Tag Archives: Trains

Travel Safety: How Trains Derail, Explained (WSJ)

Wall Street Journal (March 28, 2023) – The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was just one of over 1,000 that happen every year. NTSB’s Michael Hiller explains the most common reasons trains come off the tracks and what can be done to prevent derailments.

Video timeline: 0:00 Why do trains derail and how can they be prevented? 0:37 One of the biggest causes of derailments are track issues 3:04 Other derailments stem from human errors or equipment failures 5:01 Why most derailments are not severe and could be prevented

Travel 2023: A Train Ride In Ehime, Southern Japan

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March 17, 2023: We take a trip on the JR Yosan Line through the local history and culture of Ehime Prefecture. Learn modern history at a railroad museum featuring exhibits you can touch and a theme park located on the former site of a copper mine. Dive into an age-old culture at a hot spring town where Geiko entertainers delight guests. A beloved tourist train with dining cars takes us right along the sea and stops at a popular lookout. Experience Gagaku Imperial Court Music at an ancient Shinto shrine.

Train Travel Tours: River Rhine Valley, Germany

DW Travel – Castles, palaces, vineyards, and a romantic river valley: experience a train journey along the Rhine with DW’s Hannah Hummel. It is considered the most beautiful train route in Germany!

RIVER RHINE VALLEY

The West Rhine Railway is one of the most beautiful and famous railway lines in Germany. It runs from Cologne via Bonn and Koblenz to Mainz. Its most recognisable part is from Koblenz to Bingen where the trains run directly along the Rhine and its numerous bends. This part of the valley even is part of the World Heritage. Famous trains as the Rhinegold used to run here, however since the high speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt is in operation the majority of long distance trains take this shorter and faster line instead. There are still many trains running on the Rhine Railway including hourly long distance trains.

Views: Rocky Mountaineer Train – Colorado To Utah

Rocky Mountaineer from Denver in Colorado to Moab in Utah. During the train journey you will explore the Colorado Rockies, see landscapes that have been transformed over millennium, you’ll pass the Big 10 Curve, the Moffat Tunnel, Byers Canyon, Glenwood Springs, Debeque Canyon, Mount Garfield, Ruby Canyon before finishing in Moab.

Africa Views: ‘Safari Train’ From Tanzania To Zambia

1970 marked the start of construction work on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, or “Tazara” for short. Some 1,860 km of tracks were laid through thick forest, uninhabited savannah and mountainous terrain as part of one of Africa’s boldest infrastructure projects.

The route was inaugurated in 1976. It links the coastal city of Dar es Salam in northeastern Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia. Local people have an affectionate nickname for it – “Uhuru” or freedom, symbolizing the people’s hope for a more self-determined life.

But some of the stations along the line have been out of operation for years. Drivers always need to be on the lookout for monkeys, elephants, lions, hippos and giraffes. For passengers, the ticket includes a free safari. Leaving the Selous Game Reserve behind, the Tazara enters the most dangerous and spectacular section of the route.

Drone footage shows dramatic images of a largely unknown area sliced through by the railway line.

Train Travel: The Glacier Express In Switzerland

Hannah Hummel checks in on our behalf for the Glacier Express: The journey starts in the winter sports resort of St. Moritz, a vacation destination for the jet set. The eight-hour journey will take her to Zermatt on the Matterhorn – one of the Swiss Alps’ highest peaks.

Along the way, the train traverses a pass some 2,000 meters up, crossed almost 300 bridges and trundles through 91 tunnels. Travelers can marvel at panoramas of spectacular mountain scenery through the train’s extra-large windows. On the journey, enjoy the exclusive on-board service including a three-course meal of Swiss cuisine. Tickets in Excellence Class cost 650 euros, giving you a seven-course meal with wine pairing, champagne, and even a concierge.

Train Views: The Fanciest Sleeper Cars In The World

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: London to Venice

Interior of a sleeper car on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

CREDIT: COURTESY OF BELMOND

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is one of the most well-known luxury train companies in the world — and for good reason. Its train cars are opulent, with plush velvet furnishings in rich jewel tones, dark wood walls, and top-notch service that can’t be beat. Though all of its journeys look epic, the London-to-Venice route may be the best for first-time train travelers. Guests will board the company’s British Pullman train, where they can enjoy a cocktail in the bar car, snag a bite in the dining car, or take in the picturesque countryside views from their room.

New Zealand Train Lines: North Island Main Trunk

Views: ‘Train Street’ In Old Quarter Hanoi, Vietnam

The Reunification Express slices its way north across some of Vietnam’s most arresting coastal plains. But in some parts, where the mountains jut out all the way to sea, a treacherous alpine pass is the only way forward. Watch Full Episodes Here: https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/

Train Travel: Guildford To Aldershot In England

Michael Portillo resumes his tour of the Home Counties in the picturesque and historic county town of Guildford. His 1936 Bradshaw’s guide commends its ‘fine old castle keep’ and guildhall but makes no mention of its hilltop cathedral.

Michael meets head guide Janet Matthews to discover the origins of the first Anglican cathedral to be built on a new site in the south of England since the Reformation – begun in 1936. He finds splendid architecture and modern materials have combined to produce a gloriously open building full of space and light. Michael climbs its 160 foot tower for a panoramic view of Surrey.

Michael’s next stop is Chilworth, from which he follows his guide to Newlands Corner on the slopes of the North Downs. At this popular beauty spot, the famous crime writer Agatha Christie disappeared, sparking a massive search and a tabloid frenzy. A Christie biographer pieces the puzzle together for Michael.

Heading west across the county, Michael reaches the Georgian market town of Farnham with its 12th-century castle, once home to the bishops of Winchester. Intrigued by his Bradshaw’s reference to a famous Farnham painter, WH Allen, Michael joins the artist’s great-great-niece in the castle’s splendid gardens to learn more about him. A kind Farnham artist encourages Michael to commit the castle to canvas in his own way. After a luxurious night at the castle, Michael crosses into Hampshire to reach Aldershot. At the home of the British Army, he hears how in the years leading up to the World War II, the town began to receive conscripts for military training.