Features

Ten top rail-air links

30 Apr 2013 by Alex McWhirter

Good airport rail connections save travellers money, time and temper. Alex McWhirter rounds up ten of Europe’s best
 

Modern, efficient rail links benefit passengers and airports alike. Passengers gain from speedy, economical and reliable transfers for their flights. In turn, airports benefit because long-distance rail links free up runway space that might otherwise be used on short-haul routes for more lucrative long-distance services, while shorter links verify their green credentials.

The big hubs in mainland Europe boast the best rail-air connections. Passengers using Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt or Paris CDG, with their built-in stations, are spoilt compared with UK travellers. They take high-speed trains from cities that may be more than 150km from the airport in question. In some cases, these trains cross borders, allowing even more choice.

It must present the management of Brussels airport with a headache. No wonder it has so few long-distance flights when Belgian travellers can hop on a high-speed train and arrive in the likes of Schiphol or CDG, with their huge selection of airlines and routings, in just over an hour.

In some cases, the rail journey can be included in the price of the air ticket – ask your travel agent. The advantage is that, in the case of a missed connection or service disruption, you will be guaranteed a place on the next plane or train at no extra charge.

A further benefit for travellers using the Air France rail-air links between Brussels Midi and Strasbourg to Paris CDG is that they are automatically upgraded to first class.

Likewise, Lufthansa offers AIRail links into its Frankfurt hub from both Cologne and Stuttgart with streamlined procedures for passengers. Sadly, UK travellers share none of these benefits, with the sole exception of Heathrow Express. By global standards it’s a top class product, but it runs only between central London and Heathrow.

One link that would go down well would be between London and Paris CDG. It was mooted in the past by Air France to compete with Eurostar, but never happened. What a pity, as we could then avoid paying APD. Here are ten top European rail-air services covering both short and long connections.

1) Brussels Midi-Amsterdam Schiphol, Thalys

High-speed Thalys trains link the centre of Brussels with Schiphol every hour. KLM’s hub boasts worldwide flights with Skyteam members plus Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, among many others. The journey time is 92 minutes for the 200km trip, and meals and drinks are served free in first class. There’s a café bar in standard class. Typical one-way fares range from €79 in standard and €109 in first class. raileurope.co.uk

2) Strasbourg-Paris CDG, TGV

This high-speed service started last month, linking the Alsatian capital to Air France’s hub four times a day. The journey time over the 480km trip is two hours 30 minutes. It’s best that Air France passengers book the rail trip together with their flight so they can travel first class at no extra cost – they may also receive an advantageous rail fare depending on the route flown and class of travel. Note that you arrive at CDG’s station within T2 (the home of Air France, Skyteam and several others) so you will have to change terminals if using T1 (used by Star Alliance airlines). Passengers flying with other carriers can book locally or in the UK with Rail Europe. The latter quotes one-way prices of £30 in standard and £52 in first class. raileurope.co.uk; tgv.com; airfrance.com

3) Cologne-Frankfurt, ICE

Every hour, Deutsche Bahn’s flagship ICE trains link this business and trade fair city with Lufthansa’s main hub in Frankfurt. Passengers can check in at the station. The ICE fairly whistles along and accomplishes the 177km trip in only 56 minutes – no wonder Lufthansa withdrew air service on this route. Lufthansa passengers can incorporate the train ride into their air ticket – check for details. One-way fares for other passengers start from €48 in standard and €78 in first class. bahn.com; lufthansa.com

4) Brussels Midi-Paris CDG, TGV

Five TGVs a day sprint between the centre of Brussels and Paris CDG, with the fastest ones taking 75 minutes for the 300km journey. Air France passengers can check in for their flights at Midi, and luggage is taken care of during the train ride and returned to you at CDG. There’s a Cybelys lounge at Midi for premium passengers and high-tier frequent flyer programme members. One-way fares are £53 for standard and £61 for first class. As with the Strasbourg link, all Air France passengers travel in first class and passengers destined for T1 must change terminals on arrival. Other airline passengers can book tickets with TGV or Rail Europe. raileurope.co.uk; tgv.com; airfrance.com

5) London Paddington-Heathrow, Heathrow Express

The slogan used to be,“In 15 minutes, every 15 minutes”, and although pricey compared with the London Underground, the Heathrow Express is still easily the fastest and most relaxing way to reach our premier airport. However, as Heathrow has expanded, the original 15-minute claim now applies only to T1 and T3, which are part of Heathrow Central. Passengers continuing to T5, the home of British Airways, must allow another six minutes. Those bound for T4 must change at Heathrow Central and take a connection, so the overall trip takes 27 minutes. One-way fares are £20 in standard and £28 in first class, but this still represents a fraction of the taxi fare (typically around £50). heathrowexpress.com

6) Stuttgart-Frankfurt, ICE

Germany’s motor city boasts a top-rate rail connection with Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub. ICE trains run roughly every 30 minutes and cover the 210km in a best time of 72 minutes. Lufthansa passengers can check in and have the train ride built into their ticket. Other passengers pay upwards of €61 in standard, €99 in first class. lufthansa.com; bahn.com

7) Stockholm Arlanda-Stockholm Central, Arlanda Express

The one-class Arlanda Express covers the 38km (according to the OAG Pocket Flight Guide) between Stockholm’s main airport and the capital’s Central station in 20 minutes. Trains operate up to six times an hour. One-way fares are Skr 260 (£26.50). arlandaexpress.com

8) Oslo airport-downtown, Flytoget

The Norwegian capital has an airport of which to be proud, but one drawback for visitors is that it is located 51km outside town. So thank goodness for the fast Flytoget train, which zips downtown in only 19 minutes. One-class trains operate every 20 minutes and a single ticket costs Nkr 170 (£19). flytoget.no

9) Zurich airport-downtown, Swiss Railways

Unless weighed down by heavy luggage, it’s foolish to take a taxi between the airport and downtown – typically it will cost you between SFr 50 (£35) and SFr 70 (£49), almost ten times the price of the train. Local and S-Bahn (suburban) trains run every few minutes and cover the 13km between the airport and the Hauptbahnhof (central station) in a mere 11 minutes. A one-way trip costs SFr 6.60 (£4.60) for standard, SFr 10.80 (£7.50) for first class. sbb.ch

10) Munich airport-downtown, DB S-Bahn

Here’s another example of how you can save a packet on costly taxi rides. Munich is served by S-Bahn Lines 1 and 8. Together they provide a ten-minute frequency into the heart of the city centre. Although the 45-minute journey time to Munich Hauptbahnhof might be considered excessive, consider that the airport is 37km outside town. A taxi typically costs €60 to €80, whereas an S-Bahn ride is €10.40 and will cover any destination in the Munich central zone. Pay €11.20 and you will also benefit from a day’s unlimited travel on public transport. s-bahn-muenchen.de

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls