High speed rail travel to the continent just took another giant leap forward this month with the successful trial of a state-of-the-art Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express (ICE) through the Channel Tunnel. The German operator announced that it intends to run direct services from London St Pancras to Frankfurt via Cologne, Brussels and Lille and from London to Amsterdam via Rotterdam (as well as an expansion of other cross-border services) from 2013. The journey time from London to Cologne and from London to Amsterdam should both be possible in less than four hours.
This latest development in cross-channel services is thanks to the European Union's ruling earlier this year to open up international passenger rail services. Deutsche Bahn's Dr Rüdiger Grube said: “By making full use of the opportunities afforded by the liberalisation of the European rail transport market we are able to offer our customers genuine alternatives to air travel.”
Last week, Eurostar released more than 80,000 tickets at the guaranteed price of £89 return to either Cologne or Amsterdam. If you’re planning to travel by train to the continent and would like to know how to make the connections for these and other journeys, do consult our
Overland Rail Journey Planner – we have researched over 80 train journeys in Europe to provide detailed information on the best journey times, where and how to change platforms/stations and how to book tickets.
At the end of September I took the train from London to Estonia via Brussels, Cologne, Copenhagen and Stockholm. It was a terrific trip – not just for the wonderful scenery (particularly through the stunning Scandinavian countryside) but also because the service is outstanding: high speed wifi, comfy, spacious seats and excellent food.
Welcome to the renaissance of rail.
Best wishes,
Richard Hammond
editor@greentraveller.co.uk
