Britain’s trains are your best bet for pets
If you’re travelling with pets, British trains are the place to be. That’s the slightly surprising conclusion from a comparison of European railways conducted by ticket selling website Loco2.
Its work isn’t one of those standard passenger surveys - rather it wanted to look at specific types of travellers who might not consider long-distance rail travel as their first option. So there’s an emphasis on different groups of passengers, be they backpackers, business types, skiers, cyclists or environmentalists.
Britain only made the top three places in the pets category, with Virgin Trains East Coast in first place, followed by Great Western Railway and CrossCountry. This was on the basis that UK operators don’t charge passengers for bringing pets, unlike several European operators.
Lest other UK operators wonder why they don’t merit a mention, it’s worth noting that Loco2 only asked four UK companies (the other was Virgin West Coast) in its survey of 16, which concentrated on long-distance, high-speed travel.
I wasn’t surprised to see SBB (Swiss Railways) top the list for winter sports, as it did for cyclists and disabled passengers. Indeed, of the podium places across 12 categories, SBB took seven, followed by OBB (Austrian Railways) with six and DB (German Railways) with five.
SNCF (French Railways) took one place, coming top for fast travel between cities. That should be no surprise, given France’s pioneering work in high-speed travel.
“Overall travel time from city centre to city centre is very often quicker by train than by plane. High-speed rail has thus reshaped European geography for both business and leisure travellers,” commented the publishers of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide.
Italy won accolades for business travel, with nationalised Trenitalia first and open access Italo in second (OBB was third). There is fierce competition between the two. Europe by Rail’s publisher noted: “Top of the range trains from both companies each feature two variants of First Class geared very firmly to the business market. Those with big wallets choose between Business and Executive Classes on Trenitalia trains, or Prima and Club on Italo services. Both carriers offer ample space to work on board and there is lounge access at major stations. It is also possible to book dedicated meeting space on the train. Due to its wider network, Trenitalia has the edge, but only just!”
Loco2 creator Kate Andrews said: “For many of us, our experience of rail is limited to our commute - packed trains, peak times, high prices - making it an experience to endure rather than enjoy. But this report shows that there is no better time to escape the city and fall in love with train travel again. Let’s make the journey as important as the destination itself.”
Continental railways are not perfect. There are some great high-speed trains, but services drop sharply when you venture from these premier routes. Punctuality is variable and there can be long gaps between services. But, just like Britain, when they work well, they’re fantastic.