From the doldrums of a few years ago – when Deutsche Bahn left the business of running night trains completely – this mode of transport is back. Or at least in terms of public attention it’s back. Snälltåget has bold plans for Sweden to Germany services in 2021, and the […]
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Why is the Berlin-Amsterdam train so slow? And why is it so hard to do anything about it?
This tweet and news story from The Netherlands caught my eye this morning – “Dutch Railways will make trains to Berlin and Brussels much faster: “We want to seduce air passengers”” the title says. Whether prioritising that route – to get people off planes – even makes sense is open […]
Don’t be distracted by ÖBB’s shiny night train to Brussels – the problems of EU-wide rail run far deeper
Hey journalists! I’m glad to see you’re writing about trains! ÖBB running its first NightJet to Brussels seems to have got you into a particular frenzy. It’s amazing what a bit of red carpet at Gare du Midi, and Martin Selmayr on board, can do to generate a bit of […]
Turning a 2001 Riese und Müller Birdy into a modern folding bicycle
This post was written in January 2020, a smaller update was added in November 2021, and a large update was added in March 2022, with further small changes in April 2022 and January 2023. The original January 2020 blog post remains more or less as written! In the meantime if […]
How to book Brussels-Amsterdam rail tickets – a further example of the absurdity of cross border rail in the EU
“Jon, did you know?” a friend asked me today. “There’s now Eurostar Brussels to Amsterdam and it’s cheaper than the Thalys!” As a rail nerd I did of course know it exists but I have not had the chance to take it yet. But that gave me the idea for a […]
How a little openness and transparency would change EU-wide rail
On Wednesday 15 January 2020, just under 2 months from now, I want to make a rail trip from Bruges in Belgium to Aix-en-Provence in France. What do I need to plan such a trip? The times of the trains, and an ability to book tickets. Shouldn’t be so hard. […]