Greetings from the futuristic Berlin Hauptbahnhof station

Late summer greetings from the magnificent train station of Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which has the appearance of a futuristic universal travel centre, with its tubular glass lifts, its array of stainless steel moving stairways feeding multiple levels and a healthy selection of services.

Most trains appear to operate to a time precisioned and extremely well organised stress free system, without any evasive security checks whatsoever. The whole experience for the traveller is fluid, hassle free and convenient. So why is it that travel through an airport these days is so inconvenient, stressful and sometimes leaves one with a degrading feeling?

Trains carry hundreds of passengers, they frequently cover cross border routes, the main terminals cater for thousands of people and yet no intrusive or security or paranoia about liquids exists. 

I am not campaigning for more security in train stations; on the contrary, I am saying we have gone too far in airports and I am calling for a more intelligent, less intrusive, sensible big picture approach. Everytime we succumb and are fearful enough to build a fortress somewhere like an airport, the terrorists have won another battle and they gain free publicity of fear. The loser is the average man or woman that through the hyped up fear factor allows Governments to erode general liberty and freedom (the very thing they are supposed to protect) and the cost in addition to all that extra inconvenience has to be swallowed.

The average innocent traveller in reality can do little to improve their plight at airports to reverse the trend, as authorities seem not to care about the consumer in this case. 

Subsequently, the average innocent traveller is left with one realistic option in the form of damage limitation, by navigating through security at airports, following the path of least resistance.

Distrust of the Italian Airlines leads to growth on the track

In December 2008 a third more travellers were reported using the super new train service of Italy affectionately called "The Frecciarossa" which commutes between the mega cities of Rome and Milan. 

Clearly the Italian Railway is launching a competitive challenge to Alitalia, Air One and the Budget Airlines that frequent the skies of Italy. 

As I travel around Italy frequently, it comes as no surprise to me that would be travellers are seeking reliable and comfortable alternatives. All too often passengers are treated with contempt in Italy or treated as an inconvenience at the airport. The lost luggage situation and luggage handler pilfering of items in transit is notoriously bad in Italy and I recommend all travellers to try and avoid checking-in luggage. This would be true for neighbouring France also. 

Concerning the positive development of the Frecciarrossa (meaning Red Arrow) and its clean streamlined high-speed service that covers the 600KM journey from Milan to Rome in just 3.5 hours, it is a welcome alternative service that transports passengers from one centre of town to another. No nasty Security checks here or long drawn out queues at every juncture of the process. 

Let's hope that they expand the services offered to more cities and that the airlines in Italy wake up meanwhile! 

Grant Holmes 
Editor 
Perpetual Traveller

Eurostar links UK with Switzerland

Eurostar high speed rail service has introduced through fares for as many as 18 Swiss cities.

The development was made possible as the Company teamed up with Lyria, which operates high speed trains between France and Switzerland, to provide passengers with 1 complete ticket for the entire journey.  

The key Swiss cities covered by the deal are Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Basel and Bern and the speediest journey involved are 6 hours 28 minutes to Geneva, 6 hours 19 minutes to Basel and 6 hours 50 minutes to Lausanne. The trips to Zurich and Bern both take more than 7 hours in total. 

Would be passengers will need to transfer from the Gare du Nord, where Eurostar arrives in Paris, to other main stations in the city. Return fares start from under £100, which is generally more than the Budget Airlines are charging, however potentially more convenient and hassle free. 

Eurostar’s Director of Communications Simon Montague said: “We are always looking at ways to facilitate greener travel throughout Europe on high-speed trains - we will continue to explore the various opportunities that will allow us to extend our range of destinations in the future.”

For more information visit www.eurostar.com.