Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: quixoticgeek on 10 April, 2020, 11:02:52 pm
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OBB have announced the time table for the new night trains from Amsterdam to Vienna/Innsbruck.
Article in Dutch: https://www.treinreiziger.nl/nightjet-dienstregeling-nederland-oostenrijk-bekend/
(Google translate does a good job of it).
The timing looks good, tho it's be nicer to arrive in Amsterdam an hour earlier. Then you could be in work by 0930...
This may be of interest from people coming from oop Noorf. Take a ferry to Ijmuiden, day in Holland, hop a night train to Austria.
Would also connect nicely with ICE trains Brussels-Köln.
No indication of bike policy as yet.
J
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I believe the Amsterdam service is to be an extension of the current Innsbruck/Wien - Düsseldorf service, which doesn't currently carry bikes. The other portion of those services, Innsbruck/Wien - Hamburg do carry bikes (5 each to/from Innsbruck and Wien), so it may well be that ÖBB put a vehicle with bike spaces in the Amsterdam portions. Here's hoping!
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Ooh! Thanks for that.
As part of our aborted Interrail trip we were going to do the Vienna to Brussels overnight, but this could be a good alternative for June 21.
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Ooh! Thanks for that.
As part of our aborted Interrail trip we were going to do the Vienna to Brussels overnight, but this could be a good alternative for June 21.
It doesn't start running until 13th December when the new EU wide time tables come into effect.
Timetables generally change once a year, on 13th of December (which can make it hard to book trains for xmas in advance as they aren't yet set in the timetable) There is then an update done in May, but that is usually for minor changes only.
J
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Sounds very interesting.
I'm contemplating investing in an Airnimal with its carrying case that doubles up as a trailer. You can get round bike bans this way...
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Sounds very interesting.
I'm contemplating investing in an Airnimal with its carrying case that doubles up as a trailer. You can get round bike bans this way...
I have been saving up for an S&S coupled bike with much the same idea.
J
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Ooh! Thanks for that.
As part of our aborted Interrail trip we were going to do the Vienna to Brussels overnight, but this could be a good alternative for June 21.
It doesn't start running until 13th December when the new EU wide time tables come into effect.
Timetables generally change once a year, on 13th of December (which can make it hard to book trains for xmas in advance as they aren't yet set in the timetable) There is then an update done in May, but that is usually for minor changes only.
J
That's June 2021 ::-) sorry - I wish it could have been the 21st June, but I'm not risking another planning meltdown
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Brilliant, was thinking the other day that it was about time I did the trip through Austria I'd like to do.
This starting means I can alter it from the original "aw god french trains interrail supplements" to hm I can make that work.
Ideally I'd splash out the sleeper south and direct e* to Amsterdam, but then I'd ideally also visit friends near Alkmaar one way.
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Ideally I'd splash out the sleeper south and direct e* to Amsterdam, but then I'd ideally also visit friends near Alkmaar one way.
We intend going one way via Harwich to Hook - would that work for your trip?
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The timing is a bit suboptimal. You'll have to spend a day in the Netherlands between arriving at Hoek, and getting the night train from Ams.
In theory, if the day ferry arrived in Hoek on time, you might be able to meet the night train in Utrecht, But it is cutting it really fine.
J
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Ideally I'd splash out the sleeper south and direct e* to Amsterdam, but then I'd ideally also visit friends near Alkmaar one way.
We intend going one way via Harwich to Hook - would that work for your trip?
For me to use the Harwich-Hoek ferry, I have to travel via London anyway.
Although Hoek Van Holland is considerably better connected than P&Os "Rotterdam" took me much longer than I expected to get from the P&O terminal to the Europoort ferry; also Hoek appears to have one of the few Albert Hijns that take cards other than Maestro.
Although that would be decent use of the "Single journey to a port in your home country" element of Interrail.
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Ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam (IJmuiden) is another option if travelling from the north.
Though probably cheaper/quicker to get train to London, then Eurostar.
There is also a sleeper from Brussels to Austria, more direct than going via Amsterdam?
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Our (aborted) plan was to use a Dutch Flyer ticket to travel from Peterborough to Amsterdam using the overnight ferry (the ticket is valid from any Greater Anglia station to any NS station - Peterborough is our closest, and we'd pay the fare to there; the cabin is extra to the Dutch Flyer cost) - then use the Interrail pass from Amsterdam to Hannover.
The return journey was the OBB sleeper from Vienna - using an Interrail 'day' + sleeper berth surcharge - to Brussels where we'd overnight, and use our last Interrail day to travel back home (as our homebound Interrail day) via St Pancras.
It would have been possible to get off the sleeper train, mooch around, and then go straight on home by Eurostar, but it felt like we'd be completely knackered - and why not have a quick look at Brussels while we're there?
I'm pretty sure that the day ferry from Harwich counts as an Interrail single day journey to/from your home country, but that the overnight ferry doesn't.
We didn't have enough pass days to test the waters, and the Dutch Flyer ticket is cracking value IMO.
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From what I heard some of these are new but some are OBB taking over services abandoned by [was it DB?]. Similarly to Denmark/Sweden[?].
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From what I heard some of these are new but some are OBB taking over services abandoned by [was it DB?]. Similarly to Denmark/Sweden[?].
I believe it's the new rolling stock tho.
There used to be night trains from AMS, but they were discontinued due to politics, and also because the stock was getting old.
Night trains have become viable again due to Flygskam.
I am looking forward to when they run again from Amsterdam to Copenhagen direct. I hope, one day, please!
J
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Some of the ÖBB rolling stock was taken over from DB and SBB-CFF-FFS (Swiss State Railways), some was what they already used.
ÖBB have an order in with Siemens for new NightJet rolling stock from the Viaggio range of loco hauled passenger coaches (similar to the current RailJet sets operated by ÖBB and CD (Czech Railways)). Some will be conventional sleeping cars, some will be a new design with individual bunks with shutters round for privacy and some will be conventional seating coaches with cycle spaces.
The need for new rolling stock was partly due to the expansion of services, but also due to new Fire Regulations for all trains operating in Italy, which the current rolling stock doesn't meet.
There are currently plans being discussed between the Swedish, Danish and German railways (SJ, DSB & DB) to start a new overnight service linking Malmo, Copenhagen and Hamburg to Cologne and Aachen. There is the possibility of this one being extended to Brussels as well. Sadly not to Amsterdam!
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Vienna would seem ideally placed geographically and in its long-standing favour of rail for expanded night trains. And for international services in general.
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Ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam (IJmuiden) is another option if travelling from the north.
Though probably cheaper/quicker to get train to London, then Eurostar.
There is also a sleeper from Brussels to Austria, more direct than going via Amsterdam?
Sets off at 1600ish from Newcastle iirc, so still a day off work, even setting off in the morning I can be in Amsterdam by tea time
Iirc 5.5hrs Dundee to KX, 1 hr dwell at pancreas, 4hrs to AMS via Brussels.
Ordinarily I'd ask deutschbahn...
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Sets off at 1600ish from Newcastle iirc, so still a day off work, even setting off in the morning I can be in Amsterdam by tea time
Iirc 5.5hrs Dundee to KX, 1 hr dwell at pancreas, 4hrs to AMS via Brussels.
Ordinarily I'd ask deutschbahn...
No need to change in Brussels. Eurostar now run 3 direct trains a day from London to Amsterdam.
J
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Sets off at 1600ish from Newcastle iirc, so still a day off work, even setting off in the morning I can be in Amsterdam by tea time
Iirc 5.5hrs Dundee to KX, 1 hr dwell at pancreas, 4hrs to AMS via Brussels.
Ordinarily I'd ask deutschbahn...
No need to change in Brussels. Eurostar now run 3 direct trains a day from London to Amsterdam.
J
Assuming the timing works, the early one iirc leaves before the sleeper arrives.
I've not looked at the timetables to work it out, largely because I presume the timetables currently bear no resemblance to normal times.
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Assuming the timing works, the early one iirc leaves before the sleeper arrives.
I've not looked at the timetables to work it out, largely because I presume the timetables currently bear no resemblance to normal times.
ISTR the timing was something like 0800, 1200, 1600 departure from Ams. So the middle train would be just about perfect for the arrival of the night train. Just enough time for a quick breakfast/coffee, then checkin and get on the Eurostar.
J
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Hi , never been on Eurostar before ,but me and the Wife are looking at a Month travelling in Europe next year - buses and trains etc
but just checked prices for a trip to Amsterdam £42 for a standard £ 89 premier , the only difference being the Premier has more spacious seats ? So anyone know what the standard ones are like. I'm certainly not big I laugh at , "mind your head " and concerns about leg room in cars /planes.
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Hi , never been on Eurostar before ,but me and the Wife are looking at a Month travelling in Europe next year - buses and trains etc
but just checked prices for a trip to Amsterdam £42 for a standard £ 89 premier , the only difference being the Premier has more spacious seats ? So anyone know what the standard ones are like. I'm certainly not big I laugh at , "mind your head " and concerns about leg room in cars /planes.
You should be fine on the standard seats. Eurostar is now old rolling stock. The trend for ridiculously cramped conditions hadn't really set in when those trains were built. I'm 5'10" (wide* as well as tall) and I'm OK in the standard seats.
*I always try to get an window seat on a second class British Rail train as otherwise I have a trolley shaped bruise on one or other side, just below the shoulder.
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Hi , never been on Eurostar before ,but me and the Wife are looking at a Month travelling in Europe next year - buses and trains etc
but just checked prices for a trip to Amsterdam £42 for a standard £ 89 premier , the only difference being the Premier has more spacious seats ? So anyone know what the standard ones are like. I'm certainly not big I laugh at , "mind your head " and concerns about leg room in cars /planes.
Standard's fine, in both train sets. It's not mickey mouse trains like we have here, it's proper europe sized stuff.
I marginally prefer the seating on the Alstom E300 sets over the Siemens E320 sets.
If you're taking time around europe weigh up the cost of an interrail pass option, Eurostar costs 35 euro each way with one but unless it's changed you can only book the seat through SNCBs website (which is surprisingly decent)
With Interrail, AVE, SNCF and Thalys are a pain in the arse due to compulsory reservations, Germany is generally easy even ICE is on it without compulsory reservation (excluding some border crossings such as into Denmark) though some land level operators aren't on it, where as some S-Bahns are. Swizterland is a minefield of private operators but easy enough to work out. I could og on for ever better just reading Seat 61 if you haven't already.
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You get* an "in flight" style meal and drinks with Premier, and there's far less competition for the luggage racks. Probably not worth it for normal journeys unless the price difference is very small.
You do get put put in Premier if you buy a 1st Class through ticket from some countries, and those sometimes cost barely more than standard.
(* or did, in the Before Times)
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You should be fine on the standard seats. Eurostar is now old rolling stock. The trend for ridiculously cramped conditions hadn't really set in when those trains were built. I'm 5'10" (wide* as well as tall) and I'm OK in the standard seats.
*I always try to get an window seat on a second class British Rail train as otherwise I have a trolley shaped bruise on one or other side, just below the shoulder.
Not quite true. The service that goes to Amsterdam uses Siemens Velaro D trains (aka ICE 3 family), unlike the older TGV derived stock.
But the chairs are fine, I have a large arse and have no issue fitting in them.
If you're taking time around europe weigh up the cost of an interrail pass option, Eurostar costs 35 euro each way with one but unless it's changed you can only book the seat through SNCBs website (which is surprisingly decent)
With Interrail, AVE, SNCF and Thalys are a pain in the arse due to compulsory reservations, Germany is generally easy even ICE is on it without compulsory reservation (excluding some border crossings such as into Denmark) though some land level operators aren't on it, where as some S-Bahns are. Swizterland is a minefield of private operators but easy enough to work out. I could og on for ever better just reading Seat 61 if you haven't already.
Agreed with the interrail pass. They are really useful.
They recently brought out a new pass, 4 days in a 30 day period. For €246. Or about €65 a day. I used this to get from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, I didn't need to reserve, and it was cheaper than buying a direct ticket each way. You only need to reserve on the cross border DE<->DK train in the summer months. The downside is that using an interrail pass in France is a right utter pain in the arse, cos France... But if you avoid France and play with the rest of Europe, it's great. I used one a few years back to get all the way from Canterbury to Crete, and back to Utrecht, without needing to fly (we did go through France on the way out, which was a faff).
J
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Standard's fine, in both train sets. It's not mickey mouse trains like we have here, it's proper europe sized stuff.
I marginally prefer the seating on the Alstom E300 sets over the Siemens E320 sets.
And the ride is more comfortable on the old trains (but maybe I am just biased as I work for Alstom and not Siemens!)
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Can say I've ever noticed but then their direct previous comparisons always been a rattle down the east or west coast...
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Hi , never been on Eurostar before ,but me and the Wife are looking at a Month travelling in Europe next year - buses and trains etc
but just checked prices for a trip to Amsterdam £42 for a standard £ 89 premier , the only difference being the Premier has more spacious seats ? So anyone know what the standard ones are like. I'm certainly not big I laugh at , "mind your head " and concerns about leg room in cars /planes.
You should be fine on the standard seats. Eurostar is now old rolling stock. The trend for ridiculously cramped conditions hadn't really set in when those trains were built. I'm 5'10" (wide* as well as tall) and I'm OK in the standard seats.
*I always try to get an window seat on a second class British Rail train as otherwise I have a trolley shaped bruise on one or other side, just below the shoulder.
Thanks, looking at least a French trip or two next year, so just hope they don't elevate prices in the wake of people abandoning air travel
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Hi , never been on Eurostar before ,but me and the Wife are looking at a Month travelling in Europe next year - buses and trains etc
but just checked prices for a trip to Amsterdam £42 for a standard £ 89 premier , the only difference being the Premier has more spacious seats ? So anyone know what the standard ones are like. I'm certainly not big I laugh at , "mind your head " and concerns about leg room in cars /planes.
I recommend https://www.seat61.com/ the man in seat 61, he's got pretty good information on european trains including the rolling stock, seating and the differences between the classes.
I use him for planning our rail travel as we much prefer sail and rail to flying.
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For route planning I really like bahn.de, both their website and app are really useful for planning international trips. Really recommend it.
J
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For route planning I really like bahn.de, both their website and app are really useful for planning international trips. Really recommend it.
J
There is a route planner made for Interrail planning that is even more flexible than the Bahn.de offerings.
It's in the (android) store as Eurrail/Interrail rail planner.
It has a number of options that we like including the option of minimum change times, and limiting the journey to 'pass network' services (eg it excluded Flix services).
I used it extensively to plan our aborted Interrail trip (which should have started today) and found a number of services not listed in the printed European Rail Timetable in the app.
It's probably a mistake to rely on a single source if the journey is complex or time sensitive!
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Between the lot of them, I can't remember how I found out about the local train from Göteborg and Trollhattan (I obviously went to the Saab museum) to the first station over the border in norway.
3 people on board at the border too, the other 2 also in interrail.
On most systems including the SJ reporting it ceased to exist after the last ststion in Sweden.
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Between the lot of them, I can't remember how I found out about the local train from Göteborg and Trollhattan (I obviously went to the Saab museum) to the first station over the border in norway.
3 people on board at the border too, the other 2 also in interrail.
On most systems including the SJ reporting it ceased to exist after the last ststion in Sweden.
There's a few weird ones like that, esp with borders. There was a time when the train from Brussels to Amsterdam was only considered to have a wheel chair space from Brussels to the border. The train doesn't change in anyway, it's fixed formations. It's just how the train is put in the route info system.
Borders are hard...
J
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Aye you can see that with bikes and other stuff.
Crew changes at borders can be interesting, got the rail jet from Vienna to Budapest years ago, the Hbf was still under construction but can't remember where it started from anyway the OBB train crew were quite relaxed about bags being in the wrong place, the MAV crew on the other hand had an entire carriage of people shifting stuff to their proper places.
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Aye you can see that with bikes and other stuff.
Crew changes at borders can be interesting, got the rail jet from Vienna to Budapest years ago, the Hbf was still under construction but can't remember where it started from anyway the OBB train crew were quite relaxed about bags being in the wrong place, the MAV crew on the other hand had an entire carriage of people shifting stuff to their proper places.
Yeah, have had that with a switch from NS to DB crew. NS didn't care that my bike was just locked to the empty bike racks. DB crew insisted the bike be in the rack, and refused to give me any help to lift it up there. Useless jobsworth morons...
J
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I've hit the point when I see a train crossing the tay bridge as I drive home from work and just want to lob myself on one and go somewhere.
The time when that will again be possible seems so far away.
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More plans.
Amsterdam <-> Zurich this time.
https://www.treinreiziger.nl/ns-en-sbb-onderzoeken-nachttrein-amsterdam-zurich/
J