Industry News
An exciting new way to get to the slopes from The Netherlands will be launched this upcoming winter. TUI’s ‘Ski Express’ will depart from Amsterdam every weekend this ski season, dropping off snow sports enthusiasts at some of Austria’s largest ski resorts. The new overnight train will take passengers from Holland’s capital city directly to the doorstep of the Eastern European Alps, a favored destination for Dutch skiers and riders.
- Related: This Winter May Be the Best Time for a European Ski Vacation as the Euro and US Dollar Reach Parity
You can now board on a Friday evening and arrive ready to ski the next day at your favorite winter sports destinations. The train will depart from Amsterdam at 5:30 pm every Friday night between December 23 and March 31 stopping at Utrecht, the central Netherlands, before continuing on directly to Austria. The new eco-friendly route enters Austria at Wörgl a small border city south of Munich where it continues on to either Tyrol or Salzburg. The train will then make stops at numerous popular resorts along the way, including Gerlos, Kirchberg, Niederau, Soll, Zell Am See, and Westendorf.
TUI has partnered up with GreenCityTrip to offer the service, a Dutch startup that provides rail travel throughout Europe. Premium sleeper cars will be offered and baggage is included in the ticket price. However, the Ski Express train can only be booked as part of a TUI skiing holiday package lasting 10 days. Prices start at around $460 per person, depending on the final destination, and the majority of the 10-day trip packages include railway tickets, a six-day ski pass, and seven nights in a hotel.
Traveling by train is always a more sustainable option than flying and TUI and GreenCityTrip are confident in the new initiative. They have already partnered before in the past offering trains from the Netherlands to Copenhagen, Florence, Milan, Prague, Venice, and Vienna. They are hoping the new route is a hit among various European markets including the UK, giving passengers an opportunity to wake up to stunning views of Austria as they head towards the picturesque Alps. GreenCity Trip representatives had this to say in a recent press release;
“After the start of a successful collaboration at the beginning of the summer, we are very happy to launch winter sports by night train on the market with TUI. We are convinced that there is a lot of interest, a large partner like TUI means that together we make it accessible to many winter sports enthusiasts.”
AnOnYmOuS- A key difference is that this is just a new service built on tracks that have existed for decades. No new infrastructure was built here. Also, they actually ARE building new tracks in Utah….to transport to Uintah Basin crude to out of state refineries. I wonder how the “Enviro’s” (possessive?) let that one get by them?!
Can you imagine something like this being in America?
Oh wait, no its impossible. Enviro’s would never let it happen. Utah can’t even decide to widen the highway or build a gondola.