Our grand Interrail journey across Europe with my three young sons proved to be quite enlightening regarding the limitations of train carriage amenities.

From the luxurious, roomy seating and expansive windows of the Glacier Express to the graffitied carriages bouncing along a side track where hardly any cushioned seats were available, we encountered every experience imaginable.

Due to the significant variation in railway vehicles among different operators and nations, travelers can be uncertain about their experience when boarding a train in contemporary Europe.

Seeing my coughing child zoom down a slide at an indoor play area within a Swiss train made me reflect on how drastically the travel experience has transformed in the past two centuries.

train travel

started making tracks.

How has railway travel evolved from its earlier years?

This September marks

the 200th anniversary

Regarding the inauguration of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in northern England, this significant moment marked the first occasion where hundreds of travelers were conveyed via railway.

Reflecting now, it’s difficult to grasp the sheer excitement of those initial railway journeys—yet at the same time, they could be quite unpleasant for many passengers.

During the early years of the railway system, third-class passengers didn’t have the comfort of a covered carriage. They had to endure exposure to weather conditions and the smoke from the locomotive engines instead.

These ‘economy class’ carriage types were gradually discontinued throughout Europe by the 1950s, supplanted by a dual-level arrangement featuring standard and first-class accommodations that remain prevalent even now.

Throughout the years, sleeper cars and meal services aboard trains have been added, allowing travelers to dine and sleep during their journey.

If you want to experience the significant changes that have occurred in passenger rail travel since its beginning, numerous routes continue to operate.

historic routes

With genuine carriages and engines.

Our family enjoys riding on heritage trains, and we feel fortunate to reside near the route that initiated the first package holiday back in 1841. This was when Thomas Cook provided a day trip from Leicester to Loughborough.

Enthusiasts of railways can relive that journey on the Great Central Railway, where they can enjoy both steam and diesel train rides all year round.

This offers a peek into past eras through train travel, featuring compartment-style seating and vintage waiting areas such as one exclusively designated for women. In colder months, these spaces feature open grates with blazing fires. Additionally, passengers must lean out of their windows during boarding to operate external door handles manually.

Another location that truly showcases the significant changes in rail travel over time is

Wuppertal in Germany

Here, the Schwebebahn, which holds the title as the world’s oldest electric suspended railway, continues to traverse the entire town, running parallel to the river beneath it.

Exiting from a wooden platform directly into a carriage suspended beneath a singular rail offers quite an adventure. This demonstrates that railway travel wasn’t exclusively about carriages drawn over ground-level tracks; inventors have explored various approaches throughout history.

Although historical experiences make for an intriguing occasional journey, we currently demand much more from our regular railway trips. However, the realities of contemporary train travel can differ significantly based on the time and location of your voyage.

What can passengers expect inside a modern train carriage?

Our Easter

Interrail

The extravaganza spanned across the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, and the UK. Each time we stepped onto a train, we were uncertain about what discoveries awaited us.

Despite having an Interrail pass, certain trains required mandatory seat reservations, like

Eurostar

and the

Glacier Express

In Switzerland, it definitely felt as though we received good value for our money, thanks to the clean facilities, comfy seating, and helpful service from the train staff, which all contributed positively to our journey.

In various countries where our entire rail journey was included in the pass, the service quality showed significant differences. The Netherlands appeared nearly ideal to me regarding passenger care, especially how they welcomed families with children onboard. In contrast, Germany presented a different scenario, featuring trains adorned with considerable amounts of graffiti.

station

And on the actual trains.

A few of the carriages we encountered were dilapidated, and we once missed a train because it departed from one end of the platform while we were standing at the opposite end, oblivious to the fact that boarding wouldn’t be possible there.

Availability of charging outlets and Wi-Fi remains inconsistent throughout the railway system, particularly on lesser-known regional trains.

However, numerous contemporary advancements ensure that travelers’ journeys are much more pleasant.

We enjoyed riding on double-decker trains in France and the Netherlands, as they can carry more passengers without requiring additional carriages.

Certainly! The family areas within Swiss Intercity trains became an enormous success. Any child would enjoy finding a play area right inside their train car, making the trip seem much shorter. Older children could stay engaged with board games embedded in the table surfaces.

We identified portions set aside for

transporting bikes

Safely and securely, with passengers required to reserve and pay for a space for their bicycle onboard. However, not all trains offer this service, so you should verify the policies beforehand when planning to travel with your bike to the station.

How might travelers’ experiences change in the future?

As there is a revived interest in sleeper services throughout Europe, it is logical that railway companies are seeking to invest in novel methods to enhance the overnight travel experience for commuters.

I must admit our overnight journey from the Netherlands to Innsbruck wasn’t very relaxing. The passengers and their baggage were squeezed into tiny compartments where the seats also served as beds. Hence, anything that could go wrong did.

sleeper car

Entering into the 21st century would be welcomed!

In the previous fall, the Austrian branch of the Skoda Group presented their Sleep in Motion concepts for double-decker sleeping compartments designed for trains. These cubicles were intended to be positioned along either side of a central aisle. Meanwhile, Alstom from the United Kingdom displayed their DreamSuite proposals, featuring seating areas capable of converting into fully flat beds, complete with partitions offering personal space.

Another passenger priority is

keeping bags safe

Throughout the trip, there has been an increase in thefts from trains over the past few years. To ensure our safety, we brought along a cable lock to secure our baggage to the overhead storage rack.

Based on our experience, we discovered that European trains require a more structured system equipped with integrated safety features. For instance, Japanese bullet trains offer lockable compartments for passengers’ use.

stow their bags

It’s quite different from the days when train travel was at its peak, and passengers could simply dispatch their suitcases and packages ahead, ensuring they would be waiting for them upon arrival at their destination.

For those who appreciate leisurely and eco-friendly travel, improving the traveler’s experience aboard is just as important as adopting cleaner train technologies such as hydrogen fuel or boosting service speeds and punctuality. While environmentally friendly trains are commendable, they must also be appealing to passengers for railways to truly compete as an attractive option.

Sille Svenkerud Førner, who serves as the project manager for Norske Tog, captured it perfectly when Norway declared its commitment to purchasing 17 new long-distance FLIRT NEX trains. These trains come equipped with reclining seats, adaptable sleep cabins, a café area, family-friendly configurations, and generous storage spaces.

As she put it, “The train shouldn’t just serve as a means of transportation; it should also offer an experience and become somewhere you enjoy being.”