Clearly, it’s not just me who thinks trains are the new (old) planes, with 2025 having seen a 7% rise in UK train travel, and more Europeans than ever looking to hit the rails. It’s late December, and I’m heading out on a slow-train journey across the historic railways of the Swiss Alps and the Italian lakes. View image in fullscreen Jonnie Bayfield took the spectacular Gotthard route. Photograph: Jakub Korczyk/AlamyOutside, the French countryside soon blurs into Swiss hills, all behind a thin veil of white, wintry light. Next morning, we’re greeted with crisp blue skies for our mountain ascent via one of Europe’s most historic train routes, the Matterhorn Gotthard railway.
