Is Euro rail just a click away?
The high-speed, low cost "iDTGV" trains that have been operating on popular routes in France for about a year are finally available to UK web users, and with rail travel now back in vogue, Ginny McGrath asks, is booking European rail as easy as booking easyJet? The renaissance of rail owes much to Eurostar, the cross-Channel shuttle that carries over 70 per cent of Paris-bound air and rail traffic from London, and has renewed enthusiasm for cross-border trains. And journeys don’t stop at Paris – Rail Europe, the UK-facing ticket agency for the French railways received two million visitors to its website last year and expects double that in 2006.
One new feature that is expected to boost traffic to the Rail Europe website is the availability of iDTGV tickets on its site. The concept launched in France about a year ago, probably because French rail is facing increasing competition from low cost airlines. The tickets cost as little as €19 if you book far enough ahead, and can be booked up to four month's in advance, compared to three months ahead for normal TGV
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