I knew my Brussels-Billund train journey would be an interesting story (it’s prompted a previous blog entry already), but yesterday I actually was on the rails of Europe, at a time of some of the heaviest snowfall in early December for many years. There was snow on the ground the whole way, and it was snowing for the majority of the journey as well.
So what happened on the trip?
Eurostar e320 launch - CC/Flickr
On October 7th Eurostar announced a £700 million investment plan to purchase 10 new 16 car e320 trains from Siemens that will run from 2014, and from 2011 onwards upgrade the interiors of its existing 28 trainsets. Following that DB showed two ICE3 trainsets at St Pancras on 19th October, and ran an evacuation test in the tunnel using a 200m long trainset, and plans to run trains from the end of 2013. Full coverage from Railway Gazette of the Eurostar and DB plans.
So the future of cross channel rail travel is looking bright? Yes, I would say, but I would bet it’s not going to be all as smooth running as the presentations from either company would have you believe. Here are a few points that I wished a few journalists had thought to cover.
ICE Train - CC / Flickr
I’ve had a nightmare winter on the rails of Europe – stranded 3 days thanks to Eurostar (and missing a friend’s wedding as a result), delays with SNCF, and mess with a journey to Germany.
Yet today, back home in Brussels, everything looks just a little better.
Almost 2 months ago I booked a train ticket for €60 for Berlin-Brussels for Monday 19th April. Little did I know at the time how sensible a choice that was. The Berlin-Köln ICE was standing room only from Berlin Spandau but with my reserved seat I was happily sat by the window watching the plains and wind turbines of eastern Germany roll by. At Köln things were a little messier – DB decided at the last moment to change the platform of the train – not a good idea to get 200+ people through a narrow underpass and stairs. Then security had to be called to get passengers without reservations off the train. Once more I was OK with my reservation, while a British guy next to me who had travelled overnight from Split in Croatia, no doubt at exorbitant cost, was turfed off.
So next time when friends of mine laugh about my devotion to the train (particularly Marko) then remember the effects of the volcanic cloud!
In the meanwhile I’ve given some more thought to how rights of rail passengers can be better protected in Europe, a matter first raised in this post. The first fruits of the work are now at RailRights.eu
