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London's 2012 Olympics Already Have a High-Speed 'Javelin' Train

June 19, 2009 at 3:24 PM | 0 Comments

While we were off flying on Jetblue's Inaugural LAX route, a few lucky folks in Britain were taking their newest transportation toy for a spin, the high-speed Javelin Train. The Japanese-built Shinkansen superfast trains will be the country's frirst high-speed domestic commuter service, cutting travel time immensely (think from 80 minutes down to 37) and preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.

When the 140-mph service hits the tracks on June 29, it will run on the newly-built Channel Tunnel raillink tracks between London's St. Pancras station and the towns of Ashford and Ebbsfleet. This way, the bullet trains need not lean like Virgin's Pendolino service; the raillink route was built for speed, with gentle curves and updated signaling.

Although commuters will totally benefit from the time saved, their wallets will nonetheless be hit by the upgraded service; Yahoo UK reports that a single fare from Ashford to St Pancras which now costs £22.20 ($37) will go up to £26.60 ($44). Let's hope they don't have to commute too often.

For the Olympics in 2012, the train will add a stop at the Olympic Village at Stratford, which, on the Javelin, will only be a 7-minute train ride away from central London. If we give in to our minor fascination for the Shinkansen trains, we just might see you there in 2012.

Related Stories:
· Javelin Train Service Launches [Yahoo UK]
· The Javelin, from point to point [BBC News]
· Train Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: RMTBristol]

Beware, Eurostar: The .Italo Train Will Floor It Through Italy

June 15, 2009 at 12:37 PM | 0 Comments

We are positively blushing with excitement over the latest NYT train travel news out of Italy: in 2011, a "new privately owned high-speed train company, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, will introduce a stylish, candy-apple-red fleet of 25 trains collectively known as .Italo."

It's estimated that speeds on the new train will reach 225 mph, effectively cutting the old 6-hour trip between Rome and Milan down to three hours—the Eurostar does it no faster than four hours now. This won't be the only .Italo route however, as it's scheduled to run the main corridors between Turin and Naples, crowded routes we know all too well.

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Beware, Ryanair: Everyone Wants A Piece of the Chunnel

June 11, 2009 at 11:12 AM | 2 Comments

It's a crazy world out there, complete with wild animals on planes and trains racing each other through tunnels; all stuff which once belonged to action films.

We recently mentioned that Europe's high speed train systems are deregulating—which should lead to more competition and cheaper train fares for zipping across Europe. Well, there's even more good news for the budget traveler now.

The High Speed One track, which links London's St Pancras Station to the Chunnel, is about to be sold off and it's expected that the new owner will open up the track to more than just Eurostar. The word is that at the least, both Air France and Germany's Deustche Bahn are keen to set up rival trains to make the crossing between Britain and continental Europe.

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The Coming of Europe's Trains-Versus-Airlines Deathmatch

June 2, 2009 at 10:27 AM | 0 Comments

To Eurail around Europe has always been the standard, backpacked-approved way to see the continent in modern times, until the last decade when low cost airlines began undercutting train fares and stealing passengers. But with transportation, as with life, everything has its cycle and it looks like things could be returning to favor the humble train.

Or the not-so-humble train, rather. With market deregulation on its way—for example, EU rules will change in December to allow rail operators to compete against each other on international routes—many European countries are going crazy with high-speed rail networks. In many cases, if you include the boarding time and waiting around for planes, taking the train is quicker—and with deregulation, possibly cheaper.

Key countries in this rebirth of train travel will be France and Spain, which both have huge expansion plans for their high-speed rail. Air France is so worried they're even considering getting into the rail industry themselves. We're not worried at all, since passengers will only win on this as plenty-of-leg-room trains meet budget airline prices.

Related Stories:
· European Train Travel: Working on the Railroad [Time]
· Speeding Train Crosses Europe Faster [Jaunted]

[Photo: Terry Wha]

Amtrak Inches Closer to On-Track WiFi in Northern California

May 28, 2009 at 9:17 AM | 1 Comment

While the airline race to be the first with fleetwide WiFi (which Virgin America won) sure mobilized the WiFi supporters over these past few months, it seems as though the hubbub has also awakened Amtrak.

In yesterday's post on Amtrak's summer discounts, a commenter alerted us to the Capitol Corridor's plans to implement on-track WiFi (as opposed to "in-flight") as soon as they find a suitable contractor. This would mean internet access to accompany increased electrical outlets for the 170-mile rail corridor of these Northern California counties: Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

Calling all companies capable of getting California's rail online—how about hooking a corridor up? It's just too bad GoGo only does airline installation because the whole Amtrak network could really benefit from a speedy, nationwide plan like now.

Related Stories:
· Capitol Corridor Wireless Network [Capitol Corridor]
· Amtrak Discounts Summer Fares, Insists Trains Are Cooler Than Buses [Jaunted]
· Train Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: pandoralyrael]

Atlantic City's ACES Train Cries 'All Afford' For Summer Travel

May 27, 2009 at 12:57 PM | 0 Comments

By now we really don't need to tell you how much the casinos have suffered during the recession; like us, you've probably received far too many "special weekend escape" mailings and suffered through the commercials promoting your local gambling mecca (Foxwoods--we're talking about you). It's no wonder then that Atlantic City is jumping aboard their own train to funnel in the cash this summer.

From June 1 thru July 5, AC's new ACES train direct service to and from New York City will run a summer special of $29 coach seats, each way. This saves about $20 per ticket, with which you could spoil yourself and upgrade for $25 to first class.

The deal, aimed at bringing staycationing New Yorkers down the shore to spend a few dollars, is appropriately named "All Afford!" Face it folks: it's either this train with food and beverage service included, or climbing aboard a dirty bus armed with KFC. We've done plenty of the latter, so perhaps it's time to suck it up, take the train, and leave the hand-i-wipes at home.

Related Stories:
· ACES Train [Official Site]
· ACES Stands For 'A Better Way to Get to Atlantic City' [Jaunted]
· Train TravelCoverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ACES}

Amtrak Discounts Summer Fares, Insists Trains Are Cooler Than Buses

May 22, 2009 at 12:40 PM | 1 Comment

Ok, so they didn't actually say "Trains are cooler than buses" but Amtrak must be feeling the pressure of the new cheap bus travel craze. Their trains don’t have power plugs at every seat, and don’t have WiFi beaming through their cars. So the only thing they can do to compete is to cut fares on their routes, in hopes that people haven’t permanently forgotten about the train.

Regional routes in the Northeast will be cut by up to 25 percent for the peak summer travel season. If high-speed is more your thing, Acela price cuts from earlier this year will stick around through the summer. Start booking your New York to Washington tickets now, they start at about $50 each-way. Too bad that’s like $49 more than taking Boltbus.

To take advantage of these lower rates you need to travel between June 2 and September 3, and you’ll have to book two weeks before you’re ready to go. Maybe if they allowed you to book a bargain fare at the last minute, they could get a few more butts in the seats.

Related Stories:
·Amtrak Cuts Northeast Fares By 25% [Boston Globe]
·National Train Day Means Amtrak Is Still Chugging Along [Jaunted]
·Train Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: jmueller99]

Virgin's Pendolinos Understand First Class Train Travel

May 13, 2009 at 9:33 AM | 0 Comments

We're pretty familiar with flying through the air on Virgin, but less schooled in Virgin Trains, their network you can use to scoot around the United Kingdom in style.

Being underneath the wings of Richard Branson, you can expect these sleek trains to include some very sexy first class carriages; it's as sexy as a train can be, that is. The first class carriage pictured above is actually on a Virgin Pendolino train; a special high-speed train out of Italy that "leans" on corners, enabling it to go faster than regular trains, but on the same tracks. Presumably it doesn't lean so much that the china or napkins go sliding off your first class tray table, or that wouldn’t be so impressive at all.

Apparently there are 52 Pendolino trains being operated by Virgin across Britain, and at 125 miles an hour, they sound like a very comfortable and accessibly alternative to airplanes. That is until you check the prices—a London to Liverpool first class ticket on a Virgin Pendolino could set you back £185 ($280) just one way. But it looks so nice...

Related Stories:
· Virgin Trains [Official Site]
· Keeping the Railways on Track [Jaunted]

[Photo: Train Chartering]

Queensland Trains Will Soon Get Some WiFi Love

April 21, 2009 at 8:56 AM | 0 Comments

If you are lucky enough to live in southeast Queensland, you might be able to email your boss right from the commuter train—just make sure you don’t tell her how you really feel about your annual review. New wireless equipment is being installed to allow security footage to be streamed to the train’s headquarters in Brisbane, and commuters are going to get the WiFi runoff. Hopefully, American politicians have an idea like this in mind when they start to finalize those new high-speed trains.

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Germany Gets Their Nanotechnology on Track...Train Tracks

April 16, 2009 at 10:41 AM | 0 Comments

For some reason, the combination of trains and science just seems right to us, unless it happens to be Amtrak and then we're looking at the science of bunsen burners and mercury thermometers. This summer, however, Germany is out to show the world a thing or two about their scientific advances in the realms of nanotechnology, life sciences and sustainable energy research with a touring train expedition called the "SciencExpress."

Departing from Berlin's Hauptbahnhof on April 24 and heading straight to Frankfurt before chugging along to complete its seven month journey of over 60 German cities, the SciencExpress is 12 cars long, or over 900 feet, of engineering excellence paired with an interior featuring "...fascinating hands-on-experiments and exhibits from numerous German universities, research institutes and corporations." The train, a "Sonderzug," or special-use train, is the star of the current German Science Year’s public outreach program, with the goal of imagining what our lives will be like in 2020.

Sadly, passengers aren't permitted to hop this baby for a tour of the country, but can visit the parked train in stations around good old Deutschland for free. We'd like to think of it as a mobile and way more advanced Cosi, for those familiar with the typically Midwestern science museum. For those of you intent on doing European tours this summer, check out the train's full station schedule, and save some Euros while still learning a thing or two.

Related Stories:
· Expedition Zukunft [Official Site]
· Science Gets On Tracks [DesignSpotter]
· Train Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Image: Expedition Zukunft]

National Train Day Means Amtrak is Still Chugging Along

March 30, 2009 at 1:24 PM | 0 Comments

Fish out that old conductor's cap and choo-choo whistle from your youth (or your model-railroading days) and prepare to remember that other methods of cross-country transportation exist aside from the airplane. On May 9, Amtrak will celebrate "National Train Day," bringing awareness to the fact that they not only still exist, but have loyal customers and architectural gems of hub stations.

This may only be their second annual shindig, but it commemorates the day of the creation of the first transcontinental railroad and the last 140 years of (somewhat) successful chugging along from coast-to-coast on the US rail system. To envelop current train travelers in this history and invite potential customers to "Discover the Rail Way," Amtrak is hosting events in their Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles stations. No doubt the live music, interactive green exhibits, "VIP" appearances, kids corner, and educational exhibits will go well with your pre-train cinnabon and coffee.

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Freccia Rossa Rides Its Inaugural Route From Milan to Rome

March 25, 2009 at 12:18 PM | 2 Comments

Italy's new high-speed train service, Freccia Rossa ("Red Arrow"), made its inaugural high-speed rail service yesterday from Milan to Rome. The new service now lets travelers get from the fashion capital to the Eternal City in just three hours. (Currently, the trip takes about four hours.) Passengers can also get from Florence to Bologna in just 35 minutes, down from one hour.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi rode the inaugural trip, even posing in the pilot's cabin wearing the chief engineer's hat. He looks so...cute?

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