Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

chronotrains.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

381–390 of 428 posts

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#381

Post by pjmlp »

ricardonunez wrote: post #359
pjmlp wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are hardly any connecting trains between both countries. The connection to Vigo happens a few times a day, with regional trains, and to Madrid it is at most twice a day, if it runs. Then the regular CP strikes, delays and canceled trains. It isn't by chance that most families have cars, if we rely on trains and bus alone, better have enough time for travelling by land.

About 20 years ago I was in Portugal and remember it was a TGV project that didn't take off. It was supposed to connect to Madrid I believe. I imagine that politics and money created this issue.

That keeps being discussed and filling pockets from politicians and their close friends.

We could already have good connections with Alpha Pendular trains, it would be a matter to extend and improve existing infrastructure, not build a new one from scratch.

Same goes for the never ending story of the new Lisbon airport, it will make very happy everyone involved into its construction.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#382

Post by bialpio »

caseyy wrote: post #345
VBprogrammer wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've used the Caledonian Sleeper a couple of times. The first time it worked reasonably well, I got a reasonable amount of sleep. The second time not so much, not really any fault of the train, I just didn't relax enough to get a reasonable amount of sleep. Both times I'd say well rested would be a stretch. The first time felt a bit like a magic carpet in that I got somewhere while using up no useful hours but it sti…

That’s exactly what I mean. I never sleep much better than I would sleeping in a car. I suppose it’s the novelty of sleeping in a moving vehicle, my flight attendant friend said it took them a while to start sleeping well on long haul flights. Perhaps with a lot of benzodiazepines or drowsy anti-histamines I could attempt to sleep well in a sleeper train, but not normally. Happy for those who can of course.

Gotcha. It's the same for me on an airplane (I think maybe because I'm unable to fall asleep on my back), but I didn't have problems on the sleeper train.

Do you think it's the noise for you, the movement, or something else (like lack of privacy)? I started taking earplugs with me for any kind of trip now, they are a godsend.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#383

Post by aziaziazi »

gcanyon wrote: post #258
aziaziazi wrote: post #255

For those that think it’s impossible for the USA because of the density or geography or oil economy, please have a look at that map: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Russia edit: traveled with the transiberian as a tourist, it was full of workers, business man, students, whatever, hopping on and of in different places for connections or destinations. Best human experience ever in all three classes. E…

I'm curious what you intend by your comparison to the Russian train system -- Russia has more distance to cover/is more spread out, but the U.S. has over twice as many miles of track. I'm pretty confident that that comparison doesn't hold if we compare passenger rail miles, but I think the point is that the track is there in the U.S., it's just that few people here find passenger rail compelling as an alternative to…

I share most of your view. There's no physic problem in the US against more train usage. I'm not a politician but it seems there's so many more public incentives in favor of cars and planes that it's a more sensible choice for Americans to use them. Trains are not intrinsically worse in the US, they just aren't helped the same way roads, fuel and airports are.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#384

Post by yumraj »

ascorbic wrote: post #317
yumraj wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks

I'd also recommend seat61.com, which is the best source of info on international train travel. This page is relevant to your interests: https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Pari...

This is a fantastic resource. Appreciate it..

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#385

Post by ben_w »

chgs wrote: post #274
ben_w wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Learn the lesson from the UK, who did privatisation first* and have witnessed things much worse than the current state of German trains (which are still *excellent* in comparison, and I say that as one who moved from the UK to Germany in 2018). * or "harder", to the extent that German rail privatisation never went as far as in the UK. I understand there's a constitutional requirement here in Germany for gover…

British rail was a joke before privatisation. Now the complaint is mainly around the cost of popular trains, and the performance of state run franchises like northern

Shortly after privatisation, the Conservatives who did it lost power; it was going "so well" that the Conservatives' own choice of advertising posters in 2001 included "You paid the tax so where are the trains?"*, an irony I remember well because I was into writing letters to the newspaper editor at the time and my letter about it was published.

The main joke (there have been many smaller ones) for the last ~ decade has been the Brighton-London route, and two decades ago my trains home from Aberystwyth were getting cancelled every time a few stops before the Birmingham, with people saying that was to avoid getting counted as late.

* https://www.alamy.com/one-of-posters-from-the-conservative-p...

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#386

Post by pahn »

I made an art installation on this question once: https://bildsignal.de/p_derweil

"derweil is an interactive video installation correlating time, space and big data to provide tailor-made instructions on how to get lost. Materials: Google Directions and Streetview APIs, JavaScript, NW.js, cables.gl, Involt, Arduino IDE, computers, thermal paper, plastic, metals, wood."

(I doubt I could still run this today, though. I used some kind of 'hack' to bypass Google Streetview API limitations and I'm pretty sure they fixed this ages ago… ;D)

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#387

Post by bryananderson »

pxmpxm wrote: post #366
aziaziazi wrote: post #255

For those that think it’s impossible for the USA because of the density or geography or oil economy, please have a look at that map: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Russia edit: traveled with the transiberian as a tourist, it was full of workers, business man, students, whatever, hopping on and of in different places for connections or destinations. Best human experience ever in all three classes. E…

Revealed preference. Usage of train travel (public transit in general) goes down with income, and people in the US have an order of magnitude more disposable income versus Russia. The take rate of air conditioning in subsaharan Africa is far lower compared to similar-climate places like Florida, but I wouldn't use that fact to posit that sans-AC is somehow better.

People with other options don’t take the train in (most of) the USA because the trains in (most of) the USA are bad.

Of course the US is far larger than any single EU country, but the cities aren’t evenly distributed. There are many clusters of decently-close cities, and vast areas with very few large cities at all. Salt Lake or Denver may never have much useful intercity rail, but lots of regions could have it if we chose to build it (and learn from those who build it well, unlike California HSR).

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#388

Post by CalRobert »

edwinjm wrote: post #196
CalRobert wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What airport in Europe has cheap or free long term parking?!??

Schiphol Amsterdam is € 124 for to weeks (€ 8,26 per day). Not cheap, but for many people cheaper than taking a taxi.

I wonder how many people taxi to the airport? I take the train, but I admit I live near a train line with good service to Schiphol.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#389

Post by balderdash »

I’m surprised that specialized routes in the us haven’t gotten more traction. I think the Heathrow express is brilliant example of this (depending on what terminal your flying from) it’s almost always faster than driving, it gets you into central London, it’s cheaper, and there are no connections/ transfers. It boggles my mind that their isn’t an equivalent in the us (say a DIRECT rail link to terminals at EWR, JFK, LGA and manhattan.

My experience with rail travel in the us, is (outside the NE corridor / Acela: 1) trains do not depart/arrive at convenient locations, 2) go too slowly[1], and often are not very price/time competitive [2].

1. I believe the Pennsylvania Railroad Congressional train averaged about the same speed as the Acela DC>NY in 1940’s -1960’s 2. DCA>LGA 12/31 is $202 ~2:40 door to door time, Acela is $255 and is ~3:15 door to door.

Re: Where can you go in Europe by train in 8h?

#390

Post by inglor_cz »

tzury wrote: post #80

About 20 years ago, I visited most of Europe’s major cities over the course of a two-month trip, traveling primarily by night train. Each overnight ride saved me the cost of a hostel or guesthouse, and I’d arrive in a new city each morning feeling refreshed because of the train’s sleeping accommodations. There used to be a similar service between Toronto and Montreal (both directions), where the train would pause for…

I like trains, but I was never refreshed and well-rested after a night journey in a sleeper car. It just twists and jumps too much (extra points for curvy tracks where you end up with your head slightly downwards from your body half of the time), plus many railway stations on the way have way too loud announcements, plus the border police likes to check even when it theoretically shouldn't (Schengen). I just can't manage to get deep uninterrupted sleep in such conditions.
Post reply on HN