I have not been to Europe since 2019. Due to the pandemic cancelling concerts, I really had no work over there until this summer, so naturally, I was excited.
Interestingly enough, I had very little interest in trains in 2019. I certainly enjoyed a good train ride, and definitely knew that Europe and Asia were superior, but more or less was uninterested in learning more. This of course changed when I reinvigorated my interest during the pandemic.
Those who know my posts on the forum know that I am a pretty big advocate for Amtrak. Though I'm keenly aware of its issues, I stood by the belief that the NEC provides reasonably good service, making it a reliable and reasonable transportation option.
Now, I am not so sure.
In a nutshell, European trains this time around were eye-opening, and my usual statement of "NEC provides roughly comparable service," is a statement I no longer believe. Without an informed look and experience of different European systems, its impossible to fathom just how useful trains are, and can be.
Italy
Its hard not to love Italy. After my concert in Casole D'Elsa, I spent the night closer to Siena, and took a train from there.
Italy has probably the most polarized rail system. Some trains are the best product in Europe, and could compete with Asia, while other trains are reminiscent of the MBTA Purple Line.
Siena has a small, inconveniently located, station (given the location and architecture of Siena, it can't be helped). The tracks are not electrified, so only diesel power can access it. The ride to Florence is long, slow, and rather uncomfortable due to the many curves.
After arriving to Florence, I was hoping to catch my Nightjet train to Vienna. Unfortunately however, my coach aboard the Nightjet was involved in a derailment and therefore I lost my sleeper. At this point, I opted to take a day-train to Munich, and forego my commitments in Vienna (which were not professional related). There is a Eurocity day train connecting Munich and Bologna run by OBB which I decided to take.
To get to Bologna, I decided to experience the Frecciarossa, which I had not taken since 2019. This train never fails to deliver. The service was perfect and the train and tracks it ran on were very impressive. My 45 minute ride was too short! Unfortunately, I failed to research Bologna before I arrived, and was very confused when I stepped out in to the subterranean station. It took me a solid 10 minutes before I realized how to get to the above-ground station. Waiting to purchase my ticket to Germany almost made me miss my train, as I had spent too much time trying to find the ticket office.
Eurocity is a really interesting initiative, and probably compares best to NEC/LD day trains in America. The train rides are long between the endpoints, and the goal seems to be to connect as many cities and countries as possible. That said, the standards for comfort, food service, and cleanliness are quite high (mandated as I understand it), and therefore, the train is quite enjoyable despite the long duration of the journey. I was particularly impressed by the dining car, which was a really enjoyable place to hang out, and had very decent food. That said, it was highly unfortunate that WiFi has yet to be installed on these trains. Of course, the journey itself was beautiful, as after Verona, the train traveled through the Italian and Austrian alps.
Germany
DB is a well oiled machine, and it makes me chuckle every time I hear someone complain about how bad it is. When I walked into Munich HBF after my overnight stay at a hotel across the street, I marvelled as just how many people rely on DB. Anyone who still says that trains are outdated tech, and that nobody uses them truly has their head in the sand. Though this station doesn't even see the numbers that Penn Station sees, it has services far beyond that of Penn. I got a first class ticket to Stuttgart, so I got to experience the DB lounge, which was entirely complimentary. The food and coffee was definitely better than the Moynihan lounge, though the service was not.
My experience on the ICE was excellent. Though the tracks between Munich and Stuttgart are quite slow (honestly, not much faster than an Acela), the train journey was enjoyable. Perhaps it was luck of the draw, but my meal aboard the train was the best of all trains I took in Europe. I ordered the vegan pasta salad, and everything was tasty, fresh, and well presented. It definitely was unexpected, and was a truly pleasant surprise.
Regional S-Bahn trains in Germany are a true marvel, and I wish that America would take notice. Stuttgart and Boston have a lot of similarities, especially in their regional rail system potential. If Boston were to commit to electrification, procure true EMU, and get half-hourly service on all lines, we would have the best rail system in the country (but at this point, Ill settle for the Orange Line not catching on fire). In this case, I took the S-1 to Herrenberg. The train was standing room only for about 2 stops, but by Herrenberg, there were no more than a dozen people per car.
Another plus of Germany was seeing the progress on Stuttgart 21 (probably needs to be renamed). I was last there in 2019, and the old station was pretty much still in full use. Now, construction is in full swing. There is essentially no more terminal or concourse with the exception of the tracks and platforms. The western portion has a convenient exit to the street, but the eastern portion has a long walkway to make it to the the front of the original station building, which is abandoned, though still retaining its facade, which I think will be integrated into the new station complex.
Interestingly enough, I had very little interest in trains in 2019. I certainly enjoyed a good train ride, and definitely knew that Europe and Asia were superior, but more or less was uninterested in learning more. This of course changed when I reinvigorated my interest during the pandemic.
Those who know my posts on the forum know that I am a pretty big advocate for Amtrak. Though I'm keenly aware of its issues, I stood by the belief that the NEC provides reasonably good service, making it a reliable and reasonable transportation option.
Now, I am not so sure.
In a nutshell, European trains this time around were eye-opening, and my usual statement of "NEC provides roughly comparable service," is a statement I no longer believe. Without an informed look and experience of different European systems, its impossible to fathom just how useful trains are, and can be.
Italy
Its hard not to love Italy. After my concert in Casole D'Elsa, I spent the night closer to Siena, and took a train from there.
Italy has probably the most polarized rail system. Some trains are the best product in Europe, and could compete with Asia, while other trains are reminiscent of the MBTA Purple Line.
Siena has a small, inconveniently located, station (given the location and architecture of Siena, it can't be helped). The tracks are not electrified, so only diesel power can access it. The ride to Florence is long, slow, and rather uncomfortable due to the many curves.
After arriving to Florence, I was hoping to catch my Nightjet train to Vienna. Unfortunately however, my coach aboard the Nightjet was involved in a derailment and therefore I lost my sleeper. At this point, I opted to take a day-train to Munich, and forego my commitments in Vienna (which were not professional related). There is a Eurocity day train connecting Munich and Bologna run by OBB which I decided to take.
To get to Bologna, I decided to experience the Frecciarossa, which I had not taken since 2019. This train never fails to deliver. The service was perfect and the train and tracks it ran on were very impressive. My 45 minute ride was too short! Unfortunately, I failed to research Bologna before I arrived, and was very confused when I stepped out in to the subterranean station. It took me a solid 10 minutes before I realized how to get to the above-ground station. Waiting to purchase my ticket to Germany almost made me miss my train, as I had spent too much time trying to find the ticket office.
Eurocity is a really interesting initiative, and probably compares best to NEC/LD day trains in America. The train rides are long between the endpoints, and the goal seems to be to connect as many cities and countries as possible. That said, the standards for comfort, food service, and cleanliness are quite high (mandated as I understand it), and therefore, the train is quite enjoyable despite the long duration of the journey. I was particularly impressed by the dining car, which was a really enjoyable place to hang out, and had very decent food. That said, it was highly unfortunate that WiFi has yet to be installed on these trains. Of course, the journey itself was beautiful, as after Verona, the train traveled through the Italian and Austrian alps.
Germany
DB is a well oiled machine, and it makes me chuckle every time I hear someone complain about how bad it is. When I walked into Munich HBF after my overnight stay at a hotel across the street, I marvelled as just how many people rely on DB. Anyone who still says that trains are outdated tech, and that nobody uses them truly has their head in the sand. Though this station doesn't even see the numbers that Penn Station sees, it has services far beyond that of Penn. I got a first class ticket to Stuttgart, so I got to experience the DB lounge, which was entirely complimentary. The food and coffee was definitely better than the Moynihan lounge, though the service was not.
My experience on the ICE was excellent. Though the tracks between Munich and Stuttgart are quite slow (honestly, not much faster than an Acela), the train journey was enjoyable. Perhaps it was luck of the draw, but my meal aboard the train was the best of all trains I took in Europe. I ordered the vegan pasta salad, and everything was tasty, fresh, and well presented. It definitely was unexpected, and was a truly pleasant surprise.
Regional S-Bahn trains in Germany are a true marvel, and I wish that America would take notice. Stuttgart and Boston have a lot of similarities, especially in their regional rail system potential. If Boston were to commit to electrification, procure true EMU, and get half-hourly service on all lines, we would have the best rail system in the country (but at this point, Ill settle for the Orange Line not catching on fire). In this case, I took the S-1 to Herrenberg. The train was standing room only for about 2 stops, but by Herrenberg, there were no more than a dozen people per car.
Another plus of Germany was seeing the progress on Stuttgart 21 (probably needs to be renamed). I was last there in 2019, and the old station was pretty much still in full use. Now, construction is in full swing. There is essentially no more terminal or concourse with the exception of the tracks and platforms. The western portion has a convenient exit to the street, but the eastern portion has a long walkway to make it to the the front of the original station building, which is abandoned, though still retaining its facade, which I think will be integrated into the new station complex.
Last edited:
