Planning a holiday? How about France or Italy by Motorail

The is the time of year when many people are planning their holidays so I was interested to receive an email in my inbox about this excellent Motorail service to France and Italy. It certainly saves a long journey south. I have put some more details on the main website. The advert says 'Pullman' style rail journeys to the south of France. Its a shame UK rail operators are not reading that!

I'm just back from a day of meetings at my day job and there wasn't even a train journey so that I could do a trip report for the Blog! Ah well, I suppose not every day can be action packed. The first one was with members of our local authority and as is often the case had very little to do with me or the organisation I represent. So why do they keep on inviting us?!? The lunch was not even that good.

As some readers might know I like to listen to the radio while working on the computer and tonight I heard this quote on the radio:

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi, chapter 3 and verse 10 from the Bible).

It made me think, there is the invitation for us to take up and see what happens - test the Lord in this and see what happens. Without going into details, I did start doing that some 12 years ago and I can confirm that every word is correct...

Back from Glasgow

I had to travel down to Glasgow for a meeting last week and took the opportunity of being in that direction to take a detour to St Andrews to visit my brother. In all I was on six trains. All of them were Scotrail Turbostars (comfortable and spacious), clean and run to time. Plus I got to travel over the Highland Mainline in daylight in both directions. This far north it has only a few weeks ago been getting dark at half past three so now that it is bright till nearly 5 you can make something of your journeys! I never tire of that line. I think it is perhaps that it is one of the few railways where you can go for mile after mile and not see any sign of human habitation. Even most of the towns along the way are small and don't seem to impose too much on the surrounding scenery. I also love the hills. Some would call them mountains and they do rise up on either side of the train but I would regard mountains as the things you find in Canada and Switzerland. These are hills, but impressive hills anyway. On Friday with the landscape covered in a blanket of pure white snow, the train almost silently and effortlessly gliding through this winter wonderland with me cosy in the warm carriage I was a contented worker. Yes, I was getting paid to sit there. I suppose the only people luckier than I were the driver and the conductor, they get paid to be there every day!

Of course every trip has its downside. For me it was when I arrived at the hotel, dropped off my bags and then proceeded to make my way out to the station to catch my train to Dundee. The only problem was I couldn't the hotel door key! I searched the ensuite bathroom, all the drawers, every pocket twice, looked under the bed and everywhere else I could think of. But the clock kept ticking. With only ten minutes to go before the train departed I offered up a prayer and hoped it would be answered soon. It was, my hotel key was under my hat which I put down on the bed with the key. I was thankful for that, and that I was staying in the Station Hotel directly next door to the Station for it was now seven minutes till departure time.

At times like this you just have to run for it. Or walk very fast. I am always wary of running in towns were people might wonder why. Has he just committed a crime and is running away? Why is he running if he is not dressed for running? Maybe it is just me but I always feel self conscious about running in a town when in a hurry. Thankfully there is always the fast walking option which probably looks just as crazy but at least I got my train. Now to be able to walk fast you have to, walk fast, and often. No use being a couch potato and then hoping your body will spring into action when you need it most. While I enjoy outdoor exercise, for something a bit more intensive and all round beneficial gyms have their place. Unfortunately when travelling they are hard to come by. However when in Perth I have found the perfect gym for the train traveller, The Body Academy. It is located in South William Street, about three minutes walk from the station. It is really well equiped, the staff (and even the other users!) are very friendly and it is open to non members. I am actually tempted to say if you want to visit a great gym and get yourself all motivated to fitness, make a special journey to go there! I had a great workout in there last week and can't wait to go back next time I'm changing trains in Perth.

Steam Engine Completed

The first new steam locomotive to be built in Britain for over 50 years (locomotive 'Evening Star' of the 9F class was the last - now at the National Railway Museum) is nearly complete. Since building it has been running in a grey undercoat but now that all tests have been completed the final painting in authentic colours is being carried out by skilled painters at the National Railway Museum in York where the locomotive will be on display for the next few weeks. The BBC have this video of the loco (named Tornado) being painted and a few shots of it running recently on the Great Central Railway, click here to view the video.

If you watch through to the end you will see there is a plaque on the locomotive which reads "THIS LOCOMOTIVE WAS BUILT AND PAID FOR BY PEOPLE WHO SHARED A VISION AND WERE DETERMINED TO TURN IT INTO REALITY". Recently I have been reading some forum discussions from the USA which were talking about the new A1 locomotive and most of the readers where commenting why it couldn't be done in the US. Actually a lot of people said it couldn't be done anywhere else either. The difference is not location but attitude. Tornado is a big engine and a big testiment to what can be done with vision and determination. Doing what is right in life is never the easy option, as the Message says: "Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."

If you are interested in taking a trip on Tornado you can find out where to ride at the A1 Steam Trust.

New Timetables

Timetables across Britain are about to change on the 14th December. Most changes will be minor but it is worth checking before you turn up for your train. Even if is leaving only 5 minutes earlier than before, you could miss it if you are not expecting the change! I have listed all timetables you can download here. For the first time I have included a link to the National Rail timetable which includes every train and line. It is a large document but you can download it in stages. Previously this timetable was only available in selected retailers for around fifteen pounds so it is great to now be able to download it for free.

Some of the notable changes and improvements which will come in this timetable change are:
In Wales-

• A new direct service will run between Aberystwyth and Birmingham International
• A new direct service will run between Holyhead and Birmingham International.
• There are increased services between Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly
• Faster services will be running between Swansea and Milford Haven / Pembroke Dock

Chiltern Railways -

• A new station at Aylesbury Vale Parkway, to the north of Aylesbury, is expected to open during late 2008 / early 2009. This will extend current Chiltern Railways services to and from London Marylebone via Amersham

Crosscountry-
no improvements, rather the withdrawal of some services...

• Services between Reading and Brighton via Kensington Olympia and Gatwick Airport have been withdrawn

Scotrail-

• A new service will be introduced between Inverurie and Aberdeen
• New services on the Far North and Kyle Lines
• A new commuter rail service to Inverness from the north.

Virgin Trains-

• A new direct service will run between London Euston and Crewe via the Trent Valley
• A new direct service will run between London Euston and Birmingham New Street via Northampton. This also increases the number of services running between Northampton and Birmingham New Street
• More services will run between Liverpool Lime Street and Birmingham, with faster journey times
• A new service will run between Worcester and Gloucester
• Services between Walsall and Wolverhampton have been withdrawn

January Fare Increases

It hardly seems a year since I was last updating the website to let readers know about above inflation fare increases on National Rail. Last year (Jan 2008 increase) the government used the higher inflation measure (retail price index) plus 1% as the guide for increasing regulated rail fares. Other fares went up by as much as the rail companies wanted which meant from 0 - 7%. It is unfair that the government uses the lower inflation figure for pay increases but the higher for rail fare increases. Last year's increase was in my view not only unfair but unjustified. Unfortunately this years will be worse. If you would like to compare the forthcoming increase to last years, check out my comparison table on the main website. The green or light coloured numbers show were they are up to the level of inflation, while red represents above inflation. You can see how last year quite a few were neutral or green while this year the board is red. Unregulated fares are going up by up to 11% with the average being 7. While inflation is higher this year we have now entered a recession. A lot has changed since the summer inflation figure which is being used.

But are these increases justified? The Association of Train Operating Companies sound like a mouthpiece for the government with their talk of the increases being used for investment. The investment is happening anyway and some of the examples they quite are a little hard to believe. Lets have a quick look at the reasons for the increases. One is the London Midland refurbishment of their class 158 trains for £10 Million. However London Midland is not increasing their off peak fares. Another example is the new trains for Wrexham and Shropshire. This is a new railway company just started this year so you can't use that as a reason for a fare increase next year! Also they aren't even listed in the ATOC table of increases. Finally they mention the refurbishment of Scotrail sleepers and trains. That was completed earlier this year and was paid for by the Scottish government...not fare increases.

As BBC news correctly pointed out these fare increases are to reduce government subsidy, they have nothing to do with investment. However even worse, these increases are actually an alternative to investment. They are designed to discourage rail travel. Let's say a train is running at capacity, and many are. To add carriages takes money for trains and longer platforms etc. So rather than spend money on this the government simply increases fares to discourage travel. So much for cutting our carbon footprint. It is because they do not want to invest, not for investment that these fares are increasing.

One final point. Should the government decide to change their minds and invest they will find that carrying more passengers, in the long term, will bring in far more revenue than increasing fares for those already travelling. Unfortunately there is very little you can do about it as a passenger. However, I'll be keeping the site updated with special offers. At least one piece of good news is that if you have a railcard you will now get 1/3 off all rail fares, even advance tickets and that's one real discount that's not to be missed next year.

News from North America

If you are planning a trip to the USA make tracks to Amtrak. Amtrak is America's national intercity rail company. Timetables for individual routes have been available online for years but now for the first time you can download the entire system timetable which is usually only available as a printed book (see left). The timetable is more than just a list of when the trains are running. There is a guide to using Amtrak, a list of stations across the USA, a network map, details of how to buy tickets and special offers. I think this type of document is especially useful for overseas visitors who might be unsure of how to get about the US and want to plan their trip in advance. So where can you go? Well this year one of Amtrak's premier named trains, the Crescent is celebrating its 30th year of operation. It departs from New York (ideal for flights from the UK) and takes you to the southern states including Atlanta and New Orleans. Or how about taking the Empire Builder from Chicago to Glacier National Park or right through to Seattle? And what your travel agent probably didn't tell you was that you'd be much better flying to New York, staying a day or two and then taking the train to Florida. See a bit of America on your way! Trains in America travel over longer distances than our UK versions and tend to operate more like cruise liners on land. The most basic level of service is coach class - imagine a first class airline seat and you won't be far off what that means. Then you can go all the way up to your own cabin for two.

Further North in Canada, VIA Rail, has developed a blog called 'on the go with Vivian'. Like the US, Canadian trains are epic and sometimes once in a lifetime journeys.

Britain's first steam locomotive for 50 years

In 1966 British Railways were busy replacing their huge fleet of steam locomotives and in the rush to modernise much was destroyed. It is sometimes forgotten that it is not just steam locomotives that were lost. The modernisation plan abandoned nearly half the UK rail network. Stations too were lost including the magnificent Euston Station, and its even more famous arch. People too were lost. Many lifelong railmen and those setting out in their careers suddenly found that the railway no longer needed them. It is easy to look back and be critical of course and modernisation was badly needed. However there was a dark side which seemed to take pleasure in destruction.

1966 was also the year that the last class A1 steam locomotive was sent for scrapping. These magnificent LNER racehorses were gone for good. But not every sad story ends sad. A group was set up to build a new A1 and a few weeks ago their brand new steam locomotive named Tornado took to the rails. Tornado is the first steam locomotive to be built in Britain for 50 years and is currently the world's newest steam locomotive. This beautiful machine can now been seen on preserved railways and out on the mainline railway taking passengers for day trips. You can find out where it is operating by visiting the www.a1steam.com website.