Rail Europe Announces New European Railpasses for 2006; Romania Becomes 18th Pass Country

White Plains, NY, September 29, 2006 - For 2006 Rail Europe will add four completely new European railpasses covering the two-country combinations of France-Germany, France-Benelux, Austria-Germany and Germany-Switzerland. In addition, three new single country railpasses for touring Greece, Poland or Sweden will be offered. The new single and two country passes will be members of the “Eurail” family of products.

Another new development in 2006 is that the Eurail Global Pass will be expanded to cover 18 countries, as Romania is added to the current list of 17*.

Eurail Pass prices for 2006 will increase on average 3% but may vary due to changes in dollar-Euro currency exchange rates. All new passes will be available for purchase starting 1/1/06.

More choices for rail travel than any other supplier

Rail Europe offers the widest selection of European railpasses of any North American supplier and will continue to sell one-, two- and multi-country passes, including some that were recently rechristened “Eurail” national and regional passes. Passes currently available for sale:

Great British Heritage Pass - admission to over 600 public and privately-owned historic properties throughout the UK, starting at $50 US/$70 CAD. Airport express train tickets - Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express, Stansted Express trains provide fast, convenient transfers between each of these airports and central London.
London Pass - head-of-line admission to over 60 museums and other attractions in London, starting at $85 US/$112 CAD.
Day Trips to Paris or Edinburgh - both semi-escorted and unescorted daytrips via the Eurostar train to Paris, starting at $228 US/$299 CAD. Daytrip by rail to Edinburgh is unescorted and includes bus tour, visit to Edinburgh Castle for $188 US/$245 CAD.
Overnight Trips to Paris or Edinburgh - starts at $ 383 US/$502 CAD to Paris, $ 358 US/$469 CAD to Edinburgh - when a daytrip simply isn’t enough. Include tours of destination cities. Additional nights available.
London and vicinity tours - wide variety of tours in and about London, from evening tours such as Medieval Banquet or Jack the Ripper walking tour, or half- or full-day tours of the city or to Leeds Castle, Salisbury, Bath, Stonehenge, Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter filming site), Windsor Castle, Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon, Canterbury and Dover.
Original London Sightseeing Tour - hop on and off a double-decker bus with recorded commentary, starting at $28 US/$37 CAD.
Eurostar tickets to Paris or Brussels - travel through the Channel Tunnel on the 186-mph Eurostar train, now 20 minutes faster than before because of a new section of high-speed track in Kent. BritRail Pass holders receive the lowest fare (restrictions apply.)

For more information or to book a BritRail Pass, tour product in the UK or throughout Europe, contact a travel agent or Rail Europe at 1-800-EUROSTAR (1-800-387-6727) in the U.S/Canada or log on to the company’s Web site, www.raileurope.com (U.S.) or www.raileurope.ca (Canada.)

Photos: members of the press may download high-res photos of Eurostar and other European trains at www.raileurope.com/presspix