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• @moof@cupoftea.social 2026-10-05 19:40

  Taking up the earlier thread about international train, whilst I'm waiting (there's an offshoot of this thread going on about why I'm waiting)… It occurs to me that this sort of international connectivity definitely fosters some competition between operators. I definitely wanted to go on an ICE between Paris and Mannheim last Saturday, rather than an earlier TGV. Similarly, I prefer the AVE over the InOui between Valence TGV and Barcelona. I have chosen specific trains because of the company that runs them before, sometimes prioritising that over the timetable. There are arguments about the right way to foster competition on the railways, and whether it should be allowed at all. There's an interesting difference between the collaboration between national operators that nearly all Germany-adjacent international trains have, as opposed to the distinctly different open access-style operations that Trenitalia and Renfe are doing in France. Which is better though?

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