They buried the Eurailpass this year. Without so much as a memorial service, their marketing team renamed their flagship pass, the mother of all railpasses and far and away the best-known brand in European train travel, the “Eurail Global Pass.” It costs 5.3% more but doesn’t provide any more free travel than the 2006 Eurailpass did.

The most popular pass for youth travelers is now named the Eurail Global Pass Youth, and this year it also costs 5.3% more. The favorite for adults (...

Last January’s railpass price increases were very friendly. We won’t know most of the 2007 prices until the first of next year, but you can insure that you won’t have any unpleasant surprises by locking in 2006 prices before year-end.

When you buy before the turn of the calendar, you have six months to validate your railpass in Europe before boarding your first train. This makes it particularly convenient for travelers planning to use passes valid for longer periods of time, such as...

When Berlin’s new Hauptbahnhof (Hbf, or main train station) was inaugurated on May 26 this year with a free public party, eardrum-splitting music, a hip stage show, a choreographed light show and an open house (read: station) until 3 a.m., the crowd packed itself so tightly that it took two hours for ambulances to make their way through the multitude.

On May 27, free regional trains shuttled every 20 minutes along a 5.5-mile travel corridor on new surface rails and through the new 2-...