Stop & Examine
To Italy by train - changing at Brussels, Amsterdam and Innsbruck. A good chance to compare Britain’s railways with those of our continental neighbours, and it’s clear we face similar challenges.
I’m going to start with luggage. I’m as guilty as the next for having a bag too heavy and too large, because it has wheels. Many British trains have little space for such bags, and so do those I used in Germany and Austria.
Space in my First Class ICE compartment could cope with one medium case on the floor. Anything bigger had to go on the overhead rack. This was big enough for my bag and strong enough to support its weight, but I struggled to lift it into position.
Yes, I should pack less. So should everyone else, but I suspect none of us will. So German trains need more luggage space, and so do British trains.
I started my journey with Eurostar from the impressive trainshed at St Pancras. The trainshed might impress, but Eurostar’s trains did not. In Standard Premier (First Class coaches) I could see torn seat covers and a waste bin encrusted with dirt. It was shabby and beyond tired. My train, timed for a 1400 arrival into Brussels, had croissants, bread rolls and coffee served, which was more breakfast than lunch - Eurostar called it brunch.
There was a very heavy police and army presence in Brussels Midi station, with constant armed patrols. Indeed, I saw the platforms used by international trains segregated, with checks of boarding passengers.
However, rather than catching a Thalys high-speed service to Amsterdam, I was using an ordinary train. It was slower than Thalys but cheaper, so I went First Class, which gave me a bigger seat in a fairly empty carriage. The guard appeared to check tickets and had a long argument with a man with a Standard ticket who would not take no for answer. No change from Britain there!
There was no buffet car or trolley on this decidedly local international train. However, there were refreshments. A seller boarded partway to Amsterdam with a tray containing mainly chocolate bars. He also had a backpack of hot water, so could dispense coffee. Perhaps this is an idea for those UK routes (my colleague Richard Clinnick might suggest Norwich-Peterborough) that don’t have even a trolley today.
From Amsterdam to Innsbruck I was aboard that endangered species of continental rail… the Sleeper train. Sleep came fitfully, but I didn’t hear the train being remarshalled in (I think) Frankfurt, so I’ll rate that a success.
The struggle of continental Sleeper services is one of rail’s great failures. They should thrive as they do in Britain, particularly given the longer distances over which they run. Suggestions that they be replaced by overnight buses are ridiculous. DB’s withdrawal from Sleeper services is simply forcing passengers towards aeroplanes, which is surely just what the European Union doesn’t want.
Innsbruck provided an opportunity to try one of ÖBB’s First Class lounges. It served coffee and snacks, and wasn’t much different from lounges in King’s Cross, Paddington or Euston.
On board ÖBB’s train to Bressanone in Italy (or Brixen if you prefer), First Class provides a bigger seat and not much else. The complimentary service provided to First Class passengers on intercity operators in Britain is absent abroad, in my experience. You won’t find it on French TGVs or German ICEs.
However, ÖBB does provide a restaurant car with catering from ‘Henry am Zug’, and it’s a pleasant experience to enjoy a meal as the train makes its way through the Austrian Tirol, over the Brenner Pass, and into Italy’s South Tirol region.
Returning home, I opted for day trains with an overnight stop in Munich, in place of the Sleeper. My booked First Class seats aboard ÖBB’s train aligned with a pillar, so it’s not just in Britain that this happens.
I’m impressed with Munich station - particularly the catering, which provided a decent breakfast to start the day. Indeed, I don’t think the pair of old ladies also having breakfast were even travelling, I think they were simply eating at the station.
Armed with a DB discounted through-ticket all the way to London, the first leg of my journey took me to Frankfurt aboard an ICE, ensconced within one of the train’s four- seat compartments. Yes, it meant lifting that bag up onto the rack, but I like compartments - they’re something I wish we’d bring back to Britain.
German railways are fascinating. Even small towns seem to have large freight yards. Würzburg’s was huge, but was then dwarfed by Frankfurt’s. There are a decent number of private freight locomotives in various liveries, providing a change from DB red. And many factories still retain private sidings, all of which suggests that rail freight is in reasonable shape.
Yet I fear otherwise. Germany’s extensive infrastructure comes with a cost, and I struggle to believe that it’s any more cost- effective to trip individual wagons to private sidings in Germany than it has proved to be in Britain.
So what’s my overall view? For First Class, Britain is ahead of the continent. It has a greater range of fares, which allows for cost- effective travel. Continental trains are very good… but don’t let anyone convince you they’re better than Britain.