TRAINS! do you travel on them?

leila hamaya wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Now I read some other comments here I have to say: I don't have any experience in train travel overnight. Even going to France (Normandy) was possible within one day.

I do have some experience taking my bicycle with me on the train. One can think that's easy in the bicycle-country that is the Netherlands ... but no, it is not! In all of the train there's only one entrance for bicycles (sometimes two, if it's a very long train). When the train enters the station you'll watch out to see that entrance (with the bicycle symbol on it) and then run in that direction with your bicycle (you are not allowed to ride it). In some types of train there's only room for two bicycles. So I don't reccomand to try this during summer holiday season.

this is true in the united states, too. they should make it easy, they do not.
different trains have different systems too, so you need to figure it out before hand what your train is like.
local buses are easy, theres a bike rack to put it in front of the bus on the outside. the commuter trains in massachusetts are also easy, in california too, but not amtrak.

my scooter is bicycle like, and its a fold down, the handle bars will fold down, but its still big for a scooter. some scooters are so light and tiny you can take as baggage, quick and easy like all should be, just fold them up and carry it on, keep it with you.

but if you want to take a full size bike or a bigger scooter like mine, sometimes they make you box them up, like its even easy to find a big long box to put your bike in. they also charge you some money to add on baggage of your bike...so thats annoying and not very cool. and if someone doesnt know this before hand and shows up...they will either not be able to get it on, or at the least, have to pay to have it stowed as baggage.
also who wants to leave their bike?  like it doesnt seem like the thing to separate from your bike, i guess you'd have to use a lock and lock it to itself or something

For bike-travelers in the Netherlands there's more news too.
First the good news: folding bikes are allowed in bus and train as 'hand luggage' (for free). But of course those need to be folded small.
Now the bad news: ordinary bicycles are NOT allowed in buses here. There's room for baby-buggies, (foldable) wheel chairs and folding bicycles, but not for normal bicycles or e-bikes.

I worked for the railroad for many years and in a few years will collect railroad retirement so I have a soft spot for trains. However, it just does not make sense to ride them here.

It comes down to money, times and convenience.

A few months ago we went to New York City and did NOT go by train. The train out of Maine leaves once per day, and with so many stops takes hours to get to NYC. Worse yet is the North and South stations in Boston which are a few miles apart. That means offloading on the north end, getting a cab or ride to the south station and then going again.

The alternative?

A bus with snacks and bathroom, direct into the heart of NYC that is half the cost, faster and put us midtown where our hotel was. It cost $84 per round trip ticket for the bus.

I love trains, but until trains start really competing with other modes of travel in terms
Of convenience it will be a struggle for them.

I was stationed in Germany in the 70's for 4 years.  I loved traveling by train!
I remember one time a girl friend and I took a few weeks and traveled through Austria, Italy, Spain Portugal and France.
When we were in Spain we took a train to the "end of the line".  It went way up into Basque country and the tracks just ended.  It was pretty wild.  There was a small station there and an eight hour wait for the return train to "civilization".
While sitting in the shade of the station I thought I heard someone around the corner speaking english.  I went over and found 2 college girls there.  They were from Montana just hitch hiking and riding trains around Europe for the summer.  There were attending school at Bozeman, which is where my brother was attending at the time.  Asked them on the off chance they might know him.  Turned out not only did they know him they were all taking the same classes together!!

Small world at times.

I want one

https://lite.cnn.com/2025/03/18/travel/france-new-tgv-design-inoui-intl-scli/index.html

France’s national railway operator has unveiled its next-generation high-speed trains, equipped with stylish interiors that are already causing a stir online.

Branded INOUI (a play on the French word “inouï,” meaning unprecedented or incredible), these will be the fifth generation of the country’s TGV intercity service that has been at the forefront of high-speed rail travel since their launch nearly 45 years ago.

After undergoing more than a million kilometers (over 620,000 miles) of test journeys, the new trains — manufactured entirely in France — were unveiled earlier this month by SNCF Voyageurs, the French national passenger rail operator, and manufacturer Alstom.

“45 years after the first TGV, we’re going to revolutionize high-speed travel once again,” Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, said in a press statement.  

I had a less than smooth trip down to see mu Mum last week. Not too bad but the sleeper train was delayed due to the changeover driver being late. I missed my connection, but managed to get a later train. This wouldn't have been an issue except I'm one of the few that don't carry a mobile phone. No problem - there are call phone still on stations....however none of them seem to actually work! My mum was getting a bit worried before I managed to turn up 2 hours later than expected!

Caledonian sleeper train pulling in to Stirling station

How frustrating about the telephone call boxes all being out of service, that's not good at all!

I was delighted to learn that at least one railway museum in the UK (Didcot, in fact!) is using preserved Caledonian Sleeper carriages (which I'd used to visit you from c. 2008) as accommodation for visiting staff & volunteers during their activities.

Image: A Caledonian Sleeper carriage in preservation in the sidings at Didcot Railway Museum, around bedtime ..