IF shuttling between airports on the European continent has little or no appeal, and
if driving long distances on the “wrong'' side of the road or duelling with the locals in Paris or Rome is daunting … take a train.
London's St Pancras International station opened in November last year for Eurostar's
new high speed track to Brussels and Paris. This cuts about 20 minutes off the previous
time via Waterloo station. The new service spotlights the standards of rail stations in Europe.
Test run
A 200-voice chorus, white-tied baritone and tenor and gowned soprano led by a 50-piece
orchestra bashing out the stirring Carmina Burana isn't what travellers expect
when stepping off SNCF's fast speed TGV train from Strasbourg at Zurich Central Station.
But that's what they got on a Saturday morning back in September. Some 2000 people seated in rows clearly knew this event was scheduled for this day, but for train travellers trawling their suitcases or relaxing over a beer or hot chocolate and apple strudel in the wings while waiting for their connection, it was an exhilarating bonus.
The hall is used at weekends for concerts, fashion parades, even volleyball tournaments.
But during the week it is just a gigantic hall for tourists and commuters to-ing and fro-ing.
This is the new deal in European rail travel. City centre rail stations, often landmark
buildings in their own right, have long ago shed their sooty pasts. They are an integral part of the widely accepted swing back to rail travel across Europe, pushed by rail companies promoting high speed tracks to woo business and leisure travellers away from a smorgasbord of cut-price airlines.
At Strasbourg where the TGV Est European new fast track has cut the trip from Paris from four hours to 2hrs 20 mins, the station is being renovated to also hurry the connection time with the city's trams downstairs for the short trip to the fabulous historic Old Town. It's now an easy day trip from Paris.
There's another new fast train on the horizon, according to Rail Plus, Australia's
major supplier of European rail passes and tickets). The Barcelona-Madrid service will cut a four hour journey almost in half.
The French (credit where it's due) set new standards for railway station indulgence back
in 1990 with Paris' Le Train Bleu restaurant in the heart of Gare de Lyon. It has become a favourite with locals as well as travellers and gourmet reviewers. Wood panelling, parquet flooring, leather-upholstered wall seats, white linen tablecloths and scores of
paintings on walls and ceiling are complemented with fine a la carte dining. Some 500
diners are catered for there every day. Shades of Sydney Central??
Another showcase is Berlin Hauptbahnhof, opened nine months ago, where red city
commuter services pass through 15,000 sqm of shopping space inside the station's canopy while intercity and regional services stop at basement platforms, running perpendicular to the domestic services. This station has shops and food outlets found in airport terminals and any shopping complex.
But it is already upstaged by the renovated St Pancras International railway station on the north edge of central London, the new home of the Eurostar service for Brussels and Paris when the 300kph track between Kent and London came on line. The track will knock off about 20 minutes from the existing time, or 1hr 50mins for Brussels and 2hrs 15mins for Paris.
The station's 1800s Gothic architectural fabric has been given a facelift, including a coat
of pale blue paint for the iron framework supporting the single-span roof. Gare de Lyon may have its Le Train Bleu and Hauptbahnhof its shop-front toilets, but St Pancras has Europe's longest champagne bar (90 metres), what Eurostar say is a "world-class
brasserie", daily farmer's market, independent and boutique retailers, restaurants, WiFi connectivity as well as Eurostar lounges. A five-star hotel is planned.
Can this be the St Pancras we knew and loved while transiting London between Army postings in the 1950s.
For more information visit:
www.eurostar.co.uk
www.hbf-berlin.de
www.letrain-bleu.fr
www.railplus.com.au
www.raileurope.com.au
As a rough guide, Rail Plus prices for one-way Eurostar London-Brussels or London-
Paris, depending on class, range from around $130 to $550 per adult with discounted rates for seniors, youth and children. Passengers with a valid Eurail (including
France or Benelux) or Britrail pass are eligible for a special passholder fare which can be up to 50 per cent off the full rate in both first and second class. | 
