barriers up
but whatever the merits of the high-speed argument, there’s
no escaping the reality of day-to-day rail travel, and problems
that have nothing to do with physical infrastructure. High
ticket prices and complex booking systems continue to
hamper operations. Frustration has driven mark smith to set
up a website dedicated to making life easier for international
travellers who want to go by train. in the seven years since he
set it up, seat61.com has become a cult travel resource and a
must-click site for anyone planning a cross-border rail trip.
“what inspired me was how easy, practical and affordable
train travel to europe can be – and how impossible it is to find
anyone who can tell you how to do it and sell you a ticket,”
says smith, known as the man in seat 61. “a journey from
my local station to, say, naples can be booked online, but i
need to use at least three different websites to book it.”
that’s changing, however, with high-speed train
operating companies such as eurostar and sncF
grouping together to form a new partnership
called railteam. railteam provides a one-
stop shop for trans-european high-speed
rail travellers, and business travellers in
particular. it aims to exploit the 
potential of europe’s high-speed
network to the full, and provide a
practical alternative to airline travel in
europe. From 2009, it will be possible to
book complete journeys through its website
(railteam.eu). the aim is to build up services and
develop smooth interchanges right across the railteam
network. this includes minimising passenger waiting times
(the goal is a max dwell time of one hour) and allowing
passengers to access the cheapest fares possible for their
journey. ultimately, it promises to be the fastest way to open
up a whole new range of towns and cities for high-speed rail.
in the longer term, changes in the way the rail market
operates could also help boost passenger numbers by
“in europe, high- driving ticket prices down. liberalisation of europe’s railway
spEEd rail plays a
market in 2010 will open international passenger services up
substantial role in
to greater competition. that will mean new cross-border
services and – potentially – a new generation of low-cost rail
Fast track: predicted journey times for Uk high-speed rail
Facilitating and
carriers bringing affordable international rail travel within a
spreading Economic
much wider reach.
but to offer a real alternative to the low-cost airlines, the
dEvElopmEnt,
rail industry will have to do whatever it can to get connected.
60MiNS 82MiNS 74-79MiNS
bringing cities
Four hours may be a pivotal journey time for the switch to rail,
closer togetHer”
but without the convenience of fast, efficient ticketing, an
london to birmingham london to leeds london to manchester
extensive network, and seamless connections, high-speed rail
richard brown will go nowhere fast.
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