Swiss Trains Become Smoke-Free Zones, The Latest in a Europe-Wide Trend

White Plains, NY, December 15, 2005 -- Switzerland became the latest European country to implement a smoking ban on its national rail network December 11, joining Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, according to an announcement from Rail Europe, a subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB).

“In addition to protecting non-smoking passengers and staff from passive smoke, the ban will also free up more seats, as smoking compartments -- typically underutilized – are currently being converted into non-smoking ones,” notes Fabrice Morel, President and CEO of the Rail Europe Group. Within 6 months, all ashtrays will be removed from SBB trains, a process that has already begun. Smoking is prohibited in Swiss rail stations except in designated areas and on the outdoor platforms.

Other countries are approaching a complete smoking ban: French TGVs became smoke-free in 2004 and in 2006 all French trains will follow suite. Finland and Spain only allow smoking on long-distance trains, and the UK’s Great North Eastern Railway (up the east coast of England and Scotland) banned smoking this past August (Editors Note: the British rail system is privatized, so each train operator company determines its own rules.) Austria and Germany have made local and regional trains smoke-free, as well as reducing the number of smoking seats on long-distance trains.

For more information on rail travel or to book tickets/passes for trains throughout Europe and the UK, log on to www.raileurope.com , contact your travel agent or call 1-888-382-7245 (U.S.) or 1-800-361-7245 (Canada) to speak with one of Rail Europe’s experienced reservation agents.

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