
New European train to connect two popular cities for the first time in 10 years – and there's even an onboard cinema
Connecting Prague and Copenhagen via Berlin, the new train service will be established by Czech Railways (ČD), Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Danish State Railways (DSB).
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The new route has been announced following the completion of the Berlin to Hamburg rail line.
And it will be the first direct service between Prague and Copenhagen to operate in 10 years.
The service is likely to run twice a day, all year round with trains departing from Prague at approximately 6:30am and 10:30am.
During the summer season, there will also be an additional service at 4:30pm.
The journey will take seven hours between Berlin and Copenhagen or 11 hours between the Danish capital and Prague.
However, these times are expected to be further reduced when the Fehmarn Belt Undersea Tunnel between Denmark and Germany is completed.
According to Travel Mole, other stops will include Odense in Denmark, Hamburg and Dresden in Germany as well as Ústí nad Labem in the Czech Republic.
The trains will be ČD's ComfortJet trains which can seat up to 555 people - 99 of which are in first-class - and travels up to 230km per hour.
On the train itself, passengers can explore a dining car and a children's cinema.
In the dining car, there will be 18 seats and passengers will be able to buy hot or cold meals and other refreshments during the journey - including beer.
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In addition, the train will boast window tech which will allow passengers to have better mobile signal.
If travelling with a bike, there will be space for 12 bikes on board too as well as wheelchair lifts.
There could also be a seasonal night-time connection service.
Whilst there is already a train that runs between Hamburg and Copenhagen during the summer at night, from 2026 it will be extended to Prague via Berlin and Dresden.
The three railway carriers aim to start selling tickets six months before the train journey actually commences.
The new service is the first of 10 pilot projects that the European Commission is supporting to promote cross-border rail connections.
Other projects include a new direct connection between Munich, Milan and Rome.
Huge UK train station to get major makeover
LONDON St Pancras station is set to double its capacity to 5,000 passengers per hour with a £60million investment.
London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurostar have signed a letter of intent to work together to create more room and routes for travellers at the major station.
The aim of the combined project is for St Pancras International to become one of Europe's busiest international rail hubs and support the demand for travel international travel.
London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurostar have agreed to collaborate through three phases.
The first will review short term improvements within the current station layout.
This includes optimising the security and border crossing processes to deliver an uplift of 2,700 passengers per hour in the next three to four years.
Phase two will see the improvement of the international area and its connection to the main concourse.
This is expected to be complete by 2028.
The final phase will take place in the 2030s, which is set to further enhance capacity.
This might mean the change of the station layout with arrivals potentially being relocated upstairs.
There is also a new major train route connecting an underrated UK city to popular beach town.
Plus, the seven stunning European cities that Brits could take direct trains to as a London station plans huge expansion.
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Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Telegraph
Why this little British island is a haven for heritage railway lovers
'It's going to be a busy day', says the ticket inspector, as I walked past nostalgic holiday posters advertising sail and rail holidays to the Isle of Man and onto Douglas Station's platform. 'The first three carriages are full. Try and hop on the back.' I found a spare seat among cruise ship excursionists as a blast of steam sweeped through the antiquated train. It's the Isle of Man Railway's 9.50 am departure from Douglas, the Manx capital, heading 15.5 miles south to Port Erin (£17 return, included with Go Explore cards). Many of the carriages are 150 years old, yet on this cool spring weekend, they seemed as popular as they ever were in their Victorian heyday. Around 38 miles of historic railway lines – including the Isle of Man Railway and the Manx Electric Railway – criss-cross the island, the first having opened in 1873. 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'Second perhaps only to the TT [annual motorcycling event], the railways are the most important thing in the Isle of Man's history. If the rails went, the island would die. How else are you going to get the tourists around?' Grant, whom I'd found in the ticket office surrounded by train memorabilia (including engine driver hats and scale models of famous engines), has worked the railways for decades. They're not just a tourist attraction, he says. Locals regularly use the steam trains to shop at Tesco in Douglas, or even as a delightful airport transfer: ask the conductor to stop at Ronaldsway Halt near Castletown, hop over a stile, and it's just a 10-minute walk to departures. 'I can't see this line ever closing', says Grant, who believes that despite many lines shutting down in the mid-20th century, the survivors are as popular as they were when mass tourism first arrived in the Victorian era. 'There's a dedicated core of visitors returning year after year. 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The Independent
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Times
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- Times
The revamped art nouveau Berlin bolt hole loved by Brigitte Bardot
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