33 years ago today the Berlin Wall finally opened. There’s been a huge amount written about the main events, so I won’t go into them here. Instead the focus is on the “Ghost Stations” (Geisterbahnhöfe) those stations in East Berlin that were closed, but had trains running through them. The three U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines… Read More The Ghost Stations of Berlin
How far can you get by rail across Europe in 1 to 5 hours? This is a very cool and useful tool. It shows you how far you can get by rail in 1-5 hours across Europe from large towns & cities. Certainly shows the big differences between countries and their provision of high speed… Read More Five hours on a train
After many years, trams are returning to the Belgian city of Liege. Since 1967, the only trams in the city have been residing in the Museum of Public Transport of Wallonia. Liege had the first electric tram in Belgium, which started operating in 1893, It quickly developed and by 1905 there were 4 lines that… Read More Trams are returning to Liege
I’ve just spent a week in Antwerp, using trams & the docking bike system to get around The cycling & tram infrastructure is great (though there’s still too many cars!)But, unlike the UK, even at roadworks there’s cycle provision. And cycling with goods, moving shopping etc is just normal. Cargo bikes are a normal part… Read More Antwerp by bike and tram
In the 1930’s The English Electric Company produced a series of booklets about its electrification projects of railways worldwide. No.51 (1932) covers the Bombay Suburban lines, the first to be electrified in India. These scans are of the original booklet. Thanks for reading. Check out my other posts on travel, heritage railways and more.Please click… Read More Indian Railways Electrification
Here’s a few samples of pages from the 1961/62 “World Railways” published by Sampson Low. The directory was published from the early 1950’s until the late 1060’s when it was taken over by Jane’s publishing, and still continues as Jane’s World Railways. This copy is from the British Rail Technical Library in London. The directory… Read More World Railways 1961
Marseille is the largest city in south-eastern France with a population of 800,000. It’s metro system is one of Europe’s smallest, with 2 lines and 29 stations, the newest of which, Geze, opened in December 2019. The system was first opened in 1977, on line one between La Rose and Saint-Charles. The rest of line one opened in… Read More The Marseille Metro
Something I find invaluable when travelling is a decent left luggage facility. Sadly, most facilities in the UK are now run by private companies not connected to the train operating companies, and are not always open at convenient times. For example, the St Pancras facility is operated by The Excess Baggage Company. It charges £12.50… Read More Continental Left Luggage
A recent trip to Ireland to cover various stories about heritage railways and the reopening of a rail line meant travelling on the state owned transport services Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and Bus Éireann (Irish Buses) around the west of Ireland. I took the train/ferry option via Holyhead-Dublin, which can be as low as £75… Read More Ireland by bus and rail.
The Paris Metro has a reputation for elegant architecture and design, with its icon Art Nouveau station entrances and interiors. However tucked away on line 11, one of the smaller lines in the network, is something very different. Arts et Métiers station takes its name from the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts… Read More Paris’s wackiest station
Random Railways 