Training in Europe

Raised in Rockhampton, I’m sometimes asked why I chose to go to university in Adelaide.  Decades on it’s still an interesting question.  Advice from a senior Commonwealth economist ranks as amongst the most sensible response, but perhaps I deserve some credit for sensing that the economic good brought by the Bjelke-Petersen Government, was a foil for a now well-documented undercurrent of organised crime and police corrup

tion.  More flippantly, the 1986 Flinders University Handbook reported that “Adelaide enjoys a Mediterranean climate”, which my 20-something brain interpreted as sunny, with clear skies, sandy beaches and girls to match.

Make of that what you will, but travelling by train through Southern France and Italy recently, the hot, dry weather, bare hills and stunted trees with not-quite-green leaves took me straight back to summers in South Australia.

Many Australians seem awestruck by the European rail offering, and it is pervasive, reasonably priced and for the most part, very efficient.  As with airlines, operators are required to provide partial or even full refunds for late or cancelled trains and sometimes missed connections too.  What’s seldom mentioned is that at temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, fast trains will likely be cancelled due to potential buckling of tracks.  Finding luggage space can be tricky.  Carriages may have storage at each end, at one end, or in overhead racks only – challenging with a large case.  While local trains require only a valid ticket, fast trains like Eurostar, TGV and Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) also require seat reservations.  Your ticket must nominate an exact seat, or you’ll find yourself unable to board and ignored by platform staff.  Many stations are far too small for the thousands of people awaiting boarding for multiple destinations.  Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminus can be particularly trying.

Should you consider a Eurail (or similar) pass?  Customer service is exceptional, but the clunky web-site is also at times misleading.  “Limited seats available” refers not to the current status, but to when bookings first opened.  Again, faster, popular trains often require separate seat reservations, which might mean navigating several websites, and managing more paperwork.  Refunds for delays might not be processed automatically.  If your travel involves deadlines of any sort, better to make direct bookings through the excellent thetrainline.com.  Finally read up on blog “The Man in Seat 61”.  With a backstory reminiscent of The Railway Children, Mark Smith provides the last word in European rail travel, and for free.