This in stark contrast to the Swiss who now have a virtually 100% electric railway powered from mainly renewable sources which are not affected by the Gulf War. While train fares and much else are not that cheap in Switzerland the service is so frequent and reliable that they broke their punctuality records last year in 2025.

See here for a link to a recent report in the Swiss Media; https://lenews.ch/2026/01/28/swiss-railways-set-a-new-punctuality-record/

© CFF/SBB

As London St Pancras High Speed are keen to see more use of their rail services to the channel tunnel, we are hoping that they will give us permission to hold such a party.

If you want to get involved or just find out more, please contact our UK member Howard Osborne for further information at: thecuriologist@gmail.com

Friday 25th October >>>> 7.30pm (till approx 8.30pm) >>>> St Pancras International station (Eurostar exit)

Meet us at 7.30pm at the Eurostar exit inside St Pancras station
– Wear pyjamas and bring whatever other nighttime paraphernalia you like e.g. teddy bears.
– Bring a fully-charged smartphone and headphones.
– Download the Zeno Radio app (or you can access this in your browser) to get the playlist.
– Plug in, dance and enjoy!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT: –

Here is a short video clip at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6zIkGFr_6RE from a German teenager who has spent more than a year living on German trains. He manages to carry out his work as a software developer and then spends his spare time visiting towns, cities and leisure attractions for the cost of an annual first-class rail pass. The pass costs him about 10,000 Euros. He also explains how he manages to sleep and wash his clothes, while moving around the country.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen wants Europeans to have easier international train travel. In her new term, it will be possible to travel across several countries with a single train ticket, she promised at her re-election.

“Cross-border rail travel is still too difficult for many residents,” Von der Leyen wrote in her political policy guidelines 2024-2029, a document she sent to the European Parliament on the occasion of her re-election. In the document, the Commission president points out that a separate ticket is now required for each rail operator. There is also no protection for passengers if trains are late, break down or if they miss a connection.

Climate targets

The barriers to international rail transport are driving the EU’s climate goals into the wheels, the Brussels top woman believes. “To meet those targets, we need to make it easier for residents to switch to more sustainable options.” There should therefore be a booking system that allows travellers to buy a single ticket across Europe. This should also better define their rights, Von der Leyen said.

This is not the first time Von der Leyen has made plans to streamline international rail transport. Back in 2020, she also presented plans for a new ticketing system. However, that stalled, partly because the proposal did not pass quality control.

Re-election

Ursula von der Leyen was elected for her second term as Commission president last month. In the European Parliament, a majority of 401 MEPs backed the re-election. There were 284 dissenting votes and 22 invalid votes. Von der Leyen has headed the European Commission since 2019.

UPDATE ON RAIL/SEA BUS LINK AT DIEPPE:

We can now confirm that this useful link to the station connects with all sailings between Newhaven and Dieppe.

See here for further details

https://lewesrail.org.uk/news/newhaven-dieppe-ferry-bus-link-in-dieppe-reinstated/

HS1, the owners of St Pancras International station have signed a contract with “Active Thinking”(AT) to come up with recommendations for expanding the capacity of the station to cope with both more passengers and post Brexit passport controls. AT have a track record of similar work at airports, stations and the 2012 Olympics. It is expected that they will have a report ready this autumn. Click here for further information: https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/hs1-ltd-commissions-study-to-expand-st-pancras-international-station-12-07-2024/

(2) RE-OPENING OF THE GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL:

Swiss Federal Railways have announced that the tunnel will fully re-open on 2nd September following the freight train de-railment that caused severe damage over a year ago. The one-hour reduction in journey times on this route through Switzerland will again provide much easier daytime journey options between the UK and Northern Italy.

(3) RE-OPENING OF THE MONT-CENIS ROUTE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ITALY:

This route has been completely blocked since a severe landslide in August 2023. Since then, there have been no through High-Speed Train services between Paris/Lyon to Turin & Milan in Northern Italy. It is expected that this “Transalpine” rail connection will finally re-open in November. Once this is route is back in operation, rail passengers from the UK will, once again, have the choice of 3 routes to Italy via the Swiss Alps: -namely the Gotthard, Simplon/Lotschberg and Mont Cenis routes. In the meantime, you could still enjoy one daily TGV Inoui from Paris to Milan using a rail-replacement bus from St Jean de Maurienne to Oulx . If this appeals to you have a look at this short video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45LJVBNaRHU

(4) RAIL/SAIL/RAIL returns to NEWHAVEN/ DIEPPE:

For a trial period of 6 months until 31st December DFDS Ferries have re-introduced a connecting bus service from the Dieppe Ferry terminal to the station which is one and a half miles away in the town centre. This has only been made possible due to support from local authorities in France. On the UK side the ferry terminal is right next to Newhaven Town station, which has a half-hourly service to London, Surrey and Sussex with a change at Lewes.

Getlink plan to double the number of high-speed electric trains using the tunnel during the next 10 years, having recently boosted the power supply in the tunnel. They are even considering running their own services, as they have identified what they see as a profitable market between London, Cologne and Frankfurt. They are also hoping to “harmonise” the “tunnel-specific” regulations to bring them more into line with general EU standards for rolling stock.

What can we look forward to as we approach 2024 ?

>>>We now have night train connections with Eurostar from Brussels to Berlin 6 days a week and one of these will be extended to Prague 3 times a week at the end of March.

>>> A growing high-speed train network in Spain, with more lines open and more services to many destinations.

>>> Many new trains coming into service in countries all over Europe (unlike the UK with very few new train orders placed in 2023).

On the 11th of October, EVOLYN (a Spanish-led consortium of various investors) announced plans to order 12 trains for a service through the channel tunnel with a rather optimistic start date of 2025. For further details click here: https://www.railtech.com/rolling-stock/2023/10/17/where-do-things-stand-with-eurostars-rival-evolyn/

Then in November HEURO (a Dutch led consortium of various investors) announced plans to run up to 15 trains/day from Amsterdam to Brussels and London and up to16 trains a day from Amsterdam to Brussels and Paris. At the same time rumours were circulating that Virgin might also be preparing an announcement. For further details click here: https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/high-speed/heuro-plans-high-speed-services-from-amsterdam-to-brussels-paris-and-london/

You can find out current and historic punctuality records for all long-distance trains by train number or by station. You can also access diagrams to see how well parts of the European Rail Network are currently performing. Another useful feature is the ability to find the reliability and punctuality of particular connections, which can be useful if they are rather “tight”. The Countries covered are:- Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovenia and Italy. You can check it out here at: https://www.zugfinder.net/en/start