Judging from your emails, Guardian readers are keen train travellers and would like to be able to book trips across Europe by rail. It's possible to do this via an agency, such as STA Travel, but it should be feasible on the web, too.

Unfortunately, even overlooking a shameful abuse of prepositions and mangled translations, reliable timetable information - let alone booking - is even rarer than a punctual Virgin train. Many sites are aimed at the US market and offer discounts exclusively to impressionable would-be inter-railers. And the bigger sites have put all their efforts into assimilating flights and tended to overlook other means of transport.

Eurostar
Two genuinely useful sections lie amid the flotsam: the timetable and the new booking facility. Critics might say that the site would benefit from a redesign, but they obviously didn't visit it a year ago. If you register an e-mail address, which is a requirement if you intend to book a ticket, Eurostar will send you details of special offers. Eurostar now travels direct to the Alps on the twice-weekly Ski Train.

SNCF
Despite some minor glitches and poor translations, the SNCF is a rather useful service: you can book tickets in most EU countries, although certain discounts (such as Decouverte for the under-25s) are not given as options. However, given that the automatic ticket machines at French stations do not accept most British credit cards, booking ahead is still sensible.

Belgian Railways
Only of interest if you are travelling within Belgium, the SNCB site is clumsy and uninspiring. Much of the information available is of dubious interest, although you will find timetables. Try the travel formulas page for details of passes for foreigners, including the exclusive Day Out in Ardennes. (Ardennes recently came bottom in L'Express magazine's survey of the quality of life in every French region).

Deutsche Bahn
Astonishingly rapid, simple and efficient, the Deutsche Bahn search extends to trans-European services, although it does not always provide prices. Booking is also possible for services within Germany.

InterRail
An amateurish shared resource for inter-railers; the idea is to swap information or find a travelling partner.

Rail Connection
The travelling tips here are poor, and the chief attraction is a virtual online conductor who can sell you an appropriate European rail pass.

Renfe
Timetables and a virtual tour of the Spanish railway system's trains are the main features.

Trans-Siberian
Unlike its airline counterpart Aeroflot, the Trans-Siberian Express has not yet acquired its own site. Built by enthusiastic fans of the service, this is an evocative alternative and can also sell you a package deal. The accompanying music, however, is execrable and has the uncanny ability to automatically turn up a computer's speakers.