Rail Europe
Encyclopedia
Rail Europe is a specialist in passes and point-to-point tickets for rail travel around Europe. With close links to European rail operators including SNCF
, Eurostar
, Deutsche Bahn
, Elipsos
, Artésia
and Thalys
, it is made up of four independently run companies operating in distinct geographical areas:
in King's Hill, Kent
; Rail Europe specialises in selling tickets for European rail travel to a UK audience. A wholly owned subsidiary of SNCF, Rail Europe distributes well known rail passes such as InterRail and Swiss Pass, and rail tickets for European services including:
Overnight services direct into the heart of Europe’s cities, including Barcelona
, Madrid
, Milan
, Venice
, Rome
, Florence
, Berlin
and Munich
.
became the first French private railway to be represented in the UK, establishing an office in London's Victoria station. Almost 20 years later, the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée
, (PLM), opened an office at 179 Piccadilly
.
In 1937 France nationalised its rail network and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF
) was created by the merger of the state railway company with five other principal operators. With the nationalisation of these companies SNCF created French Railways Ltd, incorporating the UK operations of its predecessors.
In 1995 French Railways Ltd opened a larger public call centre located in Leake Street (near Waterloo station
) in London, and two years later acquired British Rail International. SNCF subsequently merged French Railways Ltd and British Rail International to form Rail Europe Ltd.
In 2002 Rail Europe Ltd combined its Head Office operations from Piccadilly and Call Centre from Leake Street into new premises located in Kings Hill, Kent, and in December 2007 the Travel Centre in London's Piccadilly moved to a new premises shared with VisitBritain
located within British Columbia House, 1 Regent Street, London SW1.
between the French and Swiss national railways (SNCF & SBB
), which promotes European rail travel in Asia, Australasia, Africa and South America in cooperation with 134 General Sales Agents in 49 countries.
, Canada
and Mexico
. It has offices in White Plains, New York
and Rosemont, Illinois
.
and offices in Frankfurt
, Milan
, Geneva
and Madrid
.
.
The journey took place in two stages; the Eurostar on a Friday from London or [Ashford International] to Paris, followed by a transfer to an overnight sleeper service composed of 10 Vu-84 "Corail" coaches with sleeping accommodation consisting of six berth "couchette" compartments. The train included a Bar/Disco coach, with disco lighting and DJ booth.
This overnight service called at Chambéry
, Albertville
, Aime la Plagne and Landry, terminating at Bourg St Maurice early Saturday morning. The return service departed from Bourg St Maurice on Saturday evenings, with passengers arriving by Eurostar in London or Ashford on Sunday morning. The Rail Europe Snowtrain was suspended in 2009 due to economic uncertainty.
Skiers wanting travel by train to the French Alps during the winter can now take the Eurostar to Paris and change for high speed or overnight services to stations like Chamonix
, Bourg St Maurice, Briançon
, Moûtiers
and Megève
. Eurostar also runs Direct Ski services during the ski season, calling at Moûtiers, Bourg St Maurice and Aime-la-Plagne, stations which serve ski resorts including Courchevel
, Les Arcs
, Tignes
, Méribel
, Aime la Plagne and Val d'Isère
.
'Motorail' services carry cars and motorbikes using car transporters attached to the train. Operating from May through to September, Rail Europe’s French Motorail service was aimed at travellers wishing to take their cars to the South of France and onwards with a minimum amount of driving.
The train departed from Calais
several times every week during the summer months, terminating at Nice
(stopping at Avignon
and Frejus
) and Narbonne
(stopping at Brive la Gaillarde and Toulouse
.) The service was cancelled in 2009 due to economic uncertainty.
Travellers who want to take their cars to France can now drive to Paris and pick up an ‘Auto-Train’ service, where cars are transported on overnight train carriers to Avignon
, Bordeaux
, Brive la Gaillarde, Fréjus/St Raphaël, Lyon
, Marseille
, Narbonne, Nice, Toulon
and Toulouse. Unlike on the Motorail service, travellers can then either travel on the same route with a Lunéa
sleeping-car ticket or on a different train such as a daytime TGV
.
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
, Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
, Elipsos
Elipsos
Elipsos ELIPSOS INTERNACIONAL, S.A. is a company governed by Spanish law which was set up in 2001 by Spanish RENFE and French SNCF on a 50-50 basis. It was created in 2001 to handle the logistics of Trenhotel night railway services between Spain and France, Spain and Switzerland, and Spain and Italy...
, Artésia
Artésia
TGV Artesia is a service branding and joint venture between France and Italy. Trains are staffed by Trenitalia in Italy and SNCF in France. The bar/restaurant service is operated by Cremonini. As of 2007, routes include service between Paris Gare de Lyon and Paris-Bercy to Turin, Milan, Venice,...
and Thalys
Thalys
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
, it is made up of four independently run companies operating in distinct geographical areas:
Rail Europe Limited
From its travel centre in Regent Street, online at and via a dedicated call centreCall centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
in King's Hill, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
; Rail Europe specialises in selling tickets for European rail travel to a UK audience. A wholly owned subsidiary of SNCF, Rail Europe distributes well known rail passes such as InterRail and Swiss Pass, and rail tickets for European services including:
- Eurostar and Eurostar Connections – for direct travel to ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
and Disneyland Paris and onward travel to a comprehensive list of French destinations. - High speed trains: the fastest way to travel around FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and into BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, The Netherlands, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and afield. - SNCF local services – for comprehensive services throughout France.
Overnight services direct into the heart of Europe’s cities, including Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
History
In 1893, the Chemin de Fer du NordChemin de Fer du Nord
Chemin de Fer du Nord , often referred to simply as the Nord company, was a rail transport company created in September 1845, in Paris, France. It was owned by among others de Rothschild Frères of France, N M Rothschild & Sons of London, England, Hottinger, Laffitte and Blount...
became the first French private railway to be represented in the UK, establishing an office in London's Victoria station. Almost 20 years later, the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée
Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée was a French railway company ....
, (PLM), opened an office at 179 Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
.
In 1937 France nationalised its rail network and the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
) was created by the merger of the state railway company with five other principal operators. With the nationalisation of these companies SNCF created French Railways Ltd, incorporating the UK operations of its predecessors.
In 1995 French Railways Ltd opened a larger public call centre located in Leake Street (near Waterloo station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
) in London, and two years later acquired British Rail International. SNCF subsequently merged French Railways Ltd and British Rail International to form Rail Europe Ltd.
In 2002 Rail Europe Ltd combined its Head Office operations from Piccadilly and Call Centre from Leake Street into new premises located in Kings Hill, Kent, and in December 2007 the Travel Centre in London's Piccadilly moved to a new premises shared with VisitBritain
VisitBritain
VisitBritain is the name used by the British Tourist Authority, the tourist board of Great Britain incorporated under the Development of Tourism Act 1969....
located within British Columbia House, 1 Regent Street, London SW1.
Rail Europe 4A
Created in 1995, Rail Europe 4A is a joint ventureJoint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between the French and Swiss national railways (SNCF & SBB
SBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
), which promotes European rail travel in Asia, Australasia, Africa and South America in cooperation with 134 General Sales Agents in 49 countries.
Rail Europe, Inc.
Rail Europe, Inc (Rail Europe Group - REG until December 2008) was created in New York in the 1930s as a subsidiary of the French and Swiss Railways (SNCF and SBB) to distribute European rail tickets and passes to travellers from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It has offices in White Plains, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Rosemont, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Rail Europe Continentale
This wholly owned subsidiary of the French Railways is responsible for the marketing and distributing of French domestic and international rail products in continental Europe. Rail Europe Continentale has its headquarters in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and offices in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Rail Europe Chartered Operations
As well as selling and distributing tickets for SNCF and other European railways, in the past Rail Europe has organised two chartered rail services in France. Operated by SNCF using standard French rolling stock, both services were aimed at the UK market and staffed by both French personnel (Driver and Guard) and English-speaking Rail Europe representatives ("Rail Travel Supervisors").The Rail Europe Snowtrain
This chartered service operated between December or January and April to transport passengers directly to the ski resorts of the French AlpsFrench Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
.
The journey took place in two stages; the Eurostar on a Friday from London or [Ashford International] to Paris, followed by a transfer to an overnight sleeper service composed of 10 Vu-84 "Corail" coaches with sleeping accommodation consisting of six berth "couchette" compartments. The train included a Bar/Disco coach, with disco lighting and DJ booth.
This overnight service called at Chambéry
Chambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
, Albertville
Albertville
Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
, Aime la Plagne and Landry, terminating at Bourg St Maurice early Saturday morning. The return service departed from Bourg St Maurice on Saturday evenings, with passengers arriving by Eurostar in London or Ashford on Sunday morning. The Rail Europe Snowtrain was suspended in 2009 due to economic uncertainty.
Skiers wanting travel by train to the French Alps during the winter can now take the Eurostar to Paris and change for high speed or overnight services to stations like Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
, Bourg St Maurice, Briançon
Briançon
Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
, Moûtiers
Moutiers
Moutiers and Les Moutiers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Moutiers, in the Eure-et-Loir département*Moutiers, in the Ille-et-Vilaine département*Moutiers, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département...
and Megève
Megève
Megève is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Megève is a famous ski resort near the Mont-Blanc in the French Alps...
. Eurostar also runs Direct Ski services during the ski season, calling at Moûtiers, Bourg St Maurice and Aime-la-Plagne, stations which serve ski resorts including Courchevel
Courchevel
Courchevel is the name of a ski resort located in the commune of Saint-Bon-Tarentaise in the French Alps, in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes region. It is a part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world...
, Les Arcs
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...
, Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
, Méribel
Méribel
Méribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, situated near the town of Moutiers.Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie département of France, near the town of Moûtiers , called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village...
, Aime la Plagne and Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter...
.
French Motorail
The train departed from Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
several times every week during the summer months, terminating at Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
(stopping at Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
and Frejus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
) and Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
(stopping at Brive la Gaillarde and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.) The service was cancelled in 2009 due to economic uncertainty.
Travellers who want to take their cars to France can now drive to Paris and pick up an ‘Auto-Train’ service, where cars are transported on overnight train carriers to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Brive la Gaillarde, Fréjus/St Raphaël, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Narbonne, Nice, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
and Toulouse. Unlike on the Motorail service, travellers can then either travel on the same route with a Lunéa
Lunéa
Lunéa is a brand name used by France’s national railway company, SNCF, to denote nightly passenger rail services in France.-Network:The Lunéa network consists of the following lines:...
sleeping-car ticket or on a different train such as a daytime TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
.