'traveling' - tagged features

The European Parliament in Strasbourg has just voted to scrap a ban on taking liquids on board planes, saying that the measure is an expensive mistake and that there's no proof that it helps prevents terrorists attacks on planes. But will the powers-that-be actually lift the ban? Radio Netherlands' Vanessa Mock reports. 

Europe may be united but its rail network is somewhat fragmented. But that may be about to change. The public transport world has been excited by the launch of Railteam – an alliance of Europe’s seven biggest train operators who have clubbed together to offer services they say will challenge low-cost airlines. They say they’re going to cut journey times in half and bring fares down too. But there’s some hard selling to do before many travellers are seduced by, or even know about, a railway alternative to flying. 

At the cutting edge of train technology are the trains that go almost as fast as aeroplanes. In France you can take the high-speed TGV, from one big town to the next in less than half the time it takes in a car. The trouble is that in much of the country if you want to go somewhere smaller your options are limited. It’s an issue some provincial citizens have been protesting about bitterly. 

It’s possibly the slowest train in Europe… In Romania, crawling up through the wilderness of Maramures in the north of the country, is the Mocanitza train. In Romanian Mocanitza means a female inhabitant of the mountainous regions of Transylvania. Iulian Muresan from Radio Romania International reports. 

Our weekly postcard and this week comes from a Dutch railway station where Michel Walraven from Radio Netherlands Worldwide came up against a train conductor with attitude. 

And a new regular item on the NE website - we travel around Europe to receive a postcard from one of our producers or reporters. This week Radio Netherlands Richard Walker gives us a snapshot from Amsterdam's Schipol airport on the experience of travelling with a small child post the high profile kidnapping of Madelaine Mccann - in Portugal...