100
votes
Accepted
Why does Paris have two large train stations next to each other? (Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est)
The Gare du Nord was originally the Paris terminus of the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord (see Wikipedia). The Gare de l'Est was originally the Paris terminus of the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer ...
- 1,321
75
votes
Accepted
May I use a railway velocipede on actively-used British railways?
No, you may not, this would be classed as trespassing. According to the Crown Prosecution Transport Offences site, the rule in question here is:
Section 23 Regulation of the Railways Act 1868: this ...
- 1,851
68
votes
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What is the use of that Internal rail?
At least here in Germany such additional rails are used in sensitive areas, like stations, bridges etc., to prevent extensive damage in case of a derailment. If a car were to derail away from the ...
- 9,029
64
votes
May I use a railway velocipede on actively-used British railways?
TLDR: Join a sanctioned velocipede/speeder club... or volunteer at a heritage railway and earn the privilege.
They sneak up on you
You're wrong about being able to hear a train coming. Now in TV ...
62
votes
Accepted
What does "Shin" in a Japanese train station name mean?
What usually happens is that originally, there is a station named X (which may or may not be named after the city where it is located). At some point it is decided that the area needs a new station, ...
- 12.5k
56
votes
How manageable are <15 min connection times in Frankfurt Hbf?
Originally I just wanted to comment on the excellent answer by Hilma, but I can't stress the chance of delays enough. The Deutsche Bahn is nowadays notorious for their delays, especially on long-...
- 762
55
votes
Accepted
How come I see two ICE trains scheduled for the same platform at the same time?
There are several possible scenarios how this can happen.
The train might be split at some point in the journey. This happens regularly for both regional trains and long distance trains. Usually the ...
- 3,221
52
votes
Accepted
Showering facilities at Kings Cross station - Where are they and what are they like?
Because Kings Cross station is one of the handful of big stations both owned and managed by the infrastructure operator Network Rail, the best source of information isn't National Rail Enquires (as ...
- 62.5k
47
votes
Accepted
Are there any railroads in Antarctica?
There are very few mentions of railways in Antarctica. According to this webpage by Glyn Williams, a train enthusiast, there used to be one railway in the French Dumont d'Urville station, used on a ...
- 20.9k
46
votes
May I use a railway velocipede on actively-used British railways?
As etmuse's answer correctly states, from a legal viewpoint you certainly can't simply plonk it down on the track and ride off without permission. Promising to pick it up when you hear a train won't ...
- 11.9k
44
votes
Using the Vatican City train station?
I am not sure if it is a little-known fact that there is a train station in the Vatican City, but never mind. You should be able to find the station and the rail line quite prominently on any map of ...
- 54.8k
41
votes
Accepted
Can I exit and reenter a UK station while waiting for a connecting train?
I can't answer precisely without knowing the full details of your journey and ticketing.
Leaving station premises, even when changing trains, constitutes a break of journey*. Some tickets allow break ...
- 11k
37
votes
Accepted
Is Hillingdon just an underground station? If so, where is Google getting its information?
I think the information being shown on Google is correct (although could be clearer) And you are correct that Hillingdon is a tube station.
So what is happening? Currently (23rd, 24th, 30th December) ...
- 8,109
37
votes
Can I exit and reenter a UK station while waiting for a connecting train?
The actual barriers might not open for you, (those in Bham New St never open when I change there, even when you have to go through them to go to your next platform, but Liverpool ones do), but if you ...
- 9,705
36
votes
What is the use of that Internal rail?
This is called a Guard rail. These are placed in areas with restricted clearance to prevent excessive damage in case of derailment. In this case, it prevents a derailed train from hitting the platform ...
- 10k
36
votes
Accepted
How manageable are <15 min connection times in Frankfurt Hbf?
Sort of. In general the Bahn is good at creating schedules and managing connections efficiently. For example when two "busy" trains intersect they often line them up on both sides of a single platform ...
- 94.6k
36
votes
Is Seiryu Miharashi Station the only train station where passengers cannot enter or exit the platform?
Eigerwand on the Jungfraujoch railway line used to be a stop for the trains before 2016. Passengers could get down and move to specially carved windows to view the mountainside. The only other way to ...
- 4,343
33
votes
Accepted
Italy Trains - Buying tickets at a station with no ticket office and no ticket machine
TRENORD Rules for Buying Tickets Onboard
The Limito di Pioltello to Milano Centrale railway section is handled by TRENORD, the regional train company for the northen metropolitan area of Milan. ...
- 52.5k
30
votes
Accepted
How to find location on Cambridge-Mildenhall railway that still has tracks/rails?
Update: following comments I asked a friend who lives nearby to get up-to-date information. He took a picture of the actual Barnwell junction, which shows that @DavidRicherby and I are both right: the ...
- 12.1k
27
votes
How come I see two ICE trains scheduled for the same platform at the same time?
Unless a delay is indicated for one of the trains, it is quite likely that these will actually be the same train for some part of the journey, and get split up at some way point. Check the map for ...
- 4,582
26
votes
Accepted
Why does the T109 night train from Beijing to Shanghai have such a long stop at Xuzhou?
These stops are fairly common for trains running for over 10 hours. The main reasons are two-fold: maximum working time for the drivers, conductors and crews, and administrative planning.
After ...
- 21.2k
25
votes
Is there a map that shows the walking time between London Tube stations?
For a general offline case, get a paper street atlas of the city you're in, and learn what symbols to look for for their trains, metros/undergrounds, trams etc! For a general online case, much the ...
- 62.5k
24
votes
Why does Paris have two large train stations next to each other? (Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est)
The simple answer is that the reasons are exactly the same as in London, where, in the Victorian age, different parts of the railway network were built and owned by different private companies.
In ...
- 544
24
votes
Can I take my granddaughter to her train platform when she travels to York?
Depending on the railway company and the station, you can buy a platform ticket.
National Rail Enquiries says
If customers are not travelling by train but wish to access the station platform - for ...
- 12.1k
23
votes
From Geneva airport to Lausanne station
A tip for saving a few bucks on the train ticket:
On the baggage claim area there are machines that give you free tickets to Geneva. You just need to press a button and they'll give you one. They ...
- 320
21
votes
Is Hillingdon just an underground station? If so, where is Google getting its information?
There are no National Rail trains at this station. However, due to rail engineering work over the festive period, the main line is closed, so they are running replacement buses to a convenient ...
- 2,342
21
votes
Tube from Heathrow to King's Cross
The tube or subway is called the Underground. A typical direction sign within a terminal at Heathrow is shown below.
The London Underground logo is used everywhere in the signage.
- 12.1k
20
votes
transferring from train arriving in Vienna to Vienna airport with more luggage then I can carry without a trolley
Vienna International Airport offers porter services for departing and arriving passengers. The minimum charge is EUR 15, which covers porterage for up to five pieces of luggage. More details here: ...
- 885
20
votes
Is Seiryu Miharashi Station the only train station where passengers cannot enter or exit the platform?
Yoshioka-Kaitei Station, located within the Seikan Tunnel between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan and once the world's deepest station at 149m under sea level, would have fit the bill: the ...
- 99.2k
20
votes
Accepted
Frankfurt to Prague layover in Schwandorf
I am not sure why the other answerers can't find your connection. I suppose you are aiming for one of the connections leaving Frankfurt hh:53 (hh being an even hour) by ICE, then with a connection in ...
- 54.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible