Following the early pre-release of several popular rail packages for 2024, Journey Beyond has announced the full 2024 season for bookings across all rail journeys.

Packages pair the trains and Journey Beyond’s sister brand Outback Spirit touring. New rail and rail offerings, along with Opera on the Harbour with Opera Australia, helicopter flights, and a host of wineries are available.

A new specialist operator created by local rail experts aims to make booking international train journeys easier for New Zealand travel agents.

The brainchild of Rail Europe’s former CEO for New Zealand and Australia, James Dunne, Rail Online offers a booking platform, created in partnership with global rail technology provider SilverRail, whose software currently facilitates more than 30 million online rail bookings each year.

Lumo’s launch of low-cost rail services could disrupt current rail and air services between London and Edinburgh. Its low-cost model alongside a focus on minimising environmental impact will bode well for shifting traveller trends as the sector recovers from the pandemic, says GlobalData.

Gus Gardner, associate travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, says British travellers have become accustomed to high fares and low-quality services that, pre-Covid, were often overcrowded.