The International Transport Game

[DasLunatic]

That is boarding a N4 service at 0300 and alighting at the same stop some one and a half hours later at 0430 on Sunday morning.

I've done a similar thing with the Cathcart Circle line in the UK game - it's fine.


Anyways, we're at Valencia Airport. We want to go to Africa, but alas, there are no flights to down south. Therefore, we will board Vueling 8152. We depart from Valencia at 0735 and arrive at Paris Orly at 0930 Sunday morning.

Google Flights

 

[Bodie]

Africa can be reached direct from here, so off we go...

Aigle Azur 259 that leaves at 1105 heading to North Africa (Algeria to be precise) Houari Boumediene, Algiers arriving at 1210 on Sunday afternoon.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[DasLunatic]

There appears to be no onward transportation into Algiers, so we instead decide to head to Paris' other airport, Charles de Gaulle, onboard Air Algerie 1014. We push back at 1315 and arrive at 1645 Sunday evening.

Google Flights

 

[Springs Branch]

Air Algerie arrives in Terminal 2 at CDG.
We walk to the Aeroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle T2 RER rail station and board the 1729 Line B train to Paris, Gare du Nord arriving at 1801 Sunday evening.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[DasLunatic]

Although we are unable to create a paradox, we can return to the UK, albeit briefly. We do so onboard the 1813 Eurostar service to Ebbsfleet International, arriving at 1918 Sunday evening.

Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

Now we're on UK soil, our only option is an international transfer back through the Tunnel. There are no more departures on Sunday, so we take the first available train the next morning .....

the 0812 Eurostar from Ebbsfleet International to Paris, Gare du Nord, arriving at 1117 Monday morning.

Source: eurostar.com

 

[Bodie]

Germany calling, Germany calling...

Thalys 9437 leaving at 1155 and going to Köln Hbf arrival 1515 on Monday afternoon.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[DasLunatic]

We then proceed onto a slower service, heading south. This slower service comes in the form of Mittelrheinbahn 25431/25357, arriving at Boppard Hbf at 1806 Monday evening.

As above

 

[Bodie]

We linger a while in this pleasant looking spot on the Rhine. We must however steal ourselves away and push on further into Germany.

TransRegio 25359 which departs at 1907 and takes us to Mainz Hbf. Our arrival there being 2025 on Monday night.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[DasLunatic]

We go even further south onboard RB 38777. It leaves Mainz at 2052 and arrives at Frankenthal Hbf at 2157 Monday night.

As above

 

[Springs Branch]

Continuing our tour of Germany's branch lines, we transfer to the 2203 departure of train RB 13660, arriving at its terminus in Grünstadt at 2230 Monday evening.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

That appears to be that for the day. We head over to the Hotel Villa Brenner and are shown to the room that we booked several months ago. We're very good at forward planning.

Refreshed we take our leave and retrace our steps to the railway station and board the first train available.

This is RB 13702 which departs at 0437 and we alight at Worms Hbf at 0509 on Tuesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de (train) and booking.com (hotel)

 

[Springs Branch]

Time for a bit of German ICE action .....

We depart from Worms on the 0608 ICE 991 to Ulm, Hbf arriving at 0813 Tuesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

We elect to pick up the stopper train to Munich here, having alighted from the express to the Bavarian capital.

This leaves ten minutes afterwards at 0823 and we alight from DB Regio 57105 at the delightfully named Kissing at 0949 on Tuesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Springs Branch]

From Kissing we sample a local regional rail operator, Bayerische Regionalbahn - the 1002 departure of train BRB 86517 to Geltendorf arriving at 1029 Tuesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[DasLunatic]

We stay in Geltendorf for an hour for some trainspotting before boarding Train BRB86519 and travelling to the terminus of Weilheim(Oberbay), arriving at 1207 Tuesday afternoon.

As above

 

[Springs Branch]

This being Germany, an efficient connection is made at Weilheim with the minimum of fuss into .....

DB train RB 5516 departing at 1212, crossing the border into Austria and arriving in Reutte in Tirol at 1431 Tuesday afternoon.

Source: bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

Changing our mode of transport we don't have long to wait till we are continuing on our way.

This is aboard ÖBB-Postbus 4268 which left at 1440 and we head East alongside the river Lech to ours and the buses destination of Lech Schlosskopf. The arrival time is 1621 on Tuesday afternoon.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Springs Branch]

Continuing by ÖBB Postbus, we take the 1653 departure of service 91 to Langen am Arlberg (Bahnhof) arriving at 1719 Tuesday afternoon.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[DasLunatic]

Now bored with buses, we transfer onto IC 119 and travel to Innsbruck Hbf. Our train left at 1728, and we arrive into this large Austrian city at 1901 Tuesday evening.

As above

 

[Springs Branch]

We've sampled Eurostar, Thalys and ICE over the past two virtual days. Now let's try one of ÖBB's finest .....

We board the 1948 Railjet service RJ 168 to Zürich Hbf arriving at 2320 Tuesday evening.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

Still able to keep moving despite the late hour.

We now board SBB's IR 2691 leaving at 2335 and alighting at Zug at 0001 on Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

Please if possible, may we travel through the Gotthard Base Tunnel? - I believe this move puts us a little closer to it?

 

[Springs Branch]

Doesn't really help with the GBT move, but we feel obliged to take the last possibility from Zug tonight .....

The 0035 departure of SBB IR 2693, arriving in Luzern at 0107 Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[johnnychips]

Trying to help, but a lot of Googling suggests that the tunnel will not open for regular services till December

www.swisstravelsystem.com and of course Wikipedia, and www.gottardo2016.ch

 

[Bodie]

Thanks, yes that does present a problem. Oh well, sure we will return to Switzerland in the future.

For now we have other pressing matters at hand. We look at the timetables and see that its just a touch over three hours to the first train of the day. It being summer we decide to roll out the sleeping bag and bed down for a wee nap on the platform.
Come 0400 and the guard kindly opens up the train to let us on and seen as we are nice and cosy we decide not to get out of our sleeping bag but hop aboard.
Still nice and cosy at 0422 this S1 service (which continues from Sursee as a S8 train) pulls out of the station and we ride it all the way to Olten arriving at 0522 on Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Springs Branch]

Bad luck about the GBT - maybe next time. But it doesn't stop us having possibly our last bash of the original Gotthard Tunnel, spectacular scenery, spiral tunnels and all.

From Olten we take the 0530 service IC659 through the alps, arriving in Italian-speaking Bellinzona in time for a morning cappuccino at 0827 Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

Nice touch with the ride over the old Gotthard route.

Good connection here can be had to get TILO (Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia) S10 train at 0833 which we take to Lugano station arriving 0903 on Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Springs Branch]

I've been trying to get us onto the Lugano - Menaggio bus so we can sample the regular ferries up & down Lake Como in Italy.
Unfortunately the bus terminal in Lugano is beyond our permitted walking distance. So we continue in less ambitious mode on ....

The 1025 Eurocity EC 13 arriving at Milano Centrale at 1135 Wednesday morning.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

 

[Bodie]

Fear not we can still sail on Lake Como

We head North once again from Milano Centrale at 1220 on Trenord's R 2560 getting off at Varenna-Esino at 1323 on Wednesday afternoon.

Source: reiseauskunft.bahn.de

From a quick glance at a map it looks like the ferry terminal here is within walking distance.

 

[Springs Branch]

It's a 5-minute walk to the lake side and a pleasant hour or so enjoying refreshments at a cafe in the piazza.

Then we depart Varenna ferry terminal on Gestione Navigazione Laghi sailing no. 907 at 1523, arriving at Bellagio at 1540 Wednesday afternoon.

Source: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/c_download/E2016_NLC_Colico_Como.pdf