Remo Marco Freuler + Trains thread

[Captain Sinister]

I see that the only NHS clinic for young people wanting to change their legal sex has been closed.
Oh: you said Trains Thread.

 

[valspoodle]

The big problem in UK is not having the ideas, but not having the money. If we had the money we could afford to have doctors and nurses, teachers, policemen and other important folk.

We're like a family having enough money to get by from week to week, but if a problem occurs, we're f**ked.

 

[Rosie]

Deutsche Bahn, although the Germans complain about its delays, is head-and-shoulders better than the UK offerings, and has the benefit of being one single company, rather than 23 separate ones (or however many franchises the UK has now).

I remember standing in the station in Cologne looking at a terminal, figuring out how to get from Frankfurt to Gelsenkirchen, and it could even tell me which platforms trains would arrive on, days in advance! My brain couldn’t handle it.

 

[Strummer]

I remember standing in the station in Cologne looking at a terminal, figuring out how to get from Frankfurt to Gelsenkirchen, and it could even tell me which platforms trains would arrive on, days in advance! My brain couldn’t handle it.

Wait until you see the „DB Navigator“ smartphone app.

Every ICE, Regional, local train, and all the region-specific local transport options - like trams and buses - in one single app in the palm of your hand, with ticketing included.

I have literally crossed Germany with nothing more than a smartphone and a spare pair of pants.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Wait until you see the „DB Navigator“ smartphone app.

Every ICE, Regional, local train, and all the region-specific local transport options - like trams and buses - in one single app in the palm of your hand, with ticketing included.

I have literally crossed Germany with nothing more than a smartphone and a spare pair of pants.

Coming to England soon under the Future Transport Zones schemes. Will go a step beyond as well and integrate options like e-scooters, Ubers and eventually self driving cars etc as part of the local/national app(s).

I may or may not have a reasonably large role to play in this for one of the three test areas.

 

[YellowBelly Red]

Wait until you see the „DB Navigator“ smartphone app.

Every ICE, Regional, local train, and all the region-specific local transport options - like trams and buses - in one single app in the palm of your hand, with ticketing included.

I have literally crossed Germany with nothing more than a smartphone and a spare pair of pants.

Which one was more useful though?

For home games, I will continue to commute on my 1987 built, 2 coach train. The only saving grace is the post-covid re-emergence of the Nottingham bound hen parties.

 

[Eddie Yates]

I used to visit Amsterdam quite often, and a highlight for me was the trip to (and from) Amsterdam Centraal. Double decker trains. That left on time (to the second - I checked!) And were spotless.

Then I made numerous trips to and around Germany for the 2006 World Cup. What a different world. Deutsche Bahn. ICE trains. Hauptbahnhofs that put UK versions to shame. I used to travel from NG10 to Leicester for work on the train, and all my friends on there got bombarded with photos and texts about trains in Germany, along the lines of “is it so difficult for East Midlands Trains to do this???”. Thanks for the topic swerve - brings back some good memories.

I've been to Amsterdam a few times & I certainly didn't pay any attention to trains

I won't go into the highlights of my trips

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

I've been to Amsterdam a few times & I certainly didn't pay any attention to trains

I won't go into the highlights of my trips

Straight to the blue lights.

 

[Rosie]

I've been to Amsterdam a few times & I certainly didn't pay any attention to trains

I won't go into the highlights of my trips

My trips were all tourist stuff and shopping! Working with pharmaceuticals as I do, it wasn’t THAT kind of shopping either - I’d get struck off!

I’ve actually not been to the area I suspect that you are referring to Eddie. One day perhaps. In daylight!

 

[Rosie]

Wait until you see the „DB Navigator“ smartphone app.

Every ICE, Regional, local train, and all the region-specific local transport options - like trams and buses - in one single app in the palm of your hand, with ticketing included.

Oooh, I love tech like that - I will have to convince the significant other to go on a trip with me.

 

[Dino]

Where? There are very very old trains with beds in them that take tens of hours to cross the country if you are calling them double deckers.

If there are double decker high speed trains I’ve certainly not seen one, I don’t think it would make sense.

There are Japanese style bullet trains. “ high speed” trains, normal trains. Those old trains are not “common place”

I wasn't referring to the old long distance sleeper trains - Yes, they're tall but certainly not double deckers.

I first went on a double decker in 2002 - Shanghai to Nanjing - have also done Shanghai to Hangzhou and Suzhou a few times since then.

Yes, there's bullet trains, much of the rail infrastructure has been updated, but I was last there pre-covid and there were plenty of double deckers around.

China has also developed a high speed double decker, primarily for export but they'll more than likely also be used domestically:

Chinese double-decker trains rolling toward Europe

The first set of double-decker bullet trains for export rolled off the production line in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, on Monday.

www.chinadaily.com.cn

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

There's only two sleepers in the UK now, Caledonian Sleeper (London to Scotland) and GWR's Night Riviera (London to Penzance).

Yes, I am a loser.

 

[Strummer]

I wasn't referring to the old long distance sleeper trains - Yes, they're tall but certainly not double deckers.

I first went on a double decker in 2002 - Shanghai to Nanjing - have also done Shanghai to Hangzhou and Suzhou a few times since then.

Yes, there's bullet trains, much of the rail infrastructure has been updated, but I was last there pre-covid and there were plenty of double deckers around.

China has also developed a high speed double decker, primarily for export but they'll more than likely also be used domestically:

Chinese double-decker trains rolling toward Europe

The first set of double-decker bullet trains for export rolled off the production line in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, on Monday.

www.chinadaily.com.cn

What impressed me about the Chinese Railway network was actually how fast they build track and infrastructure.

The Chinese (a great bunch of lads) lay track and the accompanying bits at astonishing speed, far faster than anywhere else in the world apparently. Their high-speed network has gone from virtually nothing to covering many of the major cities in a couple of decades, meanwhile in England, it‘s taken Thirty odd years and HS2 isn‘t even out of London yet.

 

[Eddie Yates]

If you want a railway building then you need to get the Japanese involved, they knocked up the 260 mile Burma railway in less than 3 years

 

[Redemption]

So Freuler isn't the Conductor of an n orchestra but a Swiss Blakey from the On the Trains

 

[Coop’s learning curve.]

What impressed me about the Chinese Railway network was actually how fast they build track and infrastructure.

The Chinese (a great bunch of lads) lay track and the accompanying bits at astonishing speed, far faster than anywhere else in the world apparently. Their high-speed network has gone from virtually nothing to covering many of the major cities in a couple of decades, meanwhile in England, it‘s taken Thirty odd years and HS2 isn‘t even out of London yet.

English workers need 'more graft'...it's official.

 

[alabamared]

I spent a few years in and out of the Low Countries for work, and always enjoyed travelling by rail.

Deutsche Bahn, although the Germans complain about its delays, is head-and-shoulders better than the UK offerings, and has the benefit of being one single company, rather than 23 separate ones (or however many franchises the UK has now).

Germany is (many would say, finally!) investing more money into its rail network, especially the ICE Trains and in new stations - the new Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof should be finally completed in another three years, and Frankfurt is also going to build a new central station, these are massive projects, but will make rail travel here even better.

My time in Germany (30 years ago now) the trains wer really poor, they were literally never on time. I still have friends in the south and they still seem to treat DB as a bit of a joke. Allegedly last winter they were running at close to 30% late?

I do agree that the nationalised model is better but a lot of money has been spent in the UK. The new Azuma trains on the LNER are very fast and comfortable and lots of stations have been modernised but with an eye to retaining their historical elements. St Pancras is now a really good and pleasant station. Where the Uk trains fall down a little is the local trains many of which are quite old stock but they are getting better.

 

[alabamared]

My only time on a double decker train was Newark Airport to Penn Central. I sat upstairs. So much better than the old stock they had which was about 100 years old.

 

[alabamared]

What impressed me about the Chinese Railway network was actually how fast they build track and infrastructure.

The Chinese (a great bunch of lads) lay track and the accompanying bits at astonishing speed, far faster than anywhere else in the world apparently. Their high-speed network has gone from virtually nothing to covering many of the major cities in a couple of decades, meanwhile in England, it‘s taken Thirty odd years and HS2 isn‘t even out of London yet.

Las time I was in China (2008) was in Shezen and they were building stuff like crazy. They were building high rise blocks at the rate of one story every 5 days which is incredible really. But with all that bamboo scaffolding it didn't look too concerned with H&S!

 

[alabamared]

The latest figures I've seen have phase one coming in at somewhere between £35 and £45 billion - with phase 2 sticking about another £29billion on top of that.

Hasn't phase 2 been sub contracted to Hornby?

 

[congo_red_49]

Hasn't phase 2 been sub contracted to Hornby?

Probably - is he a Tory party donor?

 

[HBB]

Wait until you see the „DB Navigator“ smartphone app.

Every ICE, Regional, local train, and all the region-specific local transport options - like trams and buses - in one single app in the palm of your hand, with ticketing included.

I have literally crossed Germany with nothing more than a smartphone and a spare pair of pants.

While I appreciate the magnitude of your effort doing it in just your keks does sound a little showy offy

 

[Loughborough_red]

I've spent the last couple of weeks doing a mini-tour of Italy by train with the Mrs for our (slightly delayed- damn you Covid) honeymoon. Started in Venice, then Verona, Florence, Pisa and ended in Rome with a couple of days in each city. Aside from the incredible scenery out of the window, there was not a single delay, double decker trains with seats for all and there are screens everywhere telling you to the minute when your train would reach each individual station on the line (including an airplane style map showing you where you are and allowing you to track you progress between stations), to the point where they didn't even bother to do tannoy announcements. I was on the Pisa to Rome leg whilst the West Ham game was going on and I had no problem following it on my phone at any point.

All for a fraction of the price of a UK rail ticket.

It really did show just how inadequate our rail network is and what a disaster privatisation has been.

PS I can't wait to see Freuler. I really think he could well be our most important signing of the window.

PPS Florence was my favourite city out of all of them. It is absolutely magnificent- I would recommend that everybody takes the opportunity to visit if you get the opportunity.

 

[Strummer]

Wait until you hear about Germany‘s €9 ticket!

 

[Loughborough_red]

There's only two sleepers in the UK now, Caledonian Sleeper (London to Scotland) and GWR's Night Riviera (London to Penzance).

Yes, I am a loser.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who watches Noel Philips' YouTube videos (for anyone who is unfamiliar, he takes plane and sometimes rail journeys and reviews the facilities on board).

When the Mrs asks me what I'm watching I tell her I'm watching scat porn which is far less embarrassing by comparison.