‘Very British’ trains build steam in Germany

It’s tough to suppose that rail services are high on a list of things British expats many skip about their home country.

But those who hunger for a days of prolonged delays, packed carriages, slimy tuna sandwiches and diseased tea will have energetically perceived news that a British rail association is chugging into a German ride market.

National Express have given Dec 13th been using trains on dual lines in North Rhine Westphalia between a Rhine and Wupper valleys.

On their German website, National Express proudly announce that they will be charity a “very British” service, that includes portrayal their carriages in a colours of a Union Jack and promises “an generally high importance on service.”

And on Wednesday a Bavarian Rail Company announced a goal that as of 2018 National Express would be take over a whole overground rail infrastructure for a city of Nuremberg and a suburbs – creation a city of 500,000 a initial German capital whose overground services aren’t supposing by a state-owned Deutsche Bahn.

For Winfried Karg from consumer organisation pro-Bahn, National Express relocating in to Nuremberg is a certain development.

“Competition always invigorates business,” he told The Local, adding that a pierce should act as a arise adult call to Deutsche Bahn to urge a use in other German metropoles.

“National Express need to yield arguable and punctual transport,” he said. “They need to yield information about delays, place where people can collect adult a mislaid umbrella, and purify and gentle carriages.”

Increasing prices?

But a discerning comparison of a cost of ride on National Express’ lines in a United Kingdom with stream prices in Nuremberg uncover that one downside for commuters could be an ceiling vigour on prices.

To buy a singular sheet from Shoeburyness into London Fenchurch on National Express’ City to Coast service, commuters have to compensate out €17.07 for a hour-long journey.

Currently with a Deutsche Bahn, if one were to make a allied outing from Bamberg in to Nuremberg executive station, that takes and hour and 10 minutes, one would usually have to spend €10.80.

Meanwhile if a Nuremberg commuter were to give out reduction than a Euro some-more than a cost of a singular with National Express in a London area, they could squeeze a day sheet for €18, giving them 24 hours of ride opposite a entirety of a informal ride network.

Luckily for a Nuremberg commuter, though, a association itself will not be in control of prices, these being set by a Travel Company for Greater Nuremberg, a state-owned organization.

But National Express will have a ability to run for aloft prices on a basement of augmenting overheads, Karg of Pro Bahn confirmed.

On a and side, National Express do seem to run a surprisingly parsimonious boat for a British rail company.

They exaggerate a best punctuality total in a UK, with 97.4 percent of their trains nearing within 5 mins of a settled time, significantly improved than a British normal of 89.5 percent. They also reason a record for punctuality over a 12-month and a four-wekk period.

So a British rail association that isn’t famous for a delays and won’t be means to set unreasonable sheet prices? If that doesn’t sound like something to relieve a homesickness, there is some-more bad news to come.

The association reliable to The Local that “in the carriages no sandwiches or tea will be sold.”