by (CNN) — Everyone loves a good train journey, and in 2022 the world has made railway fanatics proud with new routes, new operators and a new need for speed around the world.
From a night train that takes you from Austria to the Italian riviera, the new semi-high-speed line through Laos, a luxury trans-Africa ride, a new Swiss train that can “jump” the railroad tracks, and even the thrill of the rails at the end of the United States, here’s the thrill of the rails. Here are some of our favorite moments from the world of train travel.
swiss super train
MOB
Laos (semi) accelerates to high speed
The new semi-high-speed route through Laos is part of a Beijing-Bangkok long-term project.
Cao Anning/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Elizabeth Line transforms London
Elizabeth Line has transformed travel to and across London.
Jim Dyson/Getty Images
Getting from Heathrow Airport to central London has long been a grueling hour-long Tube journey, an expensive taxi ride or an equally expensive journey on the Heathrow Express train.
It’s a faster, smoother ride with a few stops in London. The last station, Bond Street, opened in November (initially, passengers changed in Paddington), with crossings coming from the west. The final timeline will be introduced by May 2023.
Spain becomes the competitive center of Europe
Iryo is the third company and fourth brand of Spain’s high-speed network.
Rober Solsona/Europa Press/AP
It is the country’s third operator and fourth high-speed brand. Iryo starts from Madrid via Zaragoza to Barcelona and from Madrid via Cuenca to Valencia. Connections to Seville, Malaga, Cordoba and Antequera start in March 2023, with Alicante and Albacete in June.
Hydrogen-powered trains lead the way in Germany
World premiere: 14 Coradia iLint to begin passenger service on the first route powered by 100% hydrogen
alstom
The hydrogen trains (Coradia iLint model), which are gradually being combined with existing diesel railcars, are set to be fully in place by the end of the year.
Greek Train arrives in Greece
Thanos Kartsoglou/fsnews.it
Italy’s first-class trains have really spread across Europe this year. Following the launch of the Frecciarossa service from Milan to Paris in December 2021, Trenitalia, the lead company of Polo Passeggeri (passenger center) of Italy’s public railway group Gruppo FS, launched an internal French service between Paris and Lyon in April. 2022.
He then headed to Greece, where he launched Hellenic Train, a new Greek rail operator for passengers and freight, before founding iryo. It introduced electric trains on the busy Athens-Thessaloniki route, which takes just under four hours to travel between Greece’s two largest cities, and also operates inner-city and suburban lines around the capital.
Thailand’s temporary ‘floating’ train
Thailand’s ‘floating train’ is a temporary event due to high water levels.
Jiraporn Kwang Kuhakan/Reuters
Leaving Bangkok, the train heads to Lop Buri province, where the water reaches the top of the Pasak Jolasid dam. The train thoughtfully stops when it reaches the midpoint so passengers can jump in and take selfies in this unexpected water world. The train runs until February, but by November, tickets are already sold out during the New Year.
Italian express to beer country
The new night train from Vienna and Munich takes you to the Italian Riviera and the Cinque Terre (pictured).
stevanzz/Adobe Stock
The new night train of ÖBB, which entered the list late on December 11, takes you from the snowy cities of Austria and Germany to the temperate Italian Riviera and vice versa.
Perhaps it’s more fun to go north – starting from La Spezia (the jumping-off point for Cinque Terre), the train travels north along the Ligurian coast and crosses Lake Garda, stopping at Genoa and Milan before heading to Verona. He hits Italy in Padova and Austria in Villach. Here it splits into two – one half marks Austria and Germany, stopping at Salzburg at 6:49 am and arriving in Munich at 9.20 am, while the other half stays in Austria and continues to Vienna.
Previously there was a Vienna-Milan night train – the new route takes it beyond the Italian fashion capital.
one night in scandinavia
SJ’s new EuroNight train travels to Hamburg, Germany via Sweden and Denmark.
rudi1976/Adobe Stock
Sweden is the homeland of Europe’s “flight shame” movement, and Swedish operator SJ took advantage of this with its night train from Stockholm to Hamburg, which started in September under the name EuroNight. Departing from the Swedish capital at around 17.30, the vehicle makes a long stop in Malmö before departing via Denmark and arrives in Hamburg before 7 am.
America enters the railroad revolution
Amtrak’s new Acela trains will begin in the Northeast Corridor in 2023.
amtrak
Let’s be honest — the US is far behind most of the world when it comes to rail travel, so boosting the pace in a popular area is big news.
In June, Amtrak’s infrastructure improvements meant that Acela trains could now run at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour on the corresponding New Jersey section of the Northeast Corridor. Sure, this section is only 16 miles long between New Brunswick and South Brunswick, but it’s a good start.
In 2023, also in the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak will launch a new generation of Acela trains, capable of speeds of up to 160 miles per hour, to replace legacy rolling stock.
an African adventure
The new Copper Trail route begins in Victoria Falls in spectacular style.
Rovos Railway Tours
One for those with the time and money to spare: In July, Rovos Rail launched its new route, the Copper Trail, traversing four countries of sub-Saharan Africa and covering nearly 3,200 kilometers in a hyper-luxury train.
Starting from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the luxury 15-day cruise travels north via Zambia, then winds west via the DCR to Angola, where it ends in Lobito on the Atlantic coast.
In between are day trips to national parks, an elephant sanctuary, and walking tours to towns and cities, including Angola’s second city, Huambo. Of course it is as breathtakingly expensive as it is beautiful – prices for 2023 start at $13,600.
France: See the future
Invitees and journalists attended the presentation of the new SNCF’s TGV “M” next-generation high-speed train at the Alstom factory in La Rochelle, west of France, on September 9, 2022.
Xavier Leoty/AFP/Getty Images
Made by manufacturer Alstom, the double-decker train with a longer, more aerodynamic nose will premiere on the Paris network in 2024 before rolling out across the country. Trains are larger and have better accessibility for disabled passengers.
Duncan Forgan, Ben Jones, Francesca Street and Barry Neild contributed to this report.
