airline flights on any route that can be travelled by direct train in under 2 1/2 hours.

French MPs made the decision as part of a series of environmental measures, The Guardian reported.

After a heated debate in the Assemblée Nationale at the weekend, the ban, a watered-down version of a key recommendation from President Emmanuel Macron’s citizens’ climate convention, was adopted.

It will mean the end of short internal flights from Orly airport, south of Paris, to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux among others, though connecting flights through Charles de Gaulle/Roissy airport, north of the French capital, will continue.

The climate commission set up by Macron had originally recommended the scrapping of all flights between French destinations where an alternative direct train journey of less than four hours existed.

This was reduced to 2 1/2 hours after strong objections from certain regions and from Air France-KLM, which, like other airlines, has been badly hit by local and international Covid-19 restrictions on travel.

A year ago, the French government agreed a €7bn loan for AF-KLM on the condition that certain internal flights were dropped, but the decree will also stop low-cost airlines from operating the banned domestic routes.

The chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, has said the airline is committed to reducing the number of its French domestic routes by 40% by the end of this year.

The transport minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, told MPs: “We have chosen 2 1/2 hours because four hours risks isolating landlocked territories including the greater Massif Central, which would be iniquitous.”

Given the speed and efficiency of the French railways system, I have always preferred trains to planes for domestic journeys.

Details of the exact routes that will be halted will be published in the official decree. Flights from Paris to Nice, which takes about six hours by train, and Toulouse, four hours by train, will continue.

France’s new law will be watched closely by other countries. Austria’s coalition conservative-Green government introduced a €30 tax on airline tickets for flights of less than 217 miles (350km) last June and a ban on domestic flights that could be travelled in less than three hours by train.

A railway milestone in Tasmania

Through studious neglect and congenital idiocy, Tasmania has zero commuter rail services and no tram or light rail offerings. 

Tasmanians instead rely on dreadfully inadequate bus services, or their own cars. 

Despite that, the West Coast Wilderness Railway is today celebrating 150 years of rail and tramways in Tasmania across several tour departures.

The first passenger rail in Tasmania was Launceston to Deloraine in 1871. 

“This is a big date in our calendar – almost as exciting as our own 125th birthday later this year” says general manager Anthony Brown. “Each of our passengers will receive a West Coast Wilderness Railway souvenir booklet as well as a commemorative postcard.”

The West Coast Wilderness Railway currently has a number of infrastructure projects underway and is looking forward to the return of Abt Locomotive No. 2 once a full restoration is completed. 

Abt Locomotive No. 2 is original to the railway line and was purchased from the Tasmanian Transport Museum in late 2019.

The Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company operated the railway from its opening in 1896 until 1963. 

It was reopened in 2000 as a tourism experience and the locomotive is the last of the original, surviving locomotives to return to Queenstown since the railway reopened. 

“We’re very excited for her return and believe it is fitting that she should return the year that we celebrate 150 years of rail in Tasmania.” Brown said.

For details of current West Coast Wilderness Railway journeys see www.wcwr.com.au