Disappointing Cologne
Cologne and its station disappointed me.
I was hungry and the hotel wasn’t exactly brimming with gluten-free food options. Or guests for that matter.
In fact, the whole city centre was dead.
Was everybody tucked up in bed watching the vEurovision Song Contest or because of the attacks in the city centre in the New Year, does everybody not go there any more.
In the end, I got supper in an Argentinian steak house, where the food was a lot better than the service.
In the morning, I didn’t have a ticket, so I arrived at the station a bit early, only to find that the machines didn’t seem to see the ticket I wanted and the ticket office wasn’t open.
It was a repeat of the customer service of the night before.
There are a couple of things to note in the pictures.
- I had to go through all the rigmarole of getting a number to buy a ticket.
- I had masses of paper for my ticket compared to what I get in the UK.
- Comfortable seats were thin on the ground.
- There was a smoking area on the platform.
- Lots of trains seemed to be locomotive-hauled.
Eventually, I arrived in Brussels with plenty of time to spare.
But surely the biggest disappointment about Cologne is why the Germans haven’t developed it as a gateway for Cross-Channel passengers.
Consider.
- Cologne has very good connections to major German cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, which are much better than those from Brussels or Paris.
- A lot of visitors to Germany from the UK, may be going to Cologne anyway, so why force them to change trains in Brussels?
- According to the Demographics of Cologne, the city has around a million inhabitants and is in a region of three million.
- Cologne is about the same size as Birmingham, Glasgow or Liverpool/Manchester, so it could probably sustain a direct service.
- If you need to waste an hour or so in Cologne, whilst changing trains, you are by the cathedral and the Rhine.
- Cologne to London by train must be around four hours, which must be very competitive with flying.
- A Sleeper train between London and Cologne would probably work. I’d use it!
I think the Germans can’t be bothered, as they’d have more passengers to cater for, who knew about customer service.
I know there’s the problem of Customs and Immigration, but if Deutsche Bahn were serious about running a service, I’m sure the problems are solvable.
I’ve been through small airports where excellent, efficient and probably very thorough systems had been setup to encourage traffic.
The problem could of course be the UK Border Force, who in my experience don’t seem to be the best in the world.
But then, the world needs to develop fast, efficient, automatic border checks, that I’m certain if we got right, would actually discourage illegal immigration.
As it is, we set up such weak checks, that they encourage criminals to encourage and fleece, those that might want to come to countries, where work might be available.
An Excursion To Augsburg
I wanted to see the new Tram Safety Lights In Augsburg, so I took a local train to the city.
A few observations.
- I wanted to travel out to one Augsburg station and possibly back from the other. But you can’t buy a general ticket to any stations in a city, like you can in the UK.
- The train I got to Augsburg was so crowded, I sat on the floor.
- Coming back, I had to buy another ticket and as there was only on of Deutsche Bahn’s verbose and slow ticket machines, several people missed the next train.
- The Germans also run freight trains through Metro station. But at least the locomotive ewas electric.
Don’t you just think that the station called Kissing and the train called the Fugger Express are made for each other?
From Villach To Munich
This section of route had the major stop at Salzburg.
It was still raining, but at least I was clean and dry in First Class.
It would have been a much better trip in the sun, as for a lot of the route, the train runs on the Tauern Railway
Even my wet pictures show how spectacular it could be.
From Ljubljana To Villach
I took these pictures on the section of the journey from Ljubljana to Villach.
Note.
- The line is the Tarvisio-Ljubljana railway until Jesenice station effectively marks the border between Slovenia and Austria.
- After Jesenice, the line enters the nearly five mile long; Karawanks tunnel.
- There would appear to be a new station at Faak Am See or Lake Faak. Could it be a place to go camping or stay overnight?
- Long trains of cars are more common in Europe than in the UK.
At least the weather seemed to be getting a little bit better.
Leaving Ljubljana
I took an early start as my train left at 09:23 for Munich. But at least the breakfast in the hotel was not bad at all.
The pictures show the station, where at least I was able to get some weak sun after the last couple of days in Croatia.
I must admit, I’ve never seen so many trains with added graffiti. I suppose, if it’s always raining, it passes the time.
Onward To Ljubljana
This was an uneventful journey in a comfortable train, but the weather seemed even worse, so there was no serious photo opportunities.
At Ljubljana, I changed a few notes into Euros and got a taxi in the rain.
It might have been a memorable journey through beautiful countryside, but with the rain and the dark, I couldn’t tell!
By Ljubljana, I was hungry and as my comfortable hotel had no choice of food I fancied, I walked a few hundred metres in the rain to the city centre and bought some chips and an orange juice from McDonalds.
I don’t think that the journey from Split to Ljubljana had been successful, but then it isn’t supposed to rain in the Balkans, when I’m on holiday!
From Split To Zagreb
These pictures document the route between Split and Zagreb.
Note.
- It would certainly be a better line to travel on in better weather.
- Extensive work is progressing to improve the track.
- There were piles of discarded wooden sleepers everywhere, which were only good for firewood.
- In some ways the operation of the line was old-fashioned, as the station-master would greet each train as it passed through, even without stopping.
- The line was a mass of curves, as the train bent one way and then the other.
- The line is single-track most of the way.
- It was actually quite crowded, but I was the only passenger in First for all of the journey.
- There was no buffet open.
- The last picture shows the impressive Zagreb station.
Incidentally, I’ve just found out that there was a bad crash on this line at Rodine in 2009.
I would certainly travel on the line in the future. But next time, I’ll take some water and a snack.
Leaving Split
My train left Split at 08:27 and arrived in Zagreb at 14:30.
I was a bit worried, that it might be six hours in a scrapyard special, little better than a Pacer, when this train turned up.
The train incidentally is a Bombardier RegioSwinger tilting train.
We left Split virtually on time, with myself the only passenger in First Class.
Split Station
Split station is conveniently placed alongside the port and about three hundred metres from Diocletian’s Palace.
This Google Map shows the area.
Split, Port And Station
Note the station to the East of the port, with the railway running North-South and then going into a tunnel under the city.
The station is not very special and except for the Split Suburban Railway and the occasional long-distance train, it is not very busy.
But I was able to buy my ticket with ease, using a person-to-person interface, so that I could leave on time in the morning.
Incidentally, there is a Future Projects section in the Wikipedia entry for the Split Suburban Railway. It says this.
In the near future the underground station Split-Sud is to be opened, connecting to the Hrvatske Bratske Zajednice Square. In 2008 the now closed station Kaštel-Lukšić will be reopened again.The line is expected to get a second track and be fully electrified starting in 2008. New, low-floor trains are expected as well. This line will also be lengthened, to encompass the Split Airport and continue on to the city of Trogir and Seget Donji. Split will have a mini-metro to be operational by 2015.
Nothing seems to have happened yet!
The Class 365 Trains Are Looking Dated
I travelled to Peterborough on a Class 365 train.
The interior wasn’t in anyway bad condition, but it certainly shows how design has moved on in the last twenty years.
These are pictures of Thameslink’s Class 387 trains, which are a couple of years old.
Design moves on and gets better.
The Anonymous Widower 