Morgan by Motorail 2024



In 2024 a number of the summertime German motorail services were reintroduced, so we decided that the time was right for another visit to Italy in the Morgan. This is a brief report on the end to end process and I hope it may be of use to fellow Morgan owners considering a trip on the train. We have previous experience on the Motorail from 's-Hertogenbosch in Holland, to Alessandria in Italy (see the story in TOURING) but this service is no longer running.

The company running the current service is Urlaubs-Express, on their web site it's worth registering to receive notification when future timetables become available for booking. Many of the trains do get fully booked up. Of the available routes, we decided that Düsseldorf to Innsbruck and return was the best fit for our needs, a trip of about 450 miles each way. You can book to travel one-way only, if you like. The outbound train runs overnight Fridays and the return is overnight Saturdays, allowing us a full, two-weeks in Italy.

The Düsseldorf start point matches conveniently with the UK ferry routes to Rotterdam or Hook of Holland at about 150 miles, or about 250 miles from Calais.

In the online booking process, you will be asked for vehicle dimensions and the kerb weight. It is important to get these correct because they can refuse to load your car if they are wrong. The booking form asks about vehicle roof construction but the options only relate to top-box and roof-racks. You submit the form and they get back to you requesting a deposit payment. They didn't accept credit cards (in 2024) but PayPal was the easiest method to pay in Euros.

Düsseldorf station is in a German Low Emission Zone. Vehicles require a German green EURO 4 emissions sticker to drive in this area. If your Morgan meets the standard, this needs to be ordered online, in advance. German historic vehicles with their H-plate suffix (30 years old) are exempt, as are foreign equivalents. We were OK with our 1979 4/4 being registered as a UK Historic Vehicle but it looks like there could be a few years of manufacture where Morgans may not be either compliant or exempt (although since Brexit, fines cannot be sent to drivers caught on camera - if you see what I mean).

Following signs for Autozug (car train), we arrived early at Düsseldorf, having allowed plenty of contingency for Friday rush-hour traffic. Luckily, there was parking available and we headed off to the station cafe while we waited for check-in to open.

At check-in, we were told that we should have declared the vehicle roof as convertible, even though this was not an option during booking. Probably best to email them at the time of booking and make it clear you have a classic convertible.

[ Ramp ]
Loading ramp

[ Motorcycle Loading ]
Motorcycle loading

The car transporter wagons have two decks, vehicles are driven on via ramps at the end of the line of wagons. Loading onto the train starts with motorcycles on the lower level. Tin-tops are put on the upper level and then they try to squeeze any classics and convertibles onto the rest of the lower level. Loading is not a fast process and appears to be disorganised. Talking to other drivers, this is normal.

[ Wagon ]
Staff secure the vehicles with steel bars and sand bags

[ Secured ]
Secure bar in place

Cars are secured in place with metal restraints and sandbags around the wheels. With it raining in Germany, we had the (traditional) hood up on the outbound journey. On the return we just had the tonneau but this time I removed the sidescreens to stop the wind catching them. For extra safety, I had prepared some lengths of cord to loop between opposite sidescreen knobs and help keep either the hood or tonneau in place, on the journey.

[ Station ]

The passenger carriages will be standing at a separate platform, number 20 in Düsseldorf, accessed via an underpass from the motorail terminal. Find your carriage number and then your allocated compartment. They are corridor sleepers. Each carriage has two shared toilets, functional, very tight for space, but at least you won't fall over/off! There will be a number of stewards on duty, you may recognise yours from the vehicle loading team. Passengers are welcome to take onboard their own food and drink. Extra snacks and drinks can be purchased onboard, until midnight.

[ Compartment ]
Passenger compartment

[ Facilities ]
Compartment facilities

You arrange a time with the steward, for them to prepare your fold out bunk beds. If you book the breakfast, it is an aeroplane style box affair, served with a cup of tea or coffee. Some compartment types have a sink unit with soap and hand towels provided. There were no socket/power points so don't rely on being able to charge your devices.

[ Station ]

After a bit of shunting, the two sections of train are joined and you are on your way. The journey is split into two parts, the first stage took us to Munich where the train was joined with the motorail from Hamburg, for the onward journey. The direction of travel is reversed at this point, something to be aware of when considering airflow over the car.

A quick look on the Waze app showed that the train regularly reached speeds of 90mph in both directions. Coming back with just the tonneau proved that dead flies on the inside of the windscreen can be a real thing!

[ Ignore the no-entry ]

On the return trip, there is no signage to the motorail in Innsbruck. As you approach the terminal, ignore the no-entry signs and drive into the assembly area. Loading is an even more protracted affair. No questions about the roof type but they wanted to see the original vehicle registration document (V5C for us) to check that the correct kerb weight has been declared. I explained that UK car registration documents don't show the kerb weight, it didn't seem to be a problem.

The Hamburg-bound vehicles are loaded first, then those for Düsseldorf. The train is of course, much larger at this station, as it will be split into two at Munich. Passenger coach numbers in the 200 range are for Düsseldorf with the 100s going to Munich. You are reminded that you will need to be in the correct part of the train for the split.

[ Arrival ]

To summarise the experience, the rolling stock is really quite dated and this is certainly not a luxury train trip. Try not to get wound up by the slow loading, delayed departure, lack of information about what's happening or where to go. Bear in mind that you probably won't get a great night's sleep but you can relax with a drink and take it easy, watching the world go by as it gets dark. You will arrive more refreshed than if you had driven all that way.

The cost may seem quite steep but each 450 mile journey would have been 8+ hours solid driving. It saves you time, petrol and additional overnight hotel costs. In Innsbruck at 9am on a Saturday, there is surprisingly little traffic. You are less than an hour from Italy and only a couple of hours from the Stelvio Pass and some wonderful Alpine driving.

These trains won't be around for ever, why not take advantage and enjoy a different Morgan experience, with the opportunity to explore destinations a little further away. Think of it more like a trip on a heritage railway than a shuttle run on the Channel Tunnel. Would we use it again? Yes.

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