Best way to see Europe Gets Even Easier for Eurail Passengers as High-Speed Rail Companies Ease Cross Border Travel
UTRECHT, Netherlands, July 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Eurail Group, the provider of Eurail Passes for flexible rail travel around Europe since 1959, hails Railteam as a revolution in European train travel. Formed in July 2007 to ensure optimal coordination between high-speed routes throughout Europe, Railteam is a partnership between Europe’s leading high-speed rail operators, currently DB (Germany), SNCF (France), Eurostar (UK, France and Belgium), NS Hispeed (Netherlands), OBB (Austria), SBB (Switzerland) and SNCB (Belgium), as well as two of their high-speed subsidiaries Thalys and Lyria.
The full range of Eurail Passes, including the new single country National Passes[1], are accepted on board all the participating high-speed networks[2] except Eurostar, a Eurail Bonus Partner that offers significant discounts to Eurail Pass holders. Much like airline partnerships, a principal benefit of the new Railteam alliance will be improved services for international cross-border routes providing a stress-free experience from booking to arrival.
Railteam spokesman, Gunnar Meyer, explains that, "Railteam’s aim is to offer travellers seamless high-speed train travel across international borders in Western Europe." Consequently, "Eurail passengers, as international travellers, will benefit immediately from the first services of Railteam."
Asides from multi-lingual information in stations and onboard trains, connections will also be smoother, with improved co-ordination of departure and arrival times. Furthermore, if passengers miss their connection because of a late running service, Railteam will ensure they are on the next available train.
Rene de Groot, Eurail Group Managing Director, said "Railteam is a most welcome step toward the seamless internationalization of rail travel in Europe and toward becoming even more competitive with low-cost air carriers -- and that’s not only good for Eurail customers, it’s good for the environment."
Indeed, trains emit far less CO2 into the atmosphere than flying to the same destinations, and high-speed trains are most efficient, with only a tenth to a quarter of aircraft emissions.
Apart from the high-speed rail network, which is growing rapidly and expects 25 million international travellers by the year 2010, Europe’s traditional trains include some excellent local and scenic trains allowing travellers to soak up the stunning scenery and passing landscapes at a more relaxed pace.
The EURAIL Group comprises 27 railways and shipping lines, as well as several bonus partners. See http://www.EurailGroup.com .
(1) Available for Benelux, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal
(2) In some cases compulsory reservations may apply
Railteam information: http://www.railteam.eu
