The International Transport Game

[Springs Branch]

We take a local bus to another of Reykjavik's bus interchanges, which seems to be the departure point for some of Iceland's longer-distance routes.

The 1752 route 21 from Fjörður to Mjódd arriving 1816 Thursday evening.

Source: www.straeto.is/english/plan-your-journey/schedules-and-maps

Nobody tempted by the delights of Iceland ?

 

[johnnychips]

We take the 1821 number 4 bus from Mjodd to Reykjavik Hlemmur arriving 1852 on Thurday evening.

Source: www.straeto.is

 

[Bodie]

Now aboard service number 2 at 1917 and journeying to what looks like a shopping centre in Reykjavik at Smáralind where we arrive at 1942 on Thursday evening.

Source: www.straeto.is

 

[Springs Branch]

Next move is on bus service 24 departing at 2016 to Ásgarður, arriving 2024 Thursday evening.

Source: www.straeto.is

 

[Bodie]

We take a look around as we want to return on a 24. Another 24 arrives, terminates and then forms the 2103 service which we take to Stórhöfði / Tengivegur arriving at 2129 on Thursday night.

Source: www.straeto.is

 

[Springs Branch]

We've been set down in a fairly grim-looking industrial area, so take the ten minute 800m walk to the nearby Ártún bus interchange on the main road.
We've also had a good crack at the Reykjavík area's yellow buses, so let's try one of the longer-distance blue buses serving outlying communities .....

It's a bit of a wait for the next Strætó service 57, leaving at 2305 arriving at the terminus in Akratorg at 2356 Thursday night.

Source: www.straeto.is/english/plan-your-journey/schedules-and-maps

 

[DasLunatic]

That seems to be the last bus of the night, so we snuggle up in our invariably warm sleeping bag before awaking to catch the first bus out of here - another 57. It rolls up to our bus stop at 0620, and we alight at Mjódd just shy of an hour later, at 0719 this Friday morning.

As above

 

[johnnychips]

Mjodd, Mjodd, glorious Mjodd...

We take the number 3 bus from Mjodd to Umferðarmiðstöðin (Bsí) departing 0736 arriving 0748 on Friday morning.

There is a coach service from BSI to Keflavik airport...

Source: http://s.is/journeyplanner/showJourneyDetailsPage.do?rid=1460146301770&hss=EHugK210868986

 

[DasLunatic]

We've now had enough of the frigid wasteland that is Iceland. As a result of this, we take a short walk to the main Umferðarmiðstöðin stop and board the 55 bus, leaving at 0825. We arrive at FLE - Brottför (Airport) at 9038 this Friday morning.

As above

 

[Bodie]

Iceland must be considered this games version of a cul-de-sac

As nice as it was to get a new country in, we are pleased to leaving.

We achieve this by boarding at 1115 a plane in shape of SAS number 4788 which whisks us to Oslo, Gardermoen arriving at 1550 on Friday afternoon.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[DasLunatic]

We wrangle with airport security and get ourselves permission to planespot on the tarmac for an hour or so. Whilst we're spotting, we book ourselves onto British Airways flight 767 (not operated by a 767) to London Heathrow, arriving at 1825 Friday evening.

Google Flights

 

[johnnychips]

We take Cathay Pacific flight CX256 at 2010 to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on a 777, arriving at 1500 on a Saturday afternoon.

Www.opodo.co.uk

 

[Springs Branch]

We transfer to Dragonair flight KA896 departing at 1605 to Shanghai, Pudong International (PVG) arriving 1840 Saturday evening.

Source: www.dragonair.com

 

[johnnychips]

Yahoo! We take the 1922 Maglev train, the fastest in the world, from Pudong Airport to Longyang Rd metro station, 30km away, arriving 1930 (!) on Saturday evening.

www.shanghai-airport-transfer.com

 

[Bodie]

Excellent!
Maglev - tick
Fastest train in the world - tick

Really struggling to find info on times for the Shanghai Metro. Even Google Maps is vague.

I eventually took the time off the Shanghai Metro website, the bit where it tells you the first and last times of trains on each line.

The come down after our Maglev trip is well and truly in force as we crawl out the station having boarded a Line 2 train at 1940 and after an eternity we alight at People's Square the time now being 1957 on Saturday evening.

Source: http://www.shmetro.com/node155/node158/201004/con103685.htm

If we can figure out times we might be here a while as we're on the longest Metro in the world in terms of network miles and second in number of stations.

 

[johnnychips]

It's the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai this weekend.


I can't find exact times either, but Line 1 operates every 5-9 minutes after 2000 on Saturdays, so we leave People's Square at about 2010 and arrive at Xujiahui metro station at about 2021 on Saturday evening

From service.shmetro.com

 

[Bodie]

Well, who to believe?
Shanghai Metro website and Google Maps are some way apart in their calculations.
I will go for the Metro website.

Let's head to the Shanghai Circuit. The race might be over but it's still Saturday in game time. So let's get ourselves a spot staked out in readiness.

We leave Xujiahui at 2036 and taking a Line 11 train we reach Shanghai Circuit station at 2112 on Saturday night.

One thing I will note here, the timetables and journey planner info all say you can take a Line 11 train from Xujiahui to Shanghai Circuit direct. However only the map of the system that is shown on the Shanghai Metro website shows this. Must be a very recent extension. Update - No 2013, yet most Maps don't show it. Ha, that's China - growing so fast the Metro maps can't keep up!

 

[johnnychips]

Having stuffed a potato up Nico Rosberg's exhaust (to no avail as it turns out) we return to the station and take the last metro (line 11) at 2150 from Shanghai Circuit to West Shanghai Railway Station, arriving 2221 on Saturday evening.

Source:http://service.shmetro.com/en/hcskb/253.htm

 

[backontrack]

We board the 23:19 service to Huaqiao, arriving there at 23:56 on Saturday evening.

Source: Source:http://service.shmetro.com/en/hcskb/253.htm (same as above)

 

[DasLunatic]

Welcome to the International game!

We let the last train of the day disappear into the night, to wake up and board Train G7044
from our stop at Huaqiao at 0929, arriving into the next city of Suzhou (苏州) at 0944 this Sunday morning.

Google Maps

 

[backontrack]

Welcome to the International game!

We let the last train of the day disappear into the night, to wake up and board Train G7044
from our stop at Huaqiao at 0929, arriving into the next city of Suzhou (苏州) at 0944 this Sunday morning.

Google Maps

Thanks!

 

[Bodie]

Phew! - China is tough. Been grinding my teeth online trying to make any sense out of it all.
Have reluctantly fallen back on Google Maps and just gone with what they suggest.

At 1009 we depart aboard G7232/G7233 and fly along the high speed line to Nanjing South railway station arriving at 1129 on Sunday morning.

Source: Google Maps

 

[DasLunatic]

Wanting to leave China, we head onto Nanjing's metro system and board the 1154 S1 line service to its terminus of Lukou Airport, arriving at 1254 Sunday afternoon.

Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

Seems we'll have to go via Beijing...

Air China flight 1848 which leaves at 1350 and arrives at Beijing Capital International (PEK) at 1550 on Sunday afternoon.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[DasLunatic]

We decide upon a trip to Japan next. So, it's onto Air China flight 161 to Kansai International Airport/関西国際空港, pushing back from China at 1625 and arriving in Japan at 2030 Sunday evening.
We've jumped forward an hour
Google Flights

 

[johnnychips]

We take the Nankai Ltd. Exp. Rapit 6 train at 2104 to Shinimamiya arriving 2139 on Sunday evening.

There doesn't seem to be an immediate direct train to Osaka or Kobe, but this gets us underway.

Y990 or about £6.30 - seems a bit dear, so I hope we've got a lot of money for our stay.


Source: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en

There is also a good map at http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/train/index.html

 

[DasLunatic]

We hear about a temple situated not too far out of the area which is happy to give us a bed for the night. So, we pay our 300 yen and board the 2155 Yamatoji Line service to Kawachi-Katakami\河内堅上駅, arriving in this small Japanese village at 2226 Sunday night.

Google Maps

 

[johnnychips]

We take the 2304 Yamatoji Line sevice to Tennoji, somewhere near Osaka, arriving at 2335 on Sunday evening.

Source:Google Maps

****ennō-ji Temple - the first Buddhist temple in Japan - is a historical site only a ten-minute walk from Tennōji Station, though I think it may be a bit dark and closed.

EDIT: The asterisks are what Akita dogs do on the pavement in Japan.

 

[DasLunatic]

We're off the commuter lines and on to Osaka's metro. We board what I think is the last Tanimachi Line service north. It departs at 2340 (we just made it) and arrives at its terminus of Dainichi (大日駅) at 0012 in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Google Maps

 

[johnnychips]

Get your Lyle Lanley hat on!

We take the 0535 Osaka Monorail train to Senri-Chuo arriving 0557 on Monday morning.

Source: http://www.osaka-monorail.co.jp/eng/time/t23_dainichi.html