Fantasy Ferroviaire

Trains as they should be…

ADIÓS FLIGHT SHAME

Pre-pandemic, half of Europe’s air passengers were flying on routes of less than 3000km already connected by rail- what needs to improve is the provision of direct night trains, especially over longer distances.

Inspired by the best science fiction, my timetables use real-life constraints (existing infrastructure capacity, rolling stock and locomotives). They are limited to 200kph even on high-speed lines.

The fantasy element is to assume political will to ensure technical interoperability, cooperation, and investment in rolling stock for long-term sustainability rather than the environmentally destructive model of low-cost aviation.

EN3: WARSZAWA-MADRID

A new night train (Frankfurt-Madrid) combines with the existing Warszawa-Berlin EuroCity extended via Frankfurt to Strasbourg to give direct sleeping cars from Warszawa via Berlin to Barcelona and Madrid.

Key shunts are at Frankfurt Hbf (attach sleeping cars), Strasbourg (detach EuroCity) and Perpignan (detach Barcelona portion, attach sleepers ex-Paris). The Madrid portion uses the dual-gauge freight line via Sant Cugat to bypass Barcelona. The Barcelona portion calls first at Sants hub for onward connections, then reverses to the more central Estació de França terminal station.