Economy Class & Beyond

Japanese Maglev train breaks the 600km/h speed barrier

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The quest for faster train travel continues with JR Central taking their Superconducting Maglev Train to 603kmh (or roughly 374.6mh). The L0 Test Shinkasen - Image, JR Central/Yamanashi Linear Museum via Twitter 603km/h... that's pretty hard to imagine. Let's put this into context verses "conventional" rail The UK InterCity 125 = 125mph / 201km/h The US … [Read more...]

Want to travel by train during Easter in the UK? Good luck with that…

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As Easter time draws closer, people are thinking about ways to go and see loved ones for the four day weekend in the UK (yes, we get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. It's rather civilised). Virgin Trains and London Midland - two of the operators affected by engineering work. Image, Economy Class and Beyond. However, it seems that Network Rail is making sure … [Read more...]

The Hokuriku Shinkansen opens… and you can use the Japan Rail Pass!

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For those who go to Japan and want to explore beyond the country beyond Tokyo or the city they've landed in, they'll find the Shinkansen network valuable in their exploration (as well as wallet denting unless they've invested in a Japan Rail Pass). Well, there's more to explore with the Shinkasen network as the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened for service on 14th March. The … [Read more...]

SNCF to add more seats to TGV Duplex trains

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SNCF's is preparing to increase capacity aboard their trains - in particular their Double-Decker High Speed Trains. SNCF TGV EuroDuplex - Image, SNCF (For those of you not in Europe, Rail is actually one of the faster ways of moving around Western Europe - especially the TGV network in France which beats rail in centre-to-centre travel compared to air... so it is rather … [Read more...]

Eurostar/Eurotunnel returns to normal operation after fire

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For those of you who are travelling through the Channel Tunnel, services are returning to normal after the fire during this weekend. The Eurostar Intercity Passenger is operating a full timetable - however delays of 30 minutes during the journeys are expected The EuroTunnel car and freight shuttle is operating a service, with disruptions expected. Currently delays of … [Read more...]

Eurotunnel/Eurostar services resume after Channel Tunnel Fire

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A lorry fire in the Channel Tunnel on Saturday 17th January has been put out, and both Eurostar and EuroTunnel Shuttle services are expected to resume today. Eurostar train at Paris Gare du Nord - Image Economy Class and Beyond. The fire aboard a Eurotunnel Freight shuttle trains caused the tunnel to be closed at the French side of the tunnel. The fire has since been … [Read more...]

UK Train Fares – Creeping up… and how you can get “better” prices

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As regular as they year ticks over, UK rail fares have crept up again - this time by an average of 2.2% (and up to 2.5%) on Season Tickets, as well as Anytime Return Tickets, Off Peak Returns  and Singe Tickets. Virgin Trains Pendolino arriving into Birmingham New Street with a London Midland Class 153 DMU - Image, Economy Class and Beyond Other fares are set by train … [Read more...]

All change at Birmingham New Street – Half time changeover

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For those who travel in the UK by rail, there are a couple of stations that can you make you physically scream. One of those happens to be a local mainline station for me - Birmingham New Street. The "Old" New Street Entrance Birmingham New Street is one of the busiest stations outside London, handling 31.2 million passengers and 5.1 million passengers changing … [Read more...]