Millions of tourists worldwide have switched to trains as their preferred means of transportation as governments dither about taking action on climate change. The advantages of converting to clean, green rail travel are clearer than ever when you consider historically high car prices and erratic aircraft reliability.
Although there is still much to be done to reverse decades of underinvestment in rail networks around the world, the adventurous traveler is able to take advantage of new routes, additional trains, and exciting new journey choices every year.
Here is a half-10 list of thrilling new train journeys for 2023.
1. Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train, Indonesia
The first high-speed train in Indonesia will open in 2023, two years later than anticipated, and will reduce travel times from Jakarta to Bandung in central Java from roughly three hours to only 36 minutes.
Between Greater Jakarta, which is home to over 32 million people, and Bandung, which has more than eight million people currently, the railway has completely transformed ties.
The standard gauge line's top operational speed is 350 km/h (217 mph), and it is 142.3 km long. On viaducts, over 83 kilometers (50 miles) of the route are elevated above towns and farms. 11 or so high-speed CR400AF Fuxing trains, with seating for 555 second-class, 28 first-class, and 18 "VIP class" passengers.
In the first year in service, the trains could carry up to 44,000 passengers.
2. Brussels to Prague by Sleeper
A number of start-ups have launched plans to provide exciting new routes because it is expected that demand for nighttime trains in Europe will soar in the second half of the 2020s. The European Sleeper, a Belgian-Dutch cooperative, is closest to launching, nevertheless.
If the business can find and repair sufficient carriages in time, it plans to begin operating its Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague line in 2023. In order to provide the service, European Sleeper already operates daytime and overnight trains throughout central and eastern Europe.
Seats and cabins on the train will be in high demand, especially during the busiest summer travel seasons for Interrail/Eurail travellers. The train connects four of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.
Its newly restored and upgraded carriages will have sleeping areas, couchette beds, and reclining seats with contemporary amenities like charging ports and Wi-Fi geared at tourists on various budgets.
Additionally, European Sleeper and Sunweb are collaborating to operate new overnight trains from the Netherlands and Belgium to French ski destinations this winter as well as a route to the French Riviera starting in summer 2023.
3. Panda Panoramic Express, China
In 2023, China will gain a stunning new train line featuring panoramic trains. A panda reserve and the attractive tourist destination of Mount Siguniang in the province of Sichuan will be connected to Dujiangyan by a railway.
The meter-gauge railway will climb difficult mountain slopes with the aid of a rack-and-pinion system positioned between the rails, much like its Swiss equivalents.
After the first segment opens at the end of 2023 and is fully operational in 2026, the 129-kilometer trip from Dujiangyan to Siguniangshan Town will take only 120 minutes.
The railway has 86 kilometers of tunnels, 25 bridges totaling 35 kilometers in length, 11 stops, and other amazing feats of civil engineering by China's train industry.
The three-class, 145-seat, four-car autonomous trains have huge, curved panoramic windows, sophisticated automation, monitoring, and fault diagnosis, all supported by 5G and satellite navigation.
4. Tren Maya, Mexico
Beginning in December 2023, travelers to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula should be able to take advantage of a thrilling new rail line. Tren Maya is a 1,525-kilometer (948-mile) network of new and improved trains built to link inland communities, cultural landmarks, and lesser-known tourist spots with Caribbean beaches like Cancun.
Beginning in 2020, work will be done on the first section of the route, which will run from Palenque in Chiapas State to Cancun via the ancient city of Mérida and the renowned Mayan site of Chichén Itzá.
Later sections will connect Cancun to the Playa del Carmen resort and Tulum, looping around to rejoin the Palenque-Cancun line at Escárcega through Bacalar and Xpujil. From its Mexican manufacturing in Ciudad Sahagn, the world's largest transport company Alstom is supplying 42 contemporary multiple-unit trains in three different designs.
Large panoramic windows are included in the "Xiinbaal" (walking) basic regular service trains, regional cuisine is served in the "Janal" (eating) restaurant cars, and the "P'atal" (staying) trains are built for long distance trips and have cozy cabins for both daytime and overnight travel.
The trains will blend history and modernity with a strong sense of regional identity thanks to external color schemes that draw inspiration from Mayan art and culture and interior designs that are influenced by the Caribbean Sea's blue.
5. Switzerland's GoldenPass Express (GPX)
On December 11, the newest panoramic rail route in Switzerland was officially opened, 150 years after it was initially proposed and three years behind schedule.
The new GoldenPass Express (GPX), a special route made possible by novel new trains capable of changing the gauge of their wheels and the height of their coach bodies, connects directly three of the most significant tourist attractions in the European country: Montreux, Gstaad, and Interlaken.
Passengers on the GPX may now stay in their cozy seats for the duration of the flight while taking in the constantly changing scenery outside the huge panoramic windows. The breathtaking trek, which through some of central Switzerland's most picturesque lakes, remote valleys, and high mountain passes, follows a trade route that has been in use since the Middle Ages.
Three classes are available to passengers, with 28 select individuals every flight having the pleasure of a reclining leather seat in Prestige class. To make the trip more enjoyable, first and prestige class passengers can now reserve an at-seat service of regionally made food and drink.
These gorgeous new GPX trains provide a fresh draw to the Golden Pass route that will probably attract a lot of new travelers who will be able to enjoy this underappreciated journey's many delights.
Continue to Worth Try! 10 New Train Journeys for Your Holiday in 2023 (Part 2)
Source: CNN Travel
