Trans Europe Express: The Comeback of an Iconic Rail Journey

“Meet at the Champs-Elysées. Depart Paris in the morning aboard T-E-E. By night, we relax in a Vienna café. Direct connection, T-E-E.”

Kraftwerk's minimalist 1976 anthem to the joys of long-distance train travel is well-known to music enthusiasts, but for many Europeans, Trans Europe Express represents a golden era of swift, luxurious international rail journeys.

In 1987, the TEE trains were replaced by the more fragmented EuroCity network, but the red and ivory trains of the Trans Europe Express had been a symbol of elegance, designed to compete with the rise of air travel and the private car in the 1950s.

By using advanced diesel engines and multivoltage electric systems, these trains dramatically cut travel times by eliminating long border checks and locomotive changes, allowing for a smoother, faster journey across Europe.

Premium tickets offered first-class luxury, with at-seat gourmet dining and air-conditioned open carriages featuring large windows, giving passengers a chance to unwind and take in stunning views of the Rhine Gorge or the Alps on their way to Milan.

Germany's 'TEE Rheingold' set a new standard with its American-style panorama car, providing a select few passengers with a raised glass dome offering 360-degree views of the breathtaking journey.

By the 2020s, the short-haul flights that once tempted business travelers and weekend tourists away from trains were increasingly seen as outdated and unappealing, even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the years, international rail travel has undergone a dramatic transformation, with numerous cross-border routes either disappearing or being replaced by a rapidly expanding high-speed rail network.

Since the 1990s, France's renowned TGV trains have extended their reach far beyond France, connecting Paris to cities like Brussels, Cologne, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Milan, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, and Munich through a growing network of high-speed lines.

While these exceptional trains have transformed travel on select routes, international rail travel across Europe remains fragmented, hindered by a lack of coordination in timetables, ticketing systems, and marketing strategies among different operators.

A combination of stagnation, rising costs, protectionist policies, and the explosive rise in short-haul air travel over the last two decades meant that by 2018, 149 out of the 365 cross-border rail links that once thrived in Europe were no longer in operation.

Despite significant efforts to encourage people to leave their cars behind, rail still accounted for less than 8% of total passenger travel within the European Union in 2018.

TEE 2.0

In September 2020, German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer stirred up debate by proposing that the international rail network that thrived in the 1960s and 1970s could serve as a model for a new 'TEE 2.0' service, launching in 2025.

Scheuer emphasized that countries must identify regions with 'insufficient rail services' and work on 'linking national routes' to create seamless international connections.

These ambitions align with a pledge made by 25 EU transport ministers in June, committing to enhancing the competitiveness of rail journeys covering distances up to 500 miles.

A more detailed roadmap outlining how these goals will be achieved is anticipated later this year.

The detailed planning for Deutschland Takt is now underway, with improvements to be implemented and funded as part of Germany's climate protection initiatives and Covid-19 recovery strategies.

TEE 2.0 aims to enhance this vision by utilizing existing high-speed rail networks and major city hubs to create a more coordinated international train system. Ongoing and upcoming projects over the next two decades will provide faster and more frequent connections to neighboring countries by 2040.

Keith Fender, Europe editor for Modern Railways, describes the TEE 2.0 proposal as 'a small but significant step toward creating a high-speed train network that could replace short-haul flights between major European cities.' He notes that it would offer new direct routes, leveraging new high-speed lines, some of which are still under construction.

Following Scheuer's comments, a joint report published in January 2021 by environmental groups from Germany, Poland, Spain, and France—funded by the German environment ministry—highlighted that direct connections between cities like Paris and Berlin could play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions by 2050.

'Pinch points'

According to the report, a flight from Paris to Berlin emits at least six times more carbon dioxide than the equivalent train journey. Flights under 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) within Europe generate an estimated 28 million metric tons of CO2 annually.

Notably, 17 of the top 20 busiest air routes in Europe cover distances of less than 434 miles (700 kilometers).

Advocates for the plan argue that nearly all of this short-haul air traffic could be diverted to rail, thanks to new high-speed lines, reducing congestion at critical 'pinch points' and providing passengers with fast, frequent, and high-quality train services.

The first batch of new TEE 2.0 routes will expand on existing services and infrastructure, introducing new connections such as Amsterdam-Paris-Barcelona, Brussels-Berlin-Warsaw, Amsterdam-Frankfurt-Zurich-Rome, and Barcelona-Frankfurt-Berlin.

The report states: 'What is required is a European mindset in the planning and management of rail services, along with start-up support for new international routes, reviving the spirit of the original TEE network.'

Work has recently begun on a 12-mile submerged rail/road tunnel beneath the Baltic Sea, which will cut more than two hours and 100 miles from the current Hamburg-Copenhagen EuroCity journey, set to open in 2028.

The 125mph (200kph) electrified and completely rebuilt approach lines on both sides will significantly improve travel between Germany and Denmark, as well as provide new connections into Sweden via the scenic Oresund Bridge.

These major projects will enable the launch of new high-speed daytime services on additional routes, including Rome-Verona-Munich-Berlin, Stockholm-Hamburg-Paris, Stockholm-Berlin-Munich, and Paris-Munich-Budapest.

Overnight trains

To operate the expanded network, new trains that can travel across mainland Europe would be needed. These could be an extension of Germany's InterCityExpress (ICE) fleet, which is set to grow significantly in the next decade as part of the Deutschland Takt initiative.

However, Keith Fender offers a note of caution regarding these proposals.

“Unless the network offers both frequent services and an easy-to-use booking system, it’s unlikely to make a significant impact,” he explains.

“European national rail operators have a poor history of working together internationally and typically only sell tickets through their own domestic websites,” he adds.

“For TEE 2.0 to succeed, trains must run at least hourly on the main sections of the routes, with a unified booking system in place – a joint company, including all the various operators (like Thalys or Eurostar), is essential to simplify ticket booking for passengers.”

A proposed overhaul includes a revived network of overnight trains, initially modeled after the success of Austrian Federal Railways' Nightjet services.

In the longer term, new sleeper trains could be introduced to serve new routes such as Stockholm-Amsterdam/Paris, Stockholm-Prague-Vienna-Budapest, and Frankfurt-Lyon-Barcelona.

Plans are in motion for a new overnight train connecting Stockholm, Hamburg, and Berlin, set to launch later this year, with an additional route from Stockholm to Copenhagen and Brussels starting in August 2022.

Looking eastward

Unlike the previous TEE network, the new German initiatives are also focusing eastward, reaching out to the former Warsaw Pact countries, many of which are now developing their own ambitious high-speed rail systems.

Poland and the Czech Republic, in particular, are already deep into planning for new rail lines that could significantly shorten travel times both domestically and with neighboring countries.

In March 2020, Germany and the Czech Republic struck an agreement to create a new high-speed rail line between Dresden and Prague, which will reduce the Berlin-Prague journey from four and a half hours to two hours, and the Dresden-Prague trip from 135 minutes to under one hour.

Much of the new line will be underground, bypassing the scenic yet slow and congested route along the River Elbe, which currently sees hundreds of passenger and freight trains daily. Set to open in 2030, this line is a crucial part of efforts to enhance rail travel along the Berlin-Dresden-Prague-Vienna corridor.

The Czech Republic is also planning new high-speed rail connections from Prague to Brno (within the Berlin-Prague-Vienna corridor) and Ostrava, which will eventually form part of an international route to Wroclaw in Poland.

Meanwhile, Poland's rail strategy includes the development of new 217mph (350kph) lines linking Warsaw with Lodz, Wroclaw, and Poznan, the latter being a key part of the primary east-west international route connecting Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, the Baltic States, and Moscow.

The existing Central Main Line connecting Warsaw, Katowice, and Krakow is being modernized to support speeds of up to 155 mph by 2023, with plans for international extensions to Prague and Bratislava.

A new chapter begins for European rail.

These expanded routes represent a major shift for European high-speed rail, which has historically focused on competing with airlines for trips of three hours or less.

Even with speeds of up to 200 mph, the 960-mile trip from Amsterdam to Barcelona is expected to take around eight hours, depending on the number of stops. However, as more travelers choose trains over flights for environmental reasons and to avoid the discomfort of budget airlines, crowded airports, and long security lines, these long-distance rail routes are becoming more viable.

Delivering such a vast and ambitious network of rail projects across several countries with varying priorities and budgets is an incredibly challenging task, particularly in these uncertain times.

The size and scope of these proposals mean that the necessary work will take years to complete, even if everything goes according to plan.

While financial backing from the EU Cohesion Fund will support many projects, especially in Eastern Europe, there is no certainty that all proposed initiatives will move forward, given the mounting costs of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, with the EU and European governments committed to achieving 'net zero' carbon emissions by 2050, these exciting rail proposals offer a sustainable way to improve mobility for Europeans and visitors, while reducing reliance on air travel and private cars.

To achieve the significant shift in transportation, TEE 2.0 will differ greatly from its luxurious predecessor. However, an extensive and cohesive network of fast, frequent high-speed trains could revolutionize travel across Europe over the next three decades.