It sometimes seems that the only good news these days is train news.
“But in the past 15 days, the Chinese railway has only sold an average of 1.2 million tickets a day—about a tenth of the original estimated figures, Huang Xin said”.
But back to the good stuff.
Starting on April 30, there will be two direct Eurostar trains between Amsterdam and London a day.
Hooray!
Until April 30 vs after April 30:
“This follows an agreement between the governments of the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands enabling the operation of juxtaposed border controls at the Dutch departure stations, removing the current requirement for UK-bound passengers to catch an earlier Thalys service and then disembark at Brussels Midi for border and Channel Tunnel security checks before boarding a London-bound Eurostar”.
This will remove one hour of kerfuffle, meaning a trip time of around four hours.
Plus you can work on a Eurostar, wander around, be happy, and not have to worry about a cracked computer screen from the moron in front suddenly reclining.
“Eurostar said its ‘hassle-free travel’ would provide a ‘compelling reason’ for travellers to switch from air, with a journey between London and Amsterdam resulting in 80% less carbon per passenger than the equivalent flight”.
Percentages are confusing. 80% less mean five times less CO2 per person. On the Eurostar website, they suggest almost six times less CO2 per person.
If that doesn’t make you happy, here’s a lovely article about the beauty of slow train trips across Europe. One example:
“Ceske Budejovice to Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. The Czech Republic has a comprehensive and cheap rail network. From Prague, you can reach much of the country, but you'll have to change if you want to take one of its most charming journeys (about NZ$2.70 one way; the journey takes 45 minutes). Ceske Budejovice is the home of Czechvar (the Czechs call it Budweiser, though it's different from Budweiser in the United States), one of the country's most famous beers, while Cesky Krumlov is among its most beautiful towns. The gently rolling south Bohemian landscape, with its low-slung farmsteads and forests, is equally beguiling”.
Spent some of the best days of my life in Cesky Krumlov.
Bringing up the rear, ten of the best night train trips in Europe from the Guardian, including this Swedish one:
“…for many Swedes nothing can beat the 20-hour odyssey from their capital’s Central Station across the wilderness of the Arctic Circle and on to the Norwegian town of Narvik. This is one route to fight to keep the blinds up for. In summer, the midnight sun means seeing much more than normal on a sleeper and no wifi make this the perfect route to switch off and unwind”.
It’s on the list.