After yesterday’s news that Basel-Malmö will not happen, today there’s news that a new night train route will open up – European Sleeper is proposing to run from Bruxelles and Amsterdam to Switzerland and Milano from June 2026. Their press release about it is here (PDF). A few of relevant […]
Quick takes
Geo Racers: the most fun web travel game since GeoGuessr
I was sent this a few hours ago in a messenger group, and it’s brilliant: Geo Racers, a kind of web based version of Race Across the World the TV series. It’s made by Chris Pattle – more about him here, and you can donate here. You have a limited […]
All about 2 metres? The importance of the difference between a 200m and a 202m train is scarcely plausible
When discussing the future of long distance services through the Channel Tunnel, we generally talk of 400 metre long trains composed of one unit, and 2x 200m trains composed of two units coupled together. But when you drill down to the detail, these numbers are approximations. Eurostar’s original Class 373 […]
Constraints on future Channel Tunnel operators
Sometime this autumn the UK’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will adjudicate on capacity allocation at Temple Mills depot in east London. Responses to ORR from Eurostar and the four other companies that seek to also enter the market for long distance trains through the Channel Tunnel can be […]
Komoot: you saved me on Lithuanian dirt lanes, and through the streets of Roma. But it’s time for something new
One constant throughout my #CrossBorderRail projects – despite the name! – is my bicycle. The faithful Birdy folding bike has been with me throughout, in more than 30 countries. And mounted on the handlebars (using a Quad Lock mount – amazingly good as well) is an old iPhone 6s. And, […]
Rough notes about the longest train journey in the world – in 2025
When I had time on my hands sometime during a COVID lockdown and started digging into the longest train journey in the world, I did not know what a saga this one would become. Within a few months of publishing this long post about the topic, war in Ukraine meant […]
