European Rail Timetable business is for sale

[railfan99]

The latest 'Friday Flyer' states that the owner of the above is approaching 70 years of age, and hence has put it up for sale.

Whether paper or digital, it's a great resource.

I don't know how many quarterly print editions it sells, or how many digital subscribers or one-off purchasers there are each year, but it'd be a shame if what was the former Thomas Cook timetable folds.

While it isn't just a one man production, anyone considering purchasing would need to be a real 'details person'.

 

[trei2k]

It is great resource. I continue to buy the printed versions to support the business and I would like to see it continue, at least in electronic format, if not printed format.

I think the move to the different printer was perhaps a bit of a challenge, the quality control isn't the same as before. The spring 2024 copy I received had not been cut properly, so I ended up with a number of pages stuck together and prior to this, I had a few copies where the margins were poor to the extent I couldn't actually read some material near the spine. Perhaps I was just unlucky!

However, what it does well is that it has the majority of timetables in one place, but it also has ferry information, information on rail passes, country-by-country guide (including info on railway museums), city centre maps and other pieces of useful information.

I do hope that someone takes it over that continues the operation and perhaps considers a little bit of modernisation (i.e. I think their separate printed maps are great, but it is a little annoying I can't get these in electronic format - I'm willing to pay!).

 

[railfan99]

However, what it does well is that it has the majority of timetables in one place, but it also has ferry information, information on rail passes, country-by-country guide (including info on railway museums), city centre maps and other pieces of useful information.

Yes. Searching on the internet for individual timetables if one is trying to maximise 'new' track coverage is very slow and cumbersome compared to a printed book where on can quickly flick from a country map to individual route timetables and work out the best way to travel from A to B to C and achieve the 'line bashing' objectives.

For those who've never purchased an ERT in print or digital format, consider doing so. It is excellent, and quite amazing that a small team can put together such a great 'railway Bible'.

The hardcopy book format maps of Europe (and the UK!) are also excellent, although the former because it's so extensive weighs quite a bit. There are various multi-country but not all of Europe books as well. They even have bookmark legends as sometimes it's easy to forget what each colour or style of line represents. The only annoyance is not being from your neck of the woods, when having to go from one page/grid reference to another that's elsewhere, the maps could do with overlaps, as I find it hard to follow if there are multiple rail lines in a small area.

 

[Wandering Pom]

The hardcopy book format maps of Europe (and the UK!) are also excellent,

To help avoid any confusion, the European Railway Atlas books are sold by ERT only as agents; the books are published by author Mike Ball, and also available direct from his European Railway Atlas website and other outlets.

 

[EuroRail]

I agree, it's a fantastic resource. I hope that whoever buys it (hopefully someone will) has the same level of enthusiasm that the current team have. My sole criticism is, having moved to the digital editions, is that some of the maps are landscape and not portrait. Not a problem with paper, but it is a problem with digital especially when you are zooming in! And please don't tell me to go back to paper!!!!!! The digital edition is too convenient when going away - magazines, novels and ERT all in one place.

 

[AlbertBeale]

I agree, it's a fantastic resource. I hope that whoever buys it (hopefully someone will) has the same level of enthusiasm that the current team have. My sole criticism is, having moved to the digital editions, is that some of the maps are landscape and not portrait. Not a problem with paper, but it is a problem with digital especially when you are zooming in! And please don't tell me to go back to paper!!!!!! The digital edition is too convenient when going away - magazines, novels and ERT all in one place.

However, buying a digital format ERT doesn't give you a PDF of the whole thing, but a code to access it online (via an app I guess?) - so you need an internet connection ... which might not be available while you're on a train somewhere!

Personally, I anyway find the printed timetable format far superior for trip planning, and for checking information when en route, and would use it even if the digital alternative were downloadable.

Going back to the original news - if the company is being sold, I too hope someone comes forward who has the same commitment and skill as John Potter (?) has shown all these years. I assume that the (small, I guess) staff team who work with him would be continuing if a new owner/editor can be found? I know that many "ordinary" travellers - if that's what some of us on this forum are... - find the ERT an indispensable resource in order to get around Europe by train; and certainly the recognised experts in the field (eg Seat 61, the Europe by Rail people, assorted folks on Twitter) all swear by it.

 

[alholmes]

However, buying a digital format ERT doesn't give you a PDF of the whole thing, but a code to access it online (via an app I guess?) - so you need an internet connection ... which might not be available while you're on a train somewhere!

Once you’ve downloaded the timetable that you’ve purchased to the ERT app it can then be viewed offline. No internet connection necessary. I prefer the digital version so that I can zoom into pages, the font size of the printed version is a little too small for me.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Once you’ve downloaded the timetable that you’ve purchased to the ERT app it can then be viewed offline. No internet connection necessary. I prefer the digital version so that I can zoom into pages, the font size of the printed version is a little too small for me.

Ah - I see - if you have the app, you don't need to be online. That wasn't the impression I'd got; thanks. Though I still like to be able to flick between several pages simultaneously (on paper) when planning a journey. Like you, however, I'm beginning to find some of the (inevitably small) print size more difficult.

I'd certainly find my train travels on the continent more of pain to plan without the ERT.