TopRail news
Recently, with the gradual warming of the climate and the rebound of the domestic tourism market, China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group organizes trips on the themes of “Spring excursion”, “Marriage and Friendship”, “Study trip”, “Red tourism "And" Rural tourism ", etc. For different groups of tourists, (...)
18 March 2021
Last year, travel and tourism contributed almost half a trillion rand to South Africa’s economy and generated 8.6% of all the economic activity in the country. This is according to an annual review by the World Travel and Tourism Council¹. During the State of the Nation Address in June 2019, (...)
30 September 2019
Coinciding with the European Heritage Days celebrations, UNESCO will launch the first-ever web platform dedicated to World Heritage and sustainable travel. Supported by the European Union, the platform features 34 selected World Heritage sites spread across 19 European Union countries, and it (...)
31 January 2019
A luxury train carrying high-paying guests from Auckland to Queenstown over six days could be up and running within the next two years. The Antipodean Explorer venture is planning to buy 31 old carriages from Auckland Transport and refurbish them into "the world’s best moving hotel" for an (...)
19 December 2017
MÁV-START provides special offers and services to the thousands of participant and visitors who wish to witness the great swimming performances of FINA. The competitions and locations – the River Danube in Budapest and Lake Balaton at Balatonfüred – will provide unforgettable and life-long (...)
13 July 2017
Can rail travel be re-visited as a means of sustainable tourism? The International Union of Railways has launched TopRail to raise awareness of cruise and heritage railways, and scenic train routes around the world. With a series of workshops underway as part of the UN’s International Year of (...)
30 June 2017
The futuristic champagne-gold Train Suite Shiki-shima, operated by East Japan Railway, has five-star lounge, dining and observatory cars and features a menu devised by a Michelin-starred chef. The 10-car train accommodates just 34 passengers in 17 suites. The train embarked on its maiden (...)
1 June 2017
The Gotthard Panorama Express will operate on Mondays to Fridays between July 3 and October 20 and also at weekends from April 14 to October 22. Combining a 2 h 45 min cruise on a steamship on the Vierwaldstättersee with a rail journey over the famous Gotthard pass, the service is intended to (...)
14 April 2017
The agreement demonstrates the enduring appeal of France and Europe for Chinese tourists and gives an opportunity to further promote the region as an excellent rail destination. “The agreement will help us expand our business in this key market, where we are aiming to sell one million train (...)
14 February 2017 Royal Scotsman’s new Spa Car
Luxury spas are staples at most high-end hotels. But one hospitality brand’s newest spa announcement caught our attention for a very specific reason—it’s on wheels.
7 February 2017
Top Rail es un grupo de de trabajo formado en el seno de la Unión Internacional de Ferrocarriles, UIC, que pretende dinamizar los trenes turísticos, especialmente los operados por las empresas integradas en ese organismo internacional. Tras varias reuniones de trabajo en los últimos meses, una de (...)
24 January 2017
In Tokyo, an old sleeper train "Hokutosei" will be revived in partnership with Tokyo Hostels. Come stay at a train themed hostel and experience a piece of history. This is a fun experience for train fans and tourists. East Japan Railway Company and JR East Urban Development Cooperation (...)
14 December 2016 Vall de Nuria will open the 55% of the tracks by December the first
Snow has finally arrived at all Group FGC ski resorts. Vall de Nuria will open the 55% of the tracks and all the lifts. There is 40 cm of snow powder. The ski resort will also open the Parc Lúdic, the sledge tracks, Tubby and all the other services. Vall de Núria begins de season on Saturday 3rd (...)
1 December 2016
Commuters in London were shocked and surprised on Monday morning when instead of trundling into the city on their regular service, they were picked up by the Belmond British Pullman and treated to a three-course breakfast, with bellinis. The Pullman service arrived at Ashford International (...)
17 November 2016
This workshop is organized by the UIC Passenger Department TopRail project and the UIC Sustainable Development Unit. TopRail is a business-driven project that actively promotes world rail tourism by increasing the visibility of service offering, enabling close collaboration between stakeholders (...)
7 October 2016
UIC eNews about TopRail
TopRail meeting and Fitur visit held in Madrid
The first TopRail (Rail Tourism) meeting of the year took place on 17 January 2023 for its members at the Delicias railway museum in Madrid. This was an annual tradition until the pandemic and, this time, was again made possible thanks to Renfe and the Spanish Railway Foundation's (...)
26 January 2023 28 October 2022: The “Rail Attractiveness for Young Generations” Workshop
UIC is delighted to invite you to join an online broadcast about how attractive railways are to younger generations on 28 October from 9:00 to 12:00 CET. Chairs from international working groups and other associations will participate as speakers in a round table to discuss the topic, while (...)
26 October 2022 The Cool Rail Project Video Competition: the challenge is still open until 2 October
“THIS SUMMER SHARE WITH US THE COOLEST PART OF TRAVELING BY TRAIN” As part of the European Year of Youth, UIC is organising a video competition “The cool rail project” for young travellers aged between 15 and 29. The aim of the competition is to better understand what are the elements that make (...)
31 August 2022 The Cool Rail Project - Video Competition
“THIS SUMMER SHARE WITH US THE COOLEST PART OF TRAVELING BY TRAIN” As part of the European Year of Youth, UIC is organising a video competition “The cool rail project” for young travellers aged between 15 and 29. The aim of the competition is to better understand what are the elements that make (...)
28 June 2022 TopRail meeting held in person in Paris on 11 May 2022
TopRail members came to Paris on 11 May from Italy, France, Spain, UK, Japan and Switzerland to meet their TopRail colleagues in person for the first time in two years. It also provided an opportunity to welcome new representatives, including the new Engineering Manager of Venice Simplon Orient (...)
8 June 2022 UIC TopRail participates in the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism’s Tourism Task Force
UIC TopRail representatives Carles Casas Esplugas, Chairman of TopRail and Strategic Planning and Prospective Director at FGC, and Vanessa Pérez, UIC TopRail Project Manager, were invited to participate in a European Parliament session held on 28 April 2021 dedicated to connectivity as a focal (...)
29 April 2022 TopRail ‘Music and trains bring people together’ video played in Shinjuku station
In 2021 the UIC TopRail Sector launched the ‘Music and trains bring people together' initiative within the framework of the European Year of Rail. UIC is pleased to announce that the final ‘Music and trains bring people together' video will be played during November and December 2021 in Shinjuku (...)
18 November 2021 Third TopRail RailtoLand Forum held online on 26 October
The third TopRail Forum was held online on 26 October in cooperation with the RailtoLand Erasmus + European project consortium. The theme of the forum was ‘Railway and tourism: a cultural perspective'. The key issue during this forum was the landscape as a tourist resource, which is especially (...)
2 November 2021 Announcement of the winner of the TopRail ‘My Secret Rail Spots’ photo contest
The winner of the TopRail photo contest was announced at the third TopRail-RailtoLand Forum on 26 October. We would like to congratulate Bart Troncquo, Operations Officer FBMZ-FOVR at Infrabel, on the winning photo: ‘Belgium, Liège-Guillemins. Modern national and international railway station'. (...)
26 October 2021 UIC TopRail meeting held online on 27 September
The members of UIC TopRail met online on 27 September. The meeting was opened by Marc Guigon, Director of UIC's Passenger Department, who shared a number of key messages regarding the General Assembly held on 8 July 2021, the UIC calendar for 2021/2022, and the chairmanship for governance of (...)
11 October 2021 UIC is pleased to release “Music and trains bring people together”, a UIC TopRail group initiative for the European Year of Rail 2021
“Music and trains bring people together” is a TopRail initiative in the framework of the European Year of Rail 2021. TopRail is a UIC project that actively promotes railway tourism products by increasing the visibility of service offerings. This is accomplished by fostering close collaboration (...)
27 September 2021 My Secret Rail Spots: voting for the UIC TopRail photo competition is now open! Vote for your favourite photo by 11 October
As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail (rail tourism) group, the theme being “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to act as ambassadors for their railways and share their favourite rail spots to (...)
9 September 2021 Save the date: third TopRail online forum to be held on 26 October
The third TopRail forum will be held online on 26 October and will focus on “Railway and tourism: a cultural perspective”. The event is coordinated by UIC TopRail members and the RAILtoLAND project, co-funded by Erasmus+. Rail plays a significant role in developing a destination's attractiveness (...)
6 September 2021 Be an ambassador for your rail network and share photos of your favourite spots this summer in the UIC TopRail photo competition 2021
“Inspiring the world to enjoy sustainable tourism on rail” As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail group (rail tourism) under the theme “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to be ambassadors of their (...)
12 July 2021 The webinar on “Challenges for Rail Integration in Latin America”, organised by UIC and ALAF in collaboration, was held on 1 July 2021.
This webinar took a balanced look at issues and solutions adapted to the Latin-American railway community, the challenges railways face when integrating the transport of passengers and goods, the fundamentals of rail, such as safety and operational management, and the potential for developing (...)
7 July 2021 Online UIC TopRail meeting held on 23 June
The members of UIC TopRail met online on 23 June. The meeting was opened by Carles Casas, Chairman of TopRail and Marc Guigon, UIC Passenger Director, who shared a number of key messages regarding the UIC Passenger Department, the calendar for the next year and the General Assembly, which will (...)
30 June 2021 UIC TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) held an online broadcast and training programme on 18 May 2021
TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) joined forces to present a day's programme on 18 May to promote rail travel in the context of leisure tourism for European citizens and inbound visitors. The initiative consisted of a one-hour open broadcast event at midday and a training (...)
20 May 2021 UIC TopRail Photo Competition 2021 themed around “My Secret Rail Spots”
“Inspiring the world to enjoy sustainable tourism on rail” As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail group (rail tourism) under the theme “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to be ambassadors of their (...)
22 April 2021 TopRail members and ETOA to host online broadcast and training programme on 18 May 2021
TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) have joined forces to present a day's programme to promote rail travel in the context of leisure tourism for European citizens and inbound visitors. The initiative consists of a one-hour open broadcast event at midday and a training (...)
22 April 2021 TopRail: Tourism Potential of Railways remote meeting held on 24 March 2020 via webconference
TopRail, the UIC working group focused on Tourism Potential of Railways, held its second meeting of the year last week. Due to the current situation the meeting was held remotely by webconference. The meeting was attended by railway representatives from Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, (...)
31 March 2020
The first TopRail (Rail Tourism) meeting of the year took place on 17 January 2023 for its members at the Delicias railway museum in Madrid. This was an annual tradition until the pandemic and, this time, was again made possible thanks to Renfe and the Spanish Railway Foundation's (...)
26 January 2023 28 October 2022: The “Rail Attractiveness for Young Generations” Workshop
UIC is delighted to invite you to join an online broadcast about how attractive railways are to younger generations on 28 October from 9:00 to 12:00 CET. Chairs from international working groups and other associations will participate as speakers in a round table to discuss the topic, while (...)
26 October 2022 The Cool Rail Project Video Competition: the challenge is still open until 2 October
“THIS SUMMER SHARE WITH US THE COOLEST PART OF TRAVELING BY TRAIN” As part of the European Year of Youth, UIC is organising a video competition “The cool rail project” for young travellers aged between 15 and 29. The aim of the competition is to better understand what are the elements that make (...)
31 August 2022 The Cool Rail Project - Video Competition
“THIS SUMMER SHARE WITH US THE COOLEST PART OF TRAVELING BY TRAIN” As part of the European Year of Youth, UIC is organising a video competition “The cool rail project” for young travellers aged between 15 and 29. The aim of the competition is to better understand what are the elements that make (...)
28 June 2022 TopRail meeting held in person in Paris on 11 May 2022
TopRail members came to Paris on 11 May from Italy, France, Spain, UK, Japan and Switzerland to meet their TopRail colleagues in person for the first time in two years. It also provided an opportunity to welcome new representatives, including the new Engineering Manager of Venice Simplon Orient (...)
8 June 2022 UIC TopRail participates in the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism’s Tourism Task Force
UIC TopRail representatives Carles Casas Esplugas, Chairman of TopRail and Strategic Planning and Prospective Director at FGC, and Vanessa Pérez, UIC TopRail Project Manager, were invited to participate in a European Parliament session held on 28 April 2021 dedicated to connectivity as a focal (...)
29 April 2022 TopRail ‘Music and trains bring people together’ video played in Shinjuku station
In 2021 the UIC TopRail Sector launched the ‘Music and trains bring people together' initiative within the framework of the European Year of Rail. UIC is pleased to announce that the final ‘Music and trains bring people together' video will be played during November and December 2021 in Shinjuku (...)
18 November 2021 Third TopRail RailtoLand Forum held online on 26 October
The third TopRail Forum was held online on 26 October in cooperation with the RailtoLand Erasmus + European project consortium. The theme of the forum was ‘Railway and tourism: a cultural perspective'. The key issue during this forum was the landscape as a tourist resource, which is especially (...)
2 November 2021 Announcement of the winner of the TopRail ‘My Secret Rail Spots’ photo contest
The winner of the TopRail photo contest was announced at the third TopRail-RailtoLand Forum on 26 October. We would like to congratulate Bart Troncquo, Operations Officer FBMZ-FOVR at Infrabel, on the winning photo: ‘Belgium, Liège-Guillemins. Modern national and international railway station'. (...)
26 October 2021 UIC TopRail meeting held online on 27 September
The members of UIC TopRail met online on 27 September. The meeting was opened by Marc Guigon, Director of UIC's Passenger Department, who shared a number of key messages regarding the General Assembly held on 8 July 2021, the UIC calendar for 2021/2022, and the chairmanship for governance of (...)
11 October 2021 UIC is pleased to release “Music and trains bring people together”, a UIC TopRail group initiative for the European Year of Rail 2021
“Music and trains bring people together” is a TopRail initiative in the framework of the European Year of Rail 2021. TopRail is a UIC project that actively promotes railway tourism products by increasing the visibility of service offerings. This is accomplished by fostering close collaboration (...)
27 September 2021 My Secret Rail Spots: voting for the UIC TopRail photo competition is now open! Vote for your favourite photo by 11 October
As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail (rail tourism) group, the theme being “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to act as ambassadors for their railways and share their favourite rail spots to (...)
9 September 2021 Save the date: third TopRail online forum to be held on 26 October
The third TopRail forum will be held online on 26 October and will focus on “Railway and tourism: a cultural perspective”. The event is coordinated by UIC TopRail members and the RAILtoLAND project, co-funded by Erasmus+. Rail plays a significant role in developing a destination's attractiveness (...)
6 September 2021 Be an ambassador for your rail network and share photos of your favourite spots this summer in the UIC TopRail photo competition 2021
“Inspiring the world to enjoy sustainable tourism on rail” As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail group (rail tourism) under the theme “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to be ambassadors of their (...)
12 July 2021 The webinar on “Challenges for Rail Integration in Latin America”, organised by UIC and ALAF in collaboration, was held on 1 July 2021.
This webinar took a balanced look at issues and solutions adapted to the Latin-American railway community, the challenges railways face when integrating the transport of passengers and goods, the fundamentals of rail, such as safety and operational management, and the potential for developing (...)
7 July 2021 Online UIC TopRail meeting held on 23 June
The members of UIC TopRail met online on 23 June. The meeting was opened by Carles Casas, Chairman of TopRail and Marc Guigon, UIC Passenger Director, who shared a number of key messages regarding the UIC Passenger Department, the calendar for the next year and the General Assembly, which will (...)
30 June 2021 UIC TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) held an online broadcast and training programme on 18 May 2021
TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) joined forces to present a day's programme on 18 May to promote rail travel in the context of leisure tourism for European citizens and inbound visitors. The initiative consisted of a one-hour open broadcast event at midday and a training (...)
20 May 2021 UIC TopRail Photo Competition 2021 themed around “My Secret Rail Spots”
“Inspiring the world to enjoy sustainable tourism on rail” As part of the European Year of Rail, UIC is organising a photo competition through its TopRail group (rail tourism) under the theme “My Secret Rail Spots”. The aim of the competition is for railway employees to be ambassadors of their (...)
22 April 2021 TopRail members and ETOA to host online broadcast and training programme on 18 May 2021
TopRail members and ETOA (European Tourism Association) have joined forces to present a day's programme to promote rail travel in the context of leisure tourism for European citizens and inbound visitors. The initiative consists of a one-hour open broadcast event at midday and a training (...)
22 April 2021 TopRail: Tourism Potential of Railways remote meeting held on 24 March 2020 via webconference
TopRail, the UIC working group focused on Tourism Potential of Railways, held its second meeting of the year last week. Due to the current situation the meeting was held remotely by webconference. The meeting was attended by railway representatives from Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, (...)
31 March 2020