New rail competitor plans direct trains from London to Germany by 2030
A new operator has announced ambitious plans to launch direct high-speed rail services from London to Germany by 2030, in what could become the biggest expansion of cross-Channel rail travel since Eurostar began operating in 1994. Gemini Trains, a British start-up backed by the investment firm Midia Partners, says it wants to introduce services from...
New Swiss Campaign for Tax on Airline Tickets
I love the work by the Swiss organisation Association Suisse pour la Protection du Climat. Their current campaign is lobbying for a new tax on airline tickets and using those proceeds to provide residents with a CHF100 voucher for public transport, as well as creating a fund to improve rail connections and a focus on...
New Protect Our Winters report highlights barriers to low-carbon travel for outdoor enthusiasts
Protect Our Winters UK (POW UK) has published the findings of its Clean Miles campaign, highlighting the barriers that prevent outdoor enthusiasts from choosing lower-carbon travel. Their campaign has been built around a simple principle: the cleanest route to the outdoors should also be the easiest. Yet for many skiers, climbers, cyclists and hikers, travelling...
Four French Ski Resorts earn elevated ‘Flocon Vert’ sustainability rating
Four French ski areas have been recognised for their ongoing commitment to sustainability by being awarded a second ‘Flocon Vert’ (‘Green Snowflake’). The newly upgraded resorts are Les Belleville (Les Menuires/St Martin/Val Thorens) and Valloire in Savoie, together with Les Angles and Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees. The second snowflake recognises resorts that have continued to...
Free Rail Map of Europe
Our friends at ‘2theAlps’ are offering a free up to date version of their rail map of Europe. It even includes the new European Sleeper route from Brussels to Milan. You can download it here. The higher resolution version in physical format is available here.
New Brussels-Milan Sleeper Train Offers New Rail Route to the Alps
Skiers looking to reduce their carbon footprint while enjoying a more relaxed journey to the mountains will have another option for this winter. European Sleeper has confirmed that its new overnight service linking Brussels and Milan will launch on 09 September 2026, creating a direct rail connection between Northern Europe, Switzerland and Northern Italy. Sleeper...
Direct UK to Switzerland train moves closer to reality
A direct high-speed rail link between London and Switzerland has moved closer after Eurostar signed a new agreement with Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and SNCF Voyageurs to develop future services linking the UK with Geneva, Zurich and Basel. The memorandum of understanding, announced this week, is a positive step that could see direct London–Switzerland trains...
Greenwashing at Thredbo?
The Australia ski resort of Thredbo loves to talk about their sustainability initiatives. And to be fair to the resort, they do power their lifts via renewable electricity, generated from hydro power. On their sustainability page, they list further actions that they have taken to mitigate the impact of their operations. Only this week, the...
Night Train operator Nox Mobility secures €2 million in funding
New night train start up, Berlin-based Nox Mobility, has secured €2 million in funding that will help bring it to market. Nox Mobility was founded in 2025 by Thibault Constant, Janek Smalla, and Artur Hasselbach. Thibault has spent years following night trains in Europe, and built a community of 600,000 like-minded people. Night train services...
Travelski introduce Night Train from Netherlands & Belgium to French Alps
Excellent news for lovers of train travel – and especially night trains – is that Travelski are expanding their night train service for winter 2026/27. Following the success of their Paris to Bourg-Saint-Maurice overnight service this winter, the French operator Compagnie des Alpes has not only confirmed a second season of operation for winter 2026/27,...
Case Study: Scotland to Switzerland by train
Martyn Crawshaw recently sent us this update on his train journey from Inverness to Champéry in Switzerland. “I had the chance to spend a couple of weeks skiing in Europe and having spent most of my ski days in Scotland or Norway, I was at a bit of a loss as to where to start...
European Sleeper Brussels–Milan night train opens up the Swiss Alps
A new night service from Brussels to Milan will offer skiers and snowboarders a fantastic new rail route to ski resorts in the Alps. From September 2026, European Sleeper will launch their new overnight service linking Brussels with Milan. It will run three times a week and pass through the heart of Switzerland offering access...
