Japan National Railways is also involved.
In September, Germany’s Transport Minister Volker Wissing pledged to provide 40 billion euros (about $43.6 billion) for free to revitalize the country’s rail network. “Rail infrastructure has been neglected for decades and is reaching its absolute limits,” Dr Wissing said in a statement. “This is no longer acceptable and unbecoming of a progressive economy. We need rail as a climate-friendly means of transportation.”
In Spain, the government has opened up its high-speed rail network to private competition with great success. Renfe, the national railway operator, recently began direct service between Madrid and the French coastal city of Marseille, and between Barcelona and Lyon, France.
And in France, President Emmanuel Macron pledged in 2020 to revitalize the country’s rail network to accelerate the country’s “ecological transition.” Night services have recently resumed between Paris and Nice, Paris and Vienna, and Paris and Aurillac in the south.
Paris currently has a direct night service with Berlin, thanks to a collaboration between the French, German, Belgian and Austrian national railway companies. The first train to arrive at Paris Gare de l’Est on the morning of December 12th included French Transport Minister Clement Beaune.
“It was amazing,” Beaune told reporters waiting on stage to greet him. “That’s the symbol we need at this moment.”
Paige McClanahan, a frequent contributor to the Travel section, is the author of The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel, to be published by Scribner in June 2024.
Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for the weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter for expert tips to travel smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Are you dreaming of a future vacation? Or just an armchair trip? Check out 52 places to go in 2023.
