My 12-hour solo train ride from Adelaide to Melbourne in business class was cheaper, comfier, and more relaxing than my usual one-hour flight.

In the evening he sets up a small bed across the train seats. Lasse has stepped out of the limelight in recent months, last posting on his Instagram in October from an interrailing trip in Budapest.

Train companies, eager to capitalize on this newfound enthusiasm, have been racing to add new destinations, revive old ones or simply provide more seats on popular routes. Others have gone for ...