New routes, beds and high -speed paths

Los Trips by passenger train in Europe They continue to expand with the opening of a Avalanche of new routes and competition on key routesincluding the railway line that passes under the Channel of La Mancha. Plans to streamline the reservation process throughout Europe could also make Travel by railway is simpler and more expeditious.

The European Commission encourages this impulse. At its November confirmation hearing, the new European Transportation and Tourism Commission Maximum priority”.

The demand for train trips is strong and is growing. Traffic rail traffic of cross -border passengers within Europe increased by 7% by 2024 compared to 2023, according to the community of European railways and infrastructure companies, industrial group based in Brussels. Railway passenger traffic within each country increased by approximately 3%.

Victor Thévenet, director of Transport and Environment Railway Policy, also based on Brussels, referred to the possibility of a Single Reserve and Ticket Issuance System as “the big topic of the agenda in 2025“.

“With a unique ticket you can buy A passage involving different trains operators And it will be sure that the rights of each person who travel will be protected if something goes wrong during the tour, “said Thévenet, highlighting that the system would work for all regional and long distance trains throughout Europe.

The official added that this year public consultations will be carried out on said plan and that the proposed legislation should reach the European Parliament in 2026.

For train lovers, there are Many new routes to choose from.

In December a Direct diurnal service between Paris and Berlin with an approximate duration of eight hours. Tickets for that journey, which also has stops in Strasbourg, France, and Karlsruhe and Frankfurt in Germany, start at 60 euros (around 62 US dollars). The new alternative adds to the slowest night service that connects the French and German capitals, opened at the end of 2023.

Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of the European Community of Railways and Infrastructure Community, described the recent Via Via Rarrea Oceraría Paris-Berlin as “an important connection between two major European capitals.”

But he clarified that only partially is high speed; With adequate infrastructure, travel time could be reduced to just five hours. “There is the opportunity to improve even more,” he synthesized.

Pronto In Paris other new services will be seenparticularly as the Italian railway operator increases its presence in the French market.

Treitalia and SNCF, the National French Trains Company, will reopen competitors between Paris and Milan this spring, more than 18 months after a landslide in the French Alps forced to close the line.

The Paris-Milán service of the SNCF will begin on March 31, with tickets from 29 euros; The trainitalia service will be launched the next day. Both operators will include stops in Lyon, France, and Turin, Italy, among other cities on the route. In the rest of France, and also in competition with SNCF, Trenitalia will begin to provide a service between Paris and Marseille on June 15, with stops in Lyon, Aviñón and Aix-en-Provence.

The Spanish operator Renfe is also entering France. The company has announced that it will soon begin to provide a High speed service between Barcelona and Toulousein southwest France.

The three and a half hours trip will include stops in Perpiñán and Carcassonne in France and Girona in Spain, among other cities. It will run seasonally, starting in the second quarter of this year and until mid -September.

Likewise, high speed connections are being prepared between Belgrade, Serbia, and Budapest, Hungary, Lisbon and Porto in Portugal and Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic.

In addition, this year they join New bed services. The private operator European Sleepo has opened a seasonal night rail connection between Brussels and Venice that provides two services per week in February and March. The company already operates throughout the year a train between Brussels and Prague, a service that started last year.

The resurgence of Trains Camarote has extended to Portugal and Spainwhere governments are working to reopen the night service between the two countries.

This benefit, which unites Lisbon, Madrid and the French city of Hendaya on the border with Spain, was interrupted in March 2020 when the pandemic closures occur but could begin to work again in the first half of this year.

On one of the iconic railway routes in Europe, the competition is coming into heat: the line that passes under the La Mancha channel. Those who wish to travel by train between London and the continent can someday do so with a railway operator other than Eurostar, although Not before 2029 As very soon.

Eurostar, which has the monopoly on the route that crosses the Channel of La Mancha since the line was inaugurated in 1994, experiences a strong demand.

In all its network, which together with other services includes connections between London and Paris, and London and Brussels, the operator transported 19.5 million passengers in 2024, increased more than 5% compared to the previous year.

The company could observe another increase in the current year since this month launches its direct service between London and Amsterdam, after a pause of almost eight months due to infrastructure improvements at the Central Station of Amsterdam.

But the company, which during the pandemia reduced its network, still faces Challenges. In a December report published by Transport and Environment, Thévenet’s non -profit organization, Eurostar occupies the last place in a classification of 27 European rail operators, with low score for their prices, their reliability and strict policies with bicycles (In the Paris-London service, it does not allow completely assembled bicycles, due to security restrictions that exceed the company’s control. On other routes, the company allows bicycles “in limited amounts and under certain conditions”, among them to remove both wheels) .

The executive director of Eurostar, Gwendoline Cazenave, responded by email that did not agree with the conclusions of the report and pointed out that the classification “does not recognize the main environmental contributions of Eurostar”, such as “the elimination of flights between Brussels and Paris the strong reduction of flights between London and Paris. “

Their Rivals in the competition They are placed in their positions. The first two are Virgin Group, British multinational conglomerate founded by Richard Branson, and Evolyn, a new operator led by the Spanish family Cosmen, heavyweights of the travel sector.

Phil Whittingham, by Virgin Group, reported that his company expects to close an agreement for 12 high -speed trains in the first half of this year. He added that Virgin has requested access to Temple Mills, maintenance station in London where they give services to Eurostar trains. Getting access to that site is an essential step to launch a service that crosses the channel.

“We are sure there is room to enter,” Whittingham said. “We believe that competition would be good for them and for us.”

Lisa O’Brien, spokesman for the Railway Office and Routes of Great Britain, confirmed that both Virgin and Evolyn have requested space in Temple Mills Depot. He added that the government regulator has appointed external consultants in order to determine the capacity of the deposit to handle more trains.

“Our next steps will depend on the result of that capacity study,” he said.

Richard Bowker, former president of the strategic rail authority of Great Britain and now co -present of the Green Signals rail podcast, observed that in the past there were Eurostar rivals that failed, but that “this time seems to be different.”

Bowker, who also worked for Virgin Group, about this company highlighted the “well -gained history of being disruptive”, as well as the deep experience of the Evolyn team in the transport sector.

“All this is something thrilling“He concluded.” Indicates growth, more travel opportunities and potentially better offers for the consumer. “

The New York Times / Special for Clarín

Translation: Román García Azcárate