European Tribune - Comments - New Rail World Speed Record

New Rail World Speed Record | 84 comments (84 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Here is a rail itinerary I'm considering for a 3-week trip this August. The trip starts with a Eurostar from London and ends with a ferry to Portsmouth, and then a train to London. We won't be able to make all the stops, but I had to include the intermediate points to force Google's "driving directions" to match the rail trip.

So, which of these places must we stop at?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2007 at 06:30:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Could you send this in email? My company content filter apparently blocks your link.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 05:11:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

That was a link to a google map "driving directions":

from Calais, France
to lille
to:brussels
to:aachen
to:cologne
to:frankfurt
to:nuremberg
to:linz, austria
to:ceske budejovice
to:cesky krumlov
to:prague
to:plzen
to:regensburg
to:munich
to:innsbruck
to:bolzano station
to:trento, italy
to:verona, italy
to:milan
to:genova
to:san remo
to:nice, france
to:cannes
to:st.tropez
to:marseille
to:avignon
to:montpellier
to:narbonne
to:carcassonne
to:toulouse
to:pau
to:bayonne
to:irun
to:san sebastian station
to:bilbao

I have to admit I have not really checked the connections from Italy to France or from Pau to Bayonne.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 05:18:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

So what do you mean by where to stop? Meeting ETers, or where do you have to hop from one train to another, or where is there something to see?

For the second, from memory, you'd only need:

# from London
# to:brussels
# to:frankfurt
# to:linz, austria
# to:ceske budejovice
# to:cesky krumlov
# to:prague
# to:plzen
# to:regensburg
# to:munich
# to:verona, italy
# to:milan
# to:genova
# to:nice, france
# to:marseille
# to:toulouse
# to:irun
# to:bilbao

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 07:11:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

Well, there's seeing ETers and seeing the sights, of course, and staying overnight (or for a couple of days) in nice places.

For instance, if you don't want to do more than 5h on any given day, and you want to stay overnight where you stop, is Aachen preferable to Brussels? Nurembers preferable to Frankfurt? And so on.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 07:15:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

In that case... I'd modify the above list to:

Start from London

to:Brussels
to:Cologne
to:Nuremburg (though as local patriot I'd recommend Frankfurt too, but your 5-hour criteria would be overdrawn to Linz)
to:Linz
to:Ceske Budejovice (midday stop) to:cesky krumlov
to:Prague
to:Plzen
to:Munich (checked, there is a train)
to:Bolzano (tho' you might elect to stop at Brennero/Brenner on the water divide, and walk one in the mountains)
to:Verona
to:Milan (midday stop) to:genova
to:Nice
to: Cannes and/or St. Tropez (midday stop) to:Marseille
to:Carcassone (midday stop) to:Toulouse
to:Lourdes or Pau (midday stop) to:Irun (changing trains) to:San Sebastian
to:Vitoria
to:Bilbao

I'd say, though, that this is very like "Americans 'do' Europe" to me, it would be too much. (Or maybe I'm getting old. Once I "did" Prague, Berlin, Kopenhagen, Helsingborg, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen and a couple of others in a month, and much younger also in a month, Salzburg, the Swiss Alps, Paris, Amsterdam, London.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:25:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

BTW, you best consult timetables on the pages of national railways (that's up-to-date), and next best is if you use the German railway's all-European timetables, in English or in Spanish.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:29:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

I was using the German system last night, it's amazing that they can do all of europe, and the information is very complete. I was also using SNCF and TrenItalia.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:41:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Beware though, DB is sometimes not up to date (happens easily when there is a temporary change abroad -- say, there was a rock slide somewhere), and may miss some local or private railway connections.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:15:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Considering even Renfe missed EuskoTren...

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:18:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Does RENFE show other railways' trains at all?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:24:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

No, in fact. Not even for international connections.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:45:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

Yeah, it seems insane.

Why the stop at Vitoria between San Sebastian and Bilbao?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:40:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

5-hour limit.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:43:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

Though maybe DB missed FEVE. (Goes checking)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:43:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

According to Renfe, you have to change trains at Miranda de Ebro if you want to go from San Sebastian to Bilbao by rail. Which is amazing. Who woulda thunk?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:48:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

FEVE is Spain's major narrow-gauge railway company, and is separate from RENFE. Today they control a large metre-gauge network along the northern coast. The easternmost section, just that Bilbao-San-Sabestian route, was taken over by the autonomous region as EuskoTren, and they invested a lot into it (saw their orders and construction tenders regularly).

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:04:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

Their network looks like an extended commuter rail network for the whole province. In fact you have to change trains twice to go from San Sebastian to Bilbao.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:11:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

??? Not according to the timetable I linked.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:21:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

So what is this Line plan (PDF) then?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:35:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

I don't know, but it is on the sub-page of EuskoTran, the tramway segment, and the map blows up cities consequently, and 1D and 1K merely seem to be two parts of the same line. Here is the general timetable page, with trains, trams, buses, and the different brands and lines of all these separately.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 11:07:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

My stupid, they don't go beyond Bilbao anymore...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:51:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

You mean take a detour just because it fits in the 5h limit?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:44:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

On RENFE, it's not a detour. There is no direct line, there will be one when the high-speed triangle is finished.

But as said, I first forgot about FEVE, then about the Basques separating off their part.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:55:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

At last I found EuskoTren and their San Sebastian-Bilbao timetable. Just 2h15m on their line.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:58:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 1)

I had never heard of EuskoTren before.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 09:03:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New Rail World Speed Record (none / 0)

# to:Nuremburg (though as local patriot I'd recommend Frankfurt too, but your 5-hour criteria would be overdrawn to Linz)

Hey, make that another midday stop!

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 08:42:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

New Rail World Speed Record | 84 comments (84 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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