A new tourist-oriented train plies the Baltic states as it goes from Berlin to Saint Petersburg - stopping in a few places for the day en route.

Bob: Can you give us a source for further information?

I know that one tour company in England which we worked with has been offering a tour on trains (and motor coaches and ferries) from London to St. Petersburg through Berlin (for around $4,500/pp), but am surprised that there would be such scheduled service. What company is offering this?

No - i saw this in the current Thomas Cook timetable news - i'll quote verbatim - that's all i know:
"A new tourist train will depart Berlin Lichtenberg every Saturday night for Kaliningrad and Riga, arriving in St Petersburg on Tuesdays and returning via Vilnius. At each of these cities a whole day is allowed for sightseeing wile the train remains on the platform. Conveying up to 28 Talgo cars the train will run from April 29 until Oct 21, 2006"
Sounds like a cruise ship on rails. If anyone knows anymore please tell!

I wonder if it will show up on the www.bahn.de site when we move into the six-month window?

I just looked up some of my old rail notes-it's been proposed to start for the last two years (and still hasn't). One problem holding this up has been the visa requirements between EU countries and Russia, something which may be resolved by 2007 (just one issue is that travelers would require a dual-entry Russian visa, as the train would enter and exit Russian territory at least twice-into and out of Kaliningrad, and then into and out of "mainland" Russia).

Personally I think the market for this is limited and that it can't be profitably run as a regular train but IF the service begins it will be a wonderful trip as there is so much in the way of contrasts between Berlin, Kaliningrad, Riga and Vilnius.

Cooks also says "an additional train between Berlin and Kaliningrad, conveying sleeping cars only, is proposed. Running daily Mar 31 until Oct 30 it will also convey sleepers and couchettes to Olszlyn and Elk"

[sent earlier post too early!]

Currently it is very frustrating to travel between St. Petersburg and the Baltic countries (almost no flights, long delays at the border for passenger cars, uncomfortable buses/trains, irregular ferry service). There is much demand for trips to both Tallinn and St. Petersburg and such train service could begin to address this.

Helsinki to Tallin is easy by ferry and even helicopter since it's so close. So it might behoove one to take the train from St. P. to H. and hop across like that.

WK

For information about international rail travel from Europe cities to Russia see http://www.waytorussia.net/Transport...Schedules.html

This is another source of information about it:

http://www.seat61.com/Russia.htm