Europe’s new train routes for 2022

(CNN) — What could better complement the progressive relaxation of European rules against the pandemic? A flourishing international rail network by 2022.

The continent’s night trains have gone from being on the verge of extinction to a resurgence across Europeled by the Austrian company ÖBB, with the emergence of new private companies offering more options.

Meanwhile, as more day trains are installed across the continent, prices are falling. Both Italian high-speed networks they are creating ever more luxurious carriages to attract customers, while low-cost high-speed trains have been launched in France and Spain.

Where to travel in 2022? These are the new routes that were inaugurated in Europe in recent months, and those that are expected for the rest of the year.

Inaugurated routes

Vienna to Paris

OBB’s Nightjet train from Vienna to Paris opened in December 2021 and runs three times a week in both directions. It is one of several trains that connect major European cities: it passes through Salzburg, Munich and Strasbourg, and follows the route of the original Orient Express (for a much lower price). The 14-hour journey leaves Vienna at 7:40 p.m. and arrives in Paris at 9:42 a.m., just in time for a croissant and latte; if you take it in the opposite direction, it happens 10 minutes later. Rates start at $101 for a private cabin.

Amsterdam to Zurich

Another Nightjet sleeper train, this route launched in December 2021, connects Amsterdam and Zurich. It calls at German stations, such as Cologne, Bonn and Frankfurt Airport, before crossing into Switzerland at Basel. The entire journey takes just under 12 hours, arriving in Zurich shortly after 8am, and in Amsterdam after 9am for those traveling in the opposite direction.

Genoa to Naples

Although it is the sixth largest city in Italy, Genoa is not so well connected to the rest of the country; to get to the capital, the options are to take a regular train along the west coast, or go northeast to Milan and switch to a high-speed train heading south. At least, that was the case until Italo, the rival high-speed network of the state-owned Trenitalia, launched a route from Genoa to Naples. Yes, it keeps going up through Milan, but then heads non-stop south to Rome and Naples. The entire journey takes six hours and 45 minutes, which is a reduction of 80 minutes compared to the previous direct route.

Brussels to Prague

It is a great European odyssey that will open in the summer of 2022. The European Sleeper night train will cross the continent in the dark, leaving Brussels at dinner time and passing through big cities such as Amsterdam, Hannover and Berlin, before arriving in Prague in time for a late breakfast around 10.30am. The trip will take place three times a week and tickets will go on sale in the spring. The company is a Belgian-Dutch cooperative operating in partnership with Czech carrier RegioJet, and says it will launch a Brussels-Warsaw route in 2023.

Madrid to Barcelona

The high-speed train is usually expensive, unless it is the popular Madrid-Barcelona route, which has seen two low-cost high-speed options open up. Ouigo, an affiliate of France’s SNCF, launched in May 2021, and Avlo, part of Spain’s Renfe, a month later. Since September, Ouigo has made intermediate stops in bustling Zaragoza and Tarragona, while some Avlo trains continue on to Figueres.

Paris to Milan

Italy’s daring Frecciarossa, its flagship high-speed train, started a new service from Milan to Paris in December 2021. While this isn’t a new route, French TGVs already connect the two cities, it’s a much more glamorous way to do so, especially if you book the business class of the Frecciarossa, whose large armchairs resemble those of a private jet. The route is great, passing through Turin, Chambery and Lyon, and also the TGV times are reduced by 20 minutes.

London to Edinburgh

Again, this is not a new route as such, but it is opening up a popular route to those on a tighter budget. The new Lumo service, which launched in October 2021, is intended to offer an alternative to low-cost airlines, who normally take advantage of this route, as UK trains are notoriously expensive. After starting to operate with three daily services, they will become five in April. Check the fare carefully, though: Although prices start at $20 each way, the cheapest we could see on a day we checked, two months in advance, was $58. Lumo says the $60 % of tickets are sold for US$41 or less.

Cuneo to Nice

The journey from Cuneo, in the Piedmont mountains, to Nice, on the Côte d’Azur, is so beautiful that in 2021 the members of the non-profit organization for heritage, FAI (Fund for the Italian Environment), declared it one of the most precious things in Italy. With a descent of 1,000 meters over 96 kilometers, it is an amazing journey through the mountains, over high viaducts, and to the Mediterranean Sea, crossing between Italy and France all the way. No wonder it is known as the “Ferrovia delle meraviglie”, the railway of wonders. A section had been closed since October 2020 due to storm damage, but the line fully reopened on December 21, 2021.

Ancona to Fabriano

Italy has a great collection of “tourist trains”, and this one, which opened in September 2021, is one of the most spectacular, as it starts from the coast at Ancona and heads into the Apennines, seeing the vastness of the region. of the Marches. On a 19th-century single-track railway, one of the oldest lines in Italy, using a vintage diesel locomotive, it calls at Fabriano (the medieval birthplace of paper) before crossing the Cesano valley, reaching Sassoferrato and to Pergola, where he returns.

Ljubljana to Graz

ÖBB’s route from Ljubljana to Budapest launched in December 2021, but its tortuous journey through Austria means it’s not the fastest on that stretch. However, it has opened a direct line from the Slovenian capital to Graz. The journey takes three hours and 17 minutes and leaves Ljubljana shortly after 4:00 p.m.

Vienna to Frankfurt

Another of ÖBB’s December releases, this is a Railjet train, which extends the existing Vienna-Innsbruck Railjet route, which previously terminated in Bregenz. It now runs as far as Frankfurt, a route that can also be reached with an ÖBB Intercity Express (ICE).

Palermo to Messina

Until now, you could take a high-speed train from northern Italy to the southern tip, at Lamezia Terme. Sicily can now also be traversed on the fast track: the first high-speed service on the largest island in the Mediterranean began in November 2021. It connects the capital, Palermo, with the second city, Catania, and crosses central Sicily, less visited, passing through Caltanissetta and Enna, before reaching the coast of Catania and heading north to Messina, where hydrofoils connect with high-speed trains from the peninsula. It’s not high-speed yet: the entire trip takes about three hours, though that should drop to two hours and 15 minutes in two years. The elegant Frecciabianca train is also a major upgrade from the slow regional trains that currently ply the central Sicily route.

Vienna to Cluj-Napoca

Opening in December 2021, this nearly 11-hour journey winds through Austria, Hungary and Romania, skirting the Slovakian border and the Danube before stopping in Budapest, then crossing the Romanian border just before Oradea. Cluj-Napoca is the unofficial capital of Transylvania, known for its cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and lively nightlife. Nearby is the cathedral-like Turda Salt Mine, as well as the Hoia Baciu Enchanted Forest. It is also, of course, the gateway to the famous and beautiful Transylvanian countryside.

Coming soon

Graz to Warsaw

A night train from Graz to Warsaw will be launched in June 2022, stopping in Krakow before reaching the Polish capital. In collaboration with PKP (Polish Railways) and the Austrian ÖBB, the train will leave Graz at dinner time and make a stopover in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, before crossing the Polish border at Chałupki, passing through Krakow at 6 in the morning and arrive in Warsaw shortly before 9 am.

Paris to Lyon

Starting in April 2022, the Ouigo low-cost line will offer a service from the French capital to the country’s gastronomic capital. It’s not exactly high-speed: Trains are capped at 100 miles per hour, but fares start at just $11 for the five-and-a-half-hour ride. Plus, it goes through Dijon, one of the places CNN recommends for 2022.

Graz to Berlin

ÖBB is also launching a NightJet service from Graz to Berlin in June 2022. This is in effect an extension of the current Vienna-Berlin service.

Stockholm to Hamburg

Sweden is the birthplace of Europe’s “flight shame” movement, and Swedish operator SJ is capitalizing on it with a new night train from Stockholm to Hamburg, due to start service in the second half of 2022 under the name EuroNight. . Departing early in the evening from Sweden, she will stop in Copenhagen on her journey through Denmark, arriving in Hamburg before 7am. In the opposite direction, the service will work about three hours later.

Zurich to Rome

Another NightJet bet, which will open in December 2022.
Daytime international travel is also expanding. The Railjet route currently linking Vienna, Innsbruck and Bregenz will be extended to Frankfurt. And new trains linking Graz with Budapest are also being prepared, according to ÖBB.

Prague to Lviv

RegioJet was due to start an overnight service from Prague to Lviv this year, postponed from 2021. However, there is no sign of it yet, and with the ongoing unrest in Ukraine, expect it to be delayed again.