Differences between UK and mainland European railways

[urbophile]

A major difference is that on some high speed routes - Paris to Barcelona is one - train conductors may speak up to four languages.

In October 2022, "my" conductor was able to converse in French, English, Spanish or Italian. I thought that was excellent.

While I've no way to test it, my perception in England is that it'd be fairly rare for a guard/conductor to speak more than two languages, and many would be monolingual.

I'd hope that on a train heading for Barcelona the conductor would be able to speak Catalan! But you'd expect multilingual staff on an international train. Not many of them in England except Eurostar and TfW, where they presumably can manage at least bilingually.

 

[AdamWW]

I'd hope that on a train heading for Barcelona the conductor would be able to speak Catalan! But you'd expect multilingual staff on an international train. Not many of them in England except Eurostar and TfW, where they presumably can manage at least bilingually.

I wouldn't count on anything but the signs and automated announcements being bilingual on a TfW train.

 

[urbophile]

I wouldn't count on anything but the signs and automated announcements being bilingual on a TfW train.

That surprises me. I understood that all public employees in Wales had to speak Welsh. Doesn't TfW count as a public body?

 

[Richard Scott]

That surprises me. I understood that all public employees in Wales had to speak Welsh. Doesn't TfW count as a public body?

No, don't think that's true, it's considered a good thing to have but not enough Welsh speakers to fill all posts.

 

[Struner]

I wouldn't count on anything but the signs and automated announcements being bilingual on a TfW train.

All the same, would you come across bilangual people apart from €* & TfW?

 

[Electrostar387]

A major difference is that on some high speed routes - Paris to Barcelona is one - train conductors may speak up to four languages.

In October 2022, "my" conductor was able to converse in French, English, Spanish or Italian. I thought that was excellent.

While I've no way to test it, my perception in England is that it'd be fairly rare for a guard/conductor to speak more than two languages, and many would be monolingual.

Have to say at my TOC years ago in UK we had a very simple, but effective, method of signalling to passengers our languages. On our name badges if you were “public facing” staff was a little flag of the language you spoke.

As you say, in England [sadly] not a huge amount of us would have more than a Union Jack, but for those who had moved to the U.K. and were still fluent in their mother tongue it was an excellent way of helping tourists and visitors!

 

[AdamWW]

That surprises me. I understood that all public employees in Wales had to speak Welsh. Doesn't TfW count as a public body?

I don't know how it works. As I understand it...

Transport for Wales is presumably a public body.

The trains were operated as a franchise by Keolis/Amey under the TfW brand (and before that Arriva Trains Wales etc....)

This was then nationalised and trains are operated by TfW Rail - owned by the Welsh government but does that make it a public body?

In any case I'm not sure how practical (or legal) it would be to dismiss existing staff who weren't Welsh speakers.

 

[Richard Scott]

I don't know how it works. As I understand it...

Transport for Wales is presumably a public body.

The trains were operated as a franchise by Keolis/Amey under the TfW brand (and before that Arriva Trains Wales etc....)

This was then nationalised and trains are operated by TfW Rail - owned by the Welsh government but does that make it a public body?

In any case I'm not sure how practical (or legal) it would be to dismiss existing staff who weren't Welsh speakers.

As I said earlier I believe the standing is Welsh is desirable but not essential, there just aren't enough fluent Welsh speakers.

 

[urbophile]

As I said earlier I believe the standing is Welsh is desirable but not essential, there just aren't enough fluent Welsh speakers.

Well pay those who are a teacher's salary to teach those who aren't!

 

[Richard Scott]

Well pay those who are a teacher's salary to teach those who aren't!

Why, it's unnecessary, more of a political will than an actual necessity?

 

[Transilien]

I feel like in the UK there is a natural tendency towards bridges, in small stations there will be a footbridge between the platforms, while on the mainland there would be a simple foot crossing or a more recent bridge. Perhaps the UK's restricted loading gauge lets bridges be built cheaper.

 

[Richard Scott]

I feel like in the UK there is a natural tendency towards bridges, in small stations there will be a footbridge between the platforms, while on the mainland there would be a simple foot crossing or a more recent bridge. Perhaps the UK's restricted loading gauge lets bridges be built cheaper.

Wouldn't be surprised if it was due to almost non-existent platforms on the Continent, which were so low that easy to walk between. The nigh on 3ft or so high UK platforms meant another method of crossing the lines was required?

 

[urbophile]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was due to almost non-existent platforms on the Continent, which were so low that easy to walk between. The nigh on 3ft or so high UK platforms meant another method of crossing the lines was required?

Please ignore this if it has been already discussed upthread, but what is the reason why most (maybe some countries are exceptions) mainland European platforms have historically been only slightly above rail height, whereas British (and Irish) ones are much higher?

 

[philg999]

I feel like in the UK there is a natural tendency towards bridges, in small stations there will be a footbridge between the platforms, while on the mainland there would be a simple foot crossing or a more recent bridge. Perhaps the UK's restricted loading gauge lets bridges be built cheaper.

In the UK, even as recently as the 1970s, it was incredibly common to only have a foot crossing over the tracks on branch lines. Then health & safety became a thing, and footbridges to the UK loading gauge aren’t very expensive to retrofit anyway.

I guess the history is that stations built before the war were not on the whole originally equipped with more than foot crossings. Over time, as cost and safety rules dictate, depending on service frequencies and speed. bridges or subways have been added. Subways are preferred on the continent because a bridge has to be very tall to clear the top of overhead catenary, making them either huge and expensive, or very steep, none of which are ideal.

 

[30907]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was due to almost non-existent platforms on the Continent, which were so low that easy to walk between.

Add to that, they were (sometimes still are - Margecany in SK comes immediately to mind, and it is on the country's busiest main line!) very narrow (so no room for a bridge/subway) and access was conventionally from one side only, controlled by station staff.

 

[AY1975]

In the Netherlands there is a footbridge where the part of the overhead lines go over the bridge: Google Maps - Station Hillegom

Of course the contact wire is below the bridge, it's only the catenary and feeder wires that go over, and they are insulated at this point for obvious reasons.

Rotterdam Centraal has both a subway and a footbridge, and I don't remember any of the overhead lines going over the bridge there.

I also seem to recall that Konstanz station in southern Germany, on the German/Swiss border, has both. Offhand I can't think of any other stations in mainland Europe I've come across that have footbridges.

 

[Cloud Strife]

I also seem to recall that Konstanz station in southern Germany, on the German/Swiss border, has both. Offhand I can't think of any other stations in mainland Europe I've come across that have footbridges.

My first thought was that they're everywhere, but then I realised that they're really not that common. Zgorzelec Miasto has one, as does Krzyż Wielkopolski. Brest-Central in Belarus also has at least one very long footbridge.

 

[Nunners]

Rotterdam Centraal has both a subway and a footbridge, and I don't remember any of the overhead lines going over the bridge there.

I also seem to recall that Konstanz station in southern Germany, on the German/Swiss border, has both. Offhand I can't think of any other stations in mainland Europe I've come across that have footbridges.

Basel SBB and Berlin Südkreuz both have footbridges, as do Warsaw Zachodnia and Warsaw Centralna (although that is underground so doesn't really count)

 

[The exile]

My first thought was that they're everywhere, but then I realised that they're really not that common. Zgorzelec Miasto has one, as does Krzyż Wielkopolski. Brest-Central in Belarus also has at least one very long footbridge.

Immediately springing to mind are Rzseszow and Firenze Campo di Marte though neither is solely there for access to station platforms. We’re presumably ignoring situations where tracks are below ground level thus creating “footbridges by default” - otherwise both Hamburg Hbf and Harburg qualify.

 

[DanielB]

Rotterdam Centraal has both a subway and a footbridge, and I don't remember any of the overhead lines going over the bridge there.

The one in Hillegom mentioned by Bemined might more be a design feature. Usually the contact and feeder wires are spaced closer together at stations with an overpass.
There are certainly more stations with overpass in the Netherlands, but the OHLE passing underneath is definitely the most common. And yes, that leads to high overpasses: Zwolle had a really high temporary overpass when the underpass was being reconstructed.
There are also cases, like Hoorn, which have a level crossing and an overpass. Though the level crossing only connects the platforms and the overpass crosses all tracks.

I also seem to recall that Konstanz station in southern Germany, on the German/Swiss border, has both. Offhand I can't think of any other stations in mainland Europe I've come across that have footbridges.

Changed in Konstanz last summer and don't recall it had a footbridge.

 

[Bemined]

Rotterdam Centraal has both a subway and a footbridge, and I don't remember any of the overhead lines going over the bridge there.

At Rotterdam Centraal the top wire is interrupted and connected to the footbridge (with an insulator of course) at either end as you can see here:

File:Perrons.JPG - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

File:Rotterdam Central NMBS 2802 (186 124) (8).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

So the bridge in a way acts as part of the overhead line construction.

 

[ABB125]

A few Swedish examples with footbridges, from a recent trip (admittedly it did take me a while to recall these!):

• One footbridge: Växjö, Alvesta, Hässleholm
• Two footbridges: Åre, Lund C,

Also Skodsborg in Denmark

 

[Re 4/4]

Bern has a footbridge too I think?

Zurich technically has one, not connected to the platforms but for people to cross from one side of the track complex to the other - and it's a great place to watch trains.

 

[Beebman]

The station at Quimper in Brittany has a new footbridge which opened in January this year (articles in English from the Belgian engineering company responsible for its design):

https://ney.partners/project/footbridge-station-quimper/
https://ney.partners/inauguration-footbridge-station-quimper-quimper-fr/

 

[DanielB]

Bern has a footbridge too I think?

It does, yes.

 

[MarcVD]

Liege (Calatrava station) has two foot bridges.
Mons (also Calatrava) is just a giant footbridge.
Fleurus (station serving Charleroi airport) has received a footbridge with lifts to access trains and buses.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Changed in Konstanz last summer and don't recall it had a footbridge.

I don't recall one either. It has a subway near the middle of the platforms, and an exit from the north end of the platforms into the street below.

 

[rvdborgt]

I also seem to recall that Konstanz station in southern Germany, on the German/Swiss border, has both.

There's bridge allright, but you can't use it to get to a platform...
Use Google streetview to see it.

 

[ABB125]

Bregenz has both a footbridge (over the older end of the station) and an underpass (under the new(ish) platform extensions. This is also a public access route under the railway to/from the lake)