Category Train Travel

Albania Train

Tuesday Train – Tirana to Durres in Albania

In 2007 there were a few functioning train journeys in Albania. I did a couple including the one from the capital to the coastal city of Durres. Sadly nowadays trains in Albania are either not running or extremely limited. On my last visit in 2017 there were none. The going was extremely slow – an […]

Tuesday Train – The Afrosiyob, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

The Afrosiyob is a wonderful name for a train. It derives its name from Afrosiyab which was an ancient site in Northern Samarkand, present day Uzbekistan, that was occupied from c. 500 BC to 1220 AD prior to the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. I travelled on it between Bukhara and mythical Samarkand in 2018. […]

Tuesday Train – The Maglev, Shanghai

It has been a long held ambition of mine to take the world’s first commercial Maglev train from Shanghai Airport to Longyang Road Station in the centre of the city. A chance recently presented itself when we flew via the vibrant Chinese metropolis to and from Tokyo. A top speed of 430k/mh, though slightly disappointing […]

Late Running Tuesday Trains – Japan

I am just back from the land of the rising sun. It was a magical trip where we saw Fuji San and experienced Sakura (cherry blossoms). Here are some pictures combining trains with blossom. And here is Fuji San taken from the train.

Tuesday Train – Iron Ore Train in Narvik, Norway

Millions of tonnes of iron ore are exported every year from Sweden via Norway. The reason? Sweden’s Baltic coastline freezes in Winter and therefore the ice-free Norwegian port on the North Sea is vital to continue trade. Each laden train can weigh up to a staggering 8,600 tonnes with the lore-class locomotives pulling 68 trucks. […]

Tuesday Train – Kosovo

This picture is taken in 2017 at Hani I Elezit at the end of the then only operating train in Kosovo from Pristina close to the border with North Macedonia. You can read about my time in Pristina and the train journey I undertook at this link. If this whets your appetite, you can read […]

Tuesday Train – Narvik in Norway

The picture is from January 2018 as we took the train to Abisko just inside the Swedish border. The line forms part of the Iron Ore Line between the ice-free port of Narvik and the mines of Gallivare & Lulea in Sweden, whose Baltic port is frozen in winter.

European Train Tour #1 – Spain

Europe is a wonderful continent. Culturally & geographically diverse and incredibly easy to navigate from the Arctic to the Mediterranean or even the Atlantic to the Pacific. The best way to explore the region is by train with a vast network of train tracks criss-crossing the continent, connecting amazing cities and countries. Arm yourself with […]

Tbilisi Panorama, Georgia

My Iconic Travel Moments – 2011 to 2019 (#5) – A Journey To Georgia

Number 5 – Train to Georgia You may well know by now that I love an overnight train journey – throw in a dining car with fabulous views too and I am completely bowled over! In 2015 I travelled to Georgia from Istanbul, taking a train to the edge of the Kurdish region of Turkey […]

Scandinavian Tour Part 5 – Narvik in Norway

The North Atlantic port of Narvik is right at the end of the Iron Ore/Ofoten line from Lulea on Sweden’s Baltic Coast. You can read parts 3 & 4 of my tour to read about our journey there. My fourth visit to the strategically important town was my first from east to west, with my […]