Recent content by fandroid

German trains got a mention. I haven't ever been on one that split. I imagine that is such an unusual happening that it's no surprise that passengers rush about in confusion. What DB used to do (and I think in some places still do) was provide a printed notice somewhere mid platform which...

I'd go along with the notion that the OP experienced Worting junction. I know it well and brace myself when we're on the flyover. There really should be an announcement, as anyone standing or walking can be thrown off balance by the rapid sideways movement.

The stations on my line have entrances at different points in relation to the platforms. If I expect it to be busy I try to anticipate where all those passengers already on the train are seated. It's relatively easy with a busy weekend down train out of Waterloo, as I know that most passengers...

I'm on an Alvia train from Madrid to Santander. First time for us. We wizzed through the main tunnel under the Guaderrama mountain range at a cool 250km/h but then came to an almost total stop at Valdestillas, going through a shed with graunching noises. It suddenly occurred to me that we were...

To chuck in a bit of nostalgia, my future wife (Louise) and I travelled over one whole day from San Vincente de la Barquera on metre gauge trains almost to the French border in 1974. A great journey. We had to use a bus to fill a gap at one point. It might have been from San Sebastian to the...

There must (should?) be a trade-off in balancing the effectiveness of enforcement against the cost of it. This country does seems to be heading down the repressive rabbit hole of wanting 100% effectiveness, at whatever indirect cost to legit passengers. That latter cost probably never appears on...

So the Telegraph headline was totally wrong in who was being ripped off. I imagine that even their readership would not mostly be bothered by the taxpayer getting a benefit at the TOC's expense.

I got the impression from the media articles that SWR were going to stop Vauxhall to Waterloo being fulfillable as e-tickets. It makes a lot of sense except that genuine travellers with Railcards will either have to get an Oyster Card or buy from machines or ticket office.ed (or get an SWR...

Does it make the early years validity of the 16-25 Railcard even less useful than it was before?

E-gates on the Schengen border (where they existed) have been working on facial recognition for years. Why they have to have to totally duplicate the facial recognition systems is beyond me. Also, I would have thought that random fingerprint checks would be sufficient to deter real dodgy...

Opposition supporters would probably find a direct connection to/from Oxford Station to be very handy

I travel regularly to/from Germany and I'm still totally confused. I registered for their EasyPass scheme and use the e-gates if they're functioning. But I've had such a mix of experiences that I carry a written record of every Schengen entry/exit as well as keeping an app. up to date which...

I dont know the names of the pedestrian crossing types, but those without visible pedestrian signals on the far side of the road are the most common outside London. I really cannot understand why they are felt to be an improvement on the older (pelican?) crossings as they offer zero reassurance...

The only blanket alcohol restriction I am aware of is that opened containers of alcohol cannot be carried on London Underground trains. A mayor Johnson initiative, I believe.

Dwell times at stops are the obvious problem with double deck trams and buses too. Articulated buses are the norm for extra bus capacity just about everywhere else in the world. Compare the crawl pace of the double deck buses on Manchester's Oxford Road corridor with anywhere on the same city's...