Innotrans 2024 - From Porto to Berlin, by train

[Giugiaro]

I'm planning a work trip for Innotrans 2024, but unlike in 2022, I'm planning to do the whole journey by train to and from Berlin.

 

Accommodation for Barcelona and Berlin is already booked, as well as the European Sleeper Nr. 453 between Brussels and Berlin.
The only thing missing is the FIP bookings on the remaining trains.

 

The following are the timetables I was able to come up with for the journey, including some alternative trains.

The way to Berlin is pretty much figured out. The way back is also pretty much decided as well.

 

 

[kuro68000]

Wow, that is quite the journey. Europe could do with more high speed rail.

[Junech]

There are a lot of high-speed trains there already. AVE is the Spanish high-speed train, TGV the French one, and ICE the German one. I think Aliva was also a high-speed train service aswell.

 

The longest section without a high-speed train goes from a small city in Portugal to Madrid (if Aliva isn't a high-speed service in which case the section goes to roughly the border between Portugal and Spain). The length of the trip would be around the same length as Kagoshima to Wakkanai (around 2.600 km). And all that while crossing 3 or 4 borders (depending on the train route) you got Portugal, Spain, France, (Belgium) and Germany.

 

The only nice things they could add would be a high-speed rail connection between Spain and Portugal to shorten that part (since everything else could be done with high-speed trains as it is) and overnight high-speed services to not wait 9 hours in Barcelona or take a sleeper train at the beginning/end of the trip.

[kuro68000]

That's true. I'm just looking at Kagoshima to Shin-Hakodate on the Shinkansen and it's 11.5 hours. Then it gets slow up to Wakkanai, but it seems like with a high speed link you could do the whole lot in about 13 hours. I checked Google Maps for your trip and it's saying about 1.5 days by train as the fastest possible route.

 

I'll be interested to know how the sleeper train is. There are some cheap sleeper options in Japan but I've never tried one.

[Junech]

I chose that route since it was around the same length and just a 7 hours time difference.

 

The important thing is that you cross borders compared to the trip in Japan. So you got like 3 or 4 different railway ecosystems that were built to function for each country. It's not just connecting your own major cities (like in Japan) but connecting major cities in different countries. And we still have different systems running in the EU...

 

But I'm interested in Giugiaro's trip report too.

[kuro68000]

I seem to recall they were talking about standardizing the railways in the EU. Same gauge, same signalling etc. I guess it is a very long term project though.

[Junech]

It sure is a long-term project. Imagine all of Japan's railways would need to switch to standard gauge. That would be the case for Portugal and Spain (for non high-speed trains) for example. Massive task to do while everything is still in operation since with regauging you need to change close to everything you have at the moment.

 

There is the Rail Baltica project really started since some political reasons added fuel to it. A new line from Poland to Finland crossing 3 other countries. That project has tons of problems from political, financial, and time scale. I think the last thing I saw was 5 years late and at least 3 times the initial cost (initially 5.8 billion Euros and now 8 billion Euros for Lithuania alone). Projecting that to the whole of Europe shows the dimension of the project I think.

Edited July 12 by Junech

[Ander88]

Hi, don't know if you have already done the trip.

 

Not a big expert with trains out of spain but just a small comment.  I believe the 17:43 -> 17:56 commuter you plan to take from Chamartin to Atocha will probably not give you enough time to be able to catch the 18:00 AVE. I see you have prepared yourself with later options so you will have enough time for next AVEs. It was just to warn you. Enjoy that fabulous trip.

[Giugiaro]

Hey @Ander88 that was taken into account, and the first Cercanias is just a suggestion, as are both the Metro and RER in Paris.

 

The NightJet won't be running between Paris and Berlin on the days I'm traveling to Innotrans. Another forum suggested diverting through Basel SBB where I have a daily Nightjet from Berlin, then carry on from there towards Lyon, in France.

 

The following are the updated timetables:

 

 

[JR East]

Hi @Giugiaro, 

 

I may be in Innotrans on Fri Sept 27th (it needs to be confiemed depending on my booking on projects). 

 

If so, having lunch with you will be a pleasure 

 

 

[Giugiaro]

That would be great @JR East!

 

Should we lunch inside, or should we head out of the Messe towards a cheaper and better place?

[Giugiaro]

On 7/11/2024 at 12:23 PM, Junech said:

The length of the trip would be around the same length as Kagoshima to Wakkanai (around 2.600 km). And all that while crossing 3 or 4 borders (depending on the train route) you got Portugal, Spain, France, (Belgium) and Germany.

 

I took the liberty of placing Japan on top of the countries I'll cross for this journey.

Upstream I'll go through Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

Downstream I'll go through Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Portugal.

 

I have already booked the ticket for European Sleeper Nr. 453, as it's the only private operator I'll be riding on. All others will be flag-carrier operators with FIP agreements.

I decided to go with a 5-bed AC-equipped couchette with breakfast included. This way I hope to avoid botching my arrival at Innotrans on Tuesday.

 

[JR East]

On 7/22/2024 at 1:03 PM, Giugiaro said:

That would be great @JR East!

 

Should we lunch inside, or should we head out of the Messe towards a cheaper and better place?

 Hi, 

 

Not sure I can be this year at Innotrans. If so, this will be on Friday (with a last minute flight). I'll keep you posted 

 

 

[Giugiaro]

The journey was completed successfully in both directions, having taken two days from Valongo to Berlin, and three days from Berlin to Valongo.

The highlights:

• The Celta 421 was cancelled from Viana do Castelo to Vigo;
• The Sète movable bridge got stuck in the open position until it was lowered manually;
• The TGV 9866 was overbooked and therefore impossible to take;
• I ended up taking the NightJet 409 to Berlin;
• I got stuck in Frankfurt after the NightJet 403 was cancelled for the whole itinerary;
• Was booked first class on the TGV Lyria 9206 for free, courtesy of SBB;
• I ended up having unplanned time in Paris for lunch in the city centre, with time to spare;
• I got booked to Badajoz instead of Vigo because the AVE 4345 and Media Distancia 9183 were already fully booked;
• The Portuguese railway network was, by far, the worst-kept railway network in the whole journey.

[Ander88]

Huge adventure!

 

Within central Europe I guess it would be quite easy to find a substitute for cancelled trains, but did you need to use car/bus with the cancelled Delta ofr from Badajoz?

[Giugiaro]

On 10/6/2024 at 8:10 PM, Ander88 said:

... did you need to use car/bus with the cancelled Delta ofr from Badajoz?

 

Here's the report from the first day:

 

Day 1 – 22/09
Urban 15402
The day began with the train Urbano 15402, coming from Penafiel and heading to Porto São Bento.
Composed of an electric multiple unit CP Class 3400, it arrived in Valongo as well as Porto-Campanhã on time.

Porto-Campanhã
The artificial lights at Porto-Campanhã were already turned off, even under low atmospheric luminosity.
The partial suppression of the Celta 421 train was already being announced.
On the departure board at the Campanhã ticket office, the train was reported as running normally and bound for Vigo.
However, on the platform, it was advertised as going to Viana do Castelo, with the note “Cancelled at VIANA DO CASTELO”, confusing passengers on whether this was the train to Vigo or not.
The ticket inspector was at the head of the train, on the platform, to inform passengers of the current transport conditions and confirm that the tickets to Vigo were valid on this train.

Celta 421
Although the route this train will end up taking is entirely an electrified railway line within Portugal, a CP Class 2240 EMU is not provided, being a Renfe Class 592 DMU presented as usual for this service.
The train Celta 421 leaves platform 13 on schedule.
Upon departure from Nine, the conductor informs passenger by passenger of the need to alight at Viana do Castelo, with a rail replacement bus available between Viana do Castelo and Vigo, with a stop in Valença.
The ticket inspector shows insecurity in explaining the situation to passengers in English, with a mixture of haste in carrying out the task of meticulously informing all passengers ahead of the final stop.
Having noticed a group of Japanese passengers, I informed them of the situation in writing and orally, in Japanese, of the cancelation of the train and the rail replacement bus, provided by Renfe.

Cancelation of Celta 421
In Viana do Castelo there was some trouble regarding the buses. Both had “RENFE” on the destination board but did not indicate if both buses were doing the same trip.
In reality, the one in front was going straight to Vigo, while the one behind would stop first in Valença. The driver needed to intervene to inform passengers about the best bus they should use. The direct bus quickly filled up, so the other passengers bound for Vigo had to go on the second bus.
I don't know how they sorted any issues from passengers and their luggage traveling on different buses, nor who would be held responsible for the loss of luggage on those buses.
I went on the second bus, having preemptively removed my luggage from the first bus and stowed it on the second bus.
The trip ended in Vigo-Guixar, 10 minutes late. The CP ticket inspector got off the bus in Valença, and there was no one at Vigo-Guixar, where the bus terminated, indicating that there are two distinct train stations in Vigo, causing many passengers to go to Vigo-Guixar first when many had bookings for trains departing from Vigo-Urzáiz.

Vigo-Urzáiz
Ticket reservation at Vigo
The ticket office at Vigo-Urzáiz station was very helpful. The three operators simultaneously helped to find a possible link to reach Barcelona within the day.
The journey had to be split into two parts, with a seat swap in Zamora, on the train Alvia 4354.
For the connection between Madrid and Barcelona, a seat was also booked for the train AVE 3191. They were very understanding even when the debit card refused to work.

The Vigo-Urzáiz station building
The Vigo-Urzáiz station is unusual, as it integrates a shopping center and the train station in the same physical space, with ticket offices and customer support along the same lines as any other store in the establishment.
Access to Vigo-Guixar station is via the recently opened “Halo”, but it's poorly signposted from the outside.
Access to the passenger platforms is on the bottom floor, with X-ray luggage checks and platform access control, like in an airport.
The platforms did not appear to be as well-lit as the rest of the station, even though they were, to be fair, underground.

Alvia 4354
The train Alvia 4354 was a Renfe Class 730 Multiple Unit, a high-speed hybrid-electric train, despite the entire route being electrified.
It is a variable gauge train, starting the journey in Vigo on the 1668mm gauge and changing to 1435mm right after Ourense.
The initial journey was relatively slow, despite being carried out on a newly built route with a high-speed profile, only increasing to 200km/h after the junction of the Galician high-speed network near Santiago de Compostela.
Due to poor track maintenance, as well as the technical characteristics of the train, the journey was hectic, with shaking and impacts strong enough to seriously hamper the ability to write by hand on board the train.
There was on-seat bar service, no Wi-Fi available, the mobile network was strong but consistently failed inside the tunnels, and the train did not have electrical outlets or USB ports.
All seats can be turned around, and all were facing the direction of travel. The footrest did not work in the first seat I occupied, and all seats could recline.
The train arrived in Madrid-Chamartín at 5:43 pm, about 7 minutes late, caused by the delay of an Avant train that went ahead of us first.

Madrid-Chamartín and Madrid-Puerta de Atocha
Madrid-Chamartín is a station currently under renovation, with access to high-speed lines and urban trains located in distinct and physically separated areas.
The signage in Chamartín is chaotic at the moment, with Cercanías signage disappearing at the entrance to the Metro hall, causing confusion among passengers arriving for the first time at this station under these conditions.
Something notable, both in Chamartín, Puerta de Atocha, and Barcelona-Sants, is that all the large stations are relatively undersized for civil aviation-style high-speed rail operation.
The platforms are mostly empty, while the waiting areas for platform access are overcrowded, under-equipped with seats (it is common to see many passengers sitting on the floor), and dependent on the services available within those spaces.
Transfer on the Cercanías train between Chamartín and Puerta de Atocha stations was included in the high-speed ticket. A simple QR code scan at the station gates allowed access to the Cercanías network.
In Puerta de Atocha, the signage for the arrivals area had the same pictogram as the arrivals area, and these were confusing for someone who is not familiar with the station.

AVE 3191
The train AVE 3191 was a Renfe Class 103 EMU, with similar characteristics to the Alvia 4354, but with more comfort equipment for passengers.
The footrest has several height positions. There were two sockets per seat (230V), and a height-adjustable headrest. It was significantly more comfortable than the Alvia.
It has Wi-Fi on board, but it is dependent on the mobile network, being very slow and suffering blackouts whenever mobile network coverage is weak or non-existent.
Since I boarded a silent coach, on-seat bar service was not available, so passengers weren't bothered by staff along the journey.
The ride was equally turbulent out of Madrid, making writing very difficult, but progressively improving until Barcelona, where the ride was remarkably smooth.

Barcelona-Sants
Concerning what was said previously about Barcelona-Sants, in addition to being a much better-lit station on the platforms, it was also very helpful when it came to reserving a seat for the train AVE 9737 for the following day.
The customer service office was able to confirm that there was an available spot on the train, and the ticket office resolved the reservation without question (apparently FIP reservations are not as rigidly treated as InterRail reservations but are more difficult to make as they are exclusively reserved in person).
The only point to be mentioned is that the electronic panels over the ticket offices mentioned the need for a ticket, but they were unavailable at the ticket dispenser because the two ticket offices that were open at that time were working on a first-come, first-served basis.

Edited October 8 by Giugiaro

[Giugiaro]

Day 2 - 23/09

AVE 9737

The train AVE 9737 left Barcelona-Sants on time towards Lyon Part-Dieu, in France. Composed of a Renfe Class 100 EMU, it is very similar to the SNCF TGV Atlantique, providing comfort levels like the Renfe Class 103, but without adjustable headrests, waste containers, rotatable benches, or adjustable feet rests.

It has an on-seat bar service, with hot meals up to 15.50 €, but these have to be reserved on the internet when purchasing the ticket.

The trip in this train is extremely quiet, not suffering vibrations or hunting oscillations between Barcelona and the exit to the conventional network in Perpignan.

In Perpignan, there was a prolonged stop due to a border check by the French border police.

All passengers were targeted, including passengers who already boarded in France, with the train departing about 10 minutes late.

During the checks, passengers were offered, by the staff, one or more labels to identify their luggage, something mandatory in France. Maybe by regulation?

 

Trying out the Bar on the AVE 9737

On board, I tried a meal at the bar. There was a warm menu offer at 13 €, with a cooked main dish, a sweet or salty accompaniment, and a drink.

I chose the Croque Monsieur option with crisps and still water. The Croque Monsieur was served cooked on the spot in a resistance oven, and the quality of the dish was very good.

It was served with disposable kitchen utensils, with waste sorting in the bar.

The bar is operated by assistants, who also perform the on-seat bar service and support the conductor and sub-conductor of the train (who aggregate ticket selling, ticket inspection, and train safety functions).

The assistants, although they use the same Renfe uniform, are subcontracts. In the AVE 9737, there are 5 assistants in total.

 

Luggage racks in Renfe trains

There is one thing to note regarding luggage in all Renfe trains up until this point: the larger carry cases are stowed physically in the vestibule space, not in the passenger room.

There is poor contact from the passenger to the luggage from within the room.

In some trains, this is made even more difficult by the position of the external doors in the train’s chassis, but in other trains the luggage racks are right up against the door that separates the passenger room from the vestibule, meaning that the rack could be swapped with the door for the luggage to be inside the passenger room.

A security issue that leads passengers to feel anxious about their luggage throughout the whole journey.

 

The first great blunder

In Agde, the AVE 9737 was temporarily halted by the malfunction of the Sète railway bascule bridge. This resulted in a 30-minute delay.

The train departed from Montpellier 25 minutes late, Nimes with 19 minutes, and Valence-TGV with 18 minutes, but eventually arrived at Lyon Part-Dieu 30 minutes late, motivated by rail improvement works on the approach to the station.

 

Lyon Part-Dieu

The loss of connection with the European Sleeper 453

I had already reserved the European Sleeper 453 train from Brussels to Berlin before the beginning of this trip. For this, it was necessary to reach Bruxelles-Midi before its departure, scheduled for 18:20.

Confirming the delay of the TGV 9866 train I needed to make the connection between Lyon and Brussels, I quickly left the AVE towards Lyon Part-Dieu’s ticket office.

Unfortunately, the station was under renovation works and the ticket office, as indicated in online SNCF maps and Google Maps, was closed. Asking the SNCF staff at the station about where tickets could be manually booked, I was told that the SNCF and other high-speed train operators’ ticket offices were in a newly built gallery. This represented an additional 10-minute delay.

The new ticket offices also operated as customer support, with four manned cabinets, controlled with queue number tickets.

The TGV 9866, bound for Brussels, was already overbooked. And the TGV 6622, bound for Paris Gare de Lyon, was completely booked.

Also, the time available between the arrival of this last train and the departure of the connecting Thalys 9369 train leaving Paris Gare du Nord towards Brussels was too tight to enable the connection between Paris-Gare de Lyon and Paris-Gare du Nord stations. FIP ticket reservations for the Thalys could only be done at Paris-Gare du Nord, plus passage through safety control and going through the labyrinthic access to the platform meant I would not be able to make it to the departure of the Thalys in time.

There was no other method of intercepting the European Sleeper 453 since its stop in Amsterdam had been suspended by rail improvement works. As a result of the circumstances, the reservation for this train had to be, unfortunately, canceled. This represented a loss of 133,00€ out of pocket.

Alternatively, I chose to divert through Mulhouse, where I could continue the trip via Basel, Switzerland, hoping to get a viable link to Berlin by the Basel SBB station’s ticket office, or a cheap place to stay overnight.

 

A little talk with Trenitalia France

With time in abundance before the arrival of the train TGV 5500, I took the fact that the Trenitalia ticket office was devoid of customers to talk with the ticket operators and learn about the environment that existed in the station from having three residing national railway operators.

The ticket office operator who talked to me was very receptive, speaking well in English.

She confirmed that the Renfe ticket office was still closed to the public.

In addition, we talked about Trenitalia's situation (or Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane) in France. I was told that the Frecciarossa train to Paris, which was an alternative I previously flagged, was a train that I could not get FIP reservations. This is because the train was operated by Trenitalia France, an independent subsidiary of the Italian railway company, equal to Iryo in Spain except that Trenitalia France is completely owned by Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane and not a public-private partnership.

The operator I was talking with was also an employee of Trenitalia France, under a French contract, which denied her any benefit that her Italian colleagues are entitled to (as well as the French SNCF employees, the Spaniards from Renfe, and myself from CP – Comboios de Portugal).

Despite this dichotomy, she could sell and reserve tickets in Italian services, including FIP reservations, even if the ticket office is physically in France as if it were an Italian station’s ticket office.

 

TGV 5500

I boarded the train TGV 5500 bound for Metz Gare, departing from Lyon Part-Dieu on time, composed of a double-decker TGV Duplex EMU.

The trip to Mulhouse would last about 3 hours, with the scheduled time of arrival at 19:09.

In terms of 2nd class comfort levels on this train, there is one electrical socket for every two passengers in the front-to-front seats, including two outlets in the vestibule for people making calls (this car was also a silent car, and calling on the phone wasn’t allowed on the passenger room).

The armrests have a reclining button equal to that of the CP Class 4000 (by the way, the structure of these seats appears to be the same) but the seat does not recline.

There is a luggage rack inside the room and another in the vestibule. Wi-Fi is available but is equally dependent on mobile networks. There is a single 4:3 screen in each passenger room with itinerary information.

In terms of vibrations and bumps, this train had the best experience so far, being extremely stable on the upper deck, even at high speeds, attesting not only to the quality of the train but also to the track maintenance in the high-speed network and on the conventional network.

There is no on-seat bar service on this type of train.

 

Mulhouse Gare

At Mulhouse station, the ticket office was already closed at the time of arrival of the TGV 5500 and there was no staff at the station linked to the commercial area of SNCF.

Unsure if it was ok to travel on a TER without a valid ticker, a ticket to Basel was acquired at one of the automatic selling machines, just in time to catch the TER departing at 19:19.

The train in question was the TER 96141 which, despite departure boards informing that this train was delayed, was already on the respective platform, having left the station on schedule.

 

TER 96141

The train TER 96141 is an SNCF Class Z 27500 Hybrid EMU, operating on behalf of the Alsace-Lorraine region.

It has plenty of onboard equipment, including bicycle racks, a PMR bathroom, 1st class seats, low-floor areas with external doors, and a passenger information system.

It is particularly dirty, with black powder accumulated on the ceiling, sand in the bathroom and adjacent area, and seats and their covers that were dirty and/or worn out.

Front-to-front seats have tables in both classes, and all seats had their waste containers removed.

There is no discernible difference between the 1st and 2nd class seats. The assumption is that the 1st class seats exist so that their passengers can travel with a reserved spot in the train, not having to subject themselves to standing on an overcrowded train. They are in the area before the driving cab on both ends.

 

Basel SBB

The Federal Station of Basel, called Basel SBB, is classic-styled, but filled with commerce, including a supermarket with a dining area.

The ticket office, without any problems or issues, reserved the ticket for the train NightJet 409/Intercity 60409.

The ticket provided was an ÖBB ticket, together with a travel plan with useful and summarized information from SBB, and the FIP for Deutsche Bahn was used as proof of validity.

This showed, in a way, how “relaxed” Switzerland’s incumbent operator is with dealing with inter-operator sales, as well as with forming and operating a train composed of Austrian, Swiss, German, and Czech vehicles.

At the ticket office, I was also informed that the platform of departure written in the ticket should simply be ignored and that the true boarding platform will be presented by the passenger information system of the station before the arrival of the train.

As for this information system, it is quite rich and dynamic, capable of identifying the locomotive, the numbers of each of the coaches, the sectors of the platform in which the train will stand, where in the train the screen being watched by the passenger will stand, what on board services are in each coach, and the respective seat occupation in real-time.

All this is done for a multi-operator train, whose reservations are managed by different companies, at different times, at different geographical positions, and using different ticket reservation solutions.

 

NightJet 409/InterCity 60409

The Nightjet 409/Intercity 60409 consisted of an SBB 1st class coach, a 2nd class coach of the same company, two 2nd class ÖBB compartment coaches (despite the 6 seater configuration being traditionally 1st class from the Portuguese point of view), one in daytime livery and one in NightJet livery, two couchette coaches and one bedroom coach, all in Nightjet livery.

The SBB coaches were access-free and had compulsory seat reservations, but the ÖBB compartment coaches already required reservations to be accessed.

The compartment coach in question is a ÖBB type BMZ coach.

Upon the arrival of the train to the platform, the passenger should approach the staff of the coach to which they have a reservation, to check in. This is necessary because, in the absence of passengers, the empty compartments are locked throughout the journey.

The first compartment was reserved for staff. The second was reserved for a company, with measurement and diagnostic equipment inside, and the rest were available to passengers.

The coach contains two bathrooms, one in each end, with a vacuum toilet and wastewater container, and a wash basin with soap and a hand dryer.

For some reason, the entire coach floor was evenly sticky, even inside the compartments. It made me think that the cleaning product used is to blame for the stickiness, as there was no sight of rubbish or dirt spots on the floor.

The compartment has a very peculiar feature: if there are 3 or fewer passengers, the seats can be folded in such a way that two seats, front-to-front, touch each other and form a bed.

This was a feature I took advantage of to sleep during the trip.

Above the seats, there are two luggage racks, the lower one for small luggage, and the one on top for large luggage.

The window has a partially opaque roller blind that does not completely cover the window. The compartment door, however, has an opaque curtain.

In front of the window, there is a small piece of equipment with two folding tables and two CEE-type 7/3 outlets.

The seats on the corridor side also have their folding tables, but the seats at the center of the compartment have no tables.

Sound and temperature dials above the compartment door did not seem to have any influence on the passenger information system or the compartment AVAC system. It was possible to turn on and off the compartment light, turning on a pilot light next to the respective switch when the main light is turned off. And each seat had its reading light.

The train staff gave its usual announcement, warning that the announcements would be suspended up until Berlin so as not to disturb the passengers, being the responsibility of each passenger to wake up early enough to anticipate the arrival at their respective destination.

The trip was relatively quiet, if not the best pair of wheel and rail quality of the entire trip. The only negative aspect was the roller blinds that, by not covering completely the window, didn’t prevent the strong platform lights in stops and passings through stations from flashing my face.

In the middle of the trip, another passenger occupied the compartment, using the seats on the opposite side to sleep.

The train arrived at Berlin Hbf 10 minutes ahead of time. Something unusual in the current railway reality of Germany.

[Tony Galiani]

Sounds like a great trip - I like the train reports, especially those for Portugal and Spain.  I have long wanted to do a return trip to Spain as well as visit Portugal.  With United adding more direct flights to Portugal as well as to Bilbao I am hoping to get there in 2025.

Tony

[cteno4]

Tony get to Bilbao, the Guggenheim is awesome sauce! 
 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

Visit Portugal.  It's inexpensive.  We were there earlier in the year.  Porto and the Algarve coast are a must.  Lisbon was ok.  Similar to any large city but it does have its charm here and there.

[Ander88]

Hello from Bilbao. Don't know if my city is what someone from far away would firstly like to visit but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[cteno4]

I loved Bilbao as a city! Great food and river and bridge quite nice. Best dinner in Spain was on a place on the river seeing the whole scene and like 10 courses, it just kept coming and it was relaxed and not ultra fancy! Everything was easily accessible. Wish we had spent more than 3 days/2nights  there. Of course the Guggenheim is spectacular, but it fits into the rest of the city well, it feels very at home there. I went for the Guggenheim, but also loved the city.

 

jeff

[Giugiaro]

Well, the trip isn't over without a return to home. And, as such, four days later I was on my way back to Portugal.

 

And... oh boy... we're in for some nerve-wracking blunders!

 

Day 6 – 27/09

Berlin Zoologischer Garten Bahnhof

To book the first tickets on the return trip back to Portugal, I chose to do so at the Berlin Zoo's station, because it was a smaller station that would not be perceived as a long-haul station in the mindset of most tourists and other Berlin visitors.

The station was under renovation works (just like Lyon Part-Dieu) but there were maps and signs inside with the current state of the station layout and the location of the different shops and station amenities.

The ticket office was open, with two operators and no passengers waiting. The service worked with queue numbers, and I was immediately called.

The ticket operator was surprised by my request for a ticket reservation for Barcelona-Sants. Despite the unusual request, she proposed a full travel plan to this station, but could only make the reservation to Basel SBB, with a change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.

 

Berlin Hbf

I didn't write anything about Berlin Hbf after the arrival of the NightJet 409/Intercity 60409. This is because this station is already very familiar to me, so it is difficult to evaluate it with the same critical insight as a passenger who uses it for the first time, nor can I evaluate it with the level of a passenger who has used it daily for months or years.

As mentioned earlier, I did not book the return trip at this station’s ticket office, despite it being my departure station. This building is the main centrality of the city's rail network and, as such, is very busy.

It is very similar to Vigo-Urzáiz in terms of being a commercial space with a railway station, but without the platform access control so common in Spain and France. In addition, it is a significantly larger station as it has platforms on the deepest underground floor and another set of platforms on the highest upper floor!

For those who aren’t acquainted with this station, I confess that it can be hard to navigate through, with several floors dedicated to shops and various escalators between them. It is a building that forces a passenger to think vertically, something quite unusual in railway stations. The distinction between the upper station and the lower station may not be so apparent the first time someone enters or arrives at this station.

Signage is very extensive and dotted all over the building, and the passenger information system is very rich, like what was found in Basel SBB. The boards on the platform present information for the next three trains, with the immediate next train having the most information, and the next two trains having a much briefer amount of information (namely service type, number, schedule time of departure, delay if there is one, destination and a few stops).

 

ICE 675

The first return train is the ICE 675, scheduled to depart from Berlin Hbf (Tief) platform 4 at 19:26, heading towards Wiesbaden Hbf, with canceled stops in Eisenach and Fulda. It will be diverted through, and calling at, Würzburg with the arrival at Frankfurt Hbf 1 hour and 30 minutes behind schedule.

It is a 14-car-long ICE 4, with 1st and 2nd class coaches and a bar/restaurant coach.

In the 2nd class coach, there are four large luggage racks located inside the passenger room, visible to everyone inside, two on each side of the coach. The seats can recline, there is no feet support or reading light, and there is one CEE 7/3 socket for every two passengers. My seat’s reclination lever was broken but, with a bit of caution, I was able to get the seat to lower.

The seat contains, on the side of the corridor, next to the seat numbers, data with the station of departure and station of arrival, to indicate that the seat in question is booked (you can travel in these trains without a seat reservation, but you are subject to seat availability, otherwise the only option is to travel on foot).

The headrest is height-adjustable, and each seat has a folding table. For every two seats, there is a waste container.

There is Wi-Fi on the train, with a home website monitoring the trip and free multimedia content available for passengers to watch.

The DB app interfaces with the train's Wi-Fi network and dynamically presents information about the trip, even without a logged-in account.

[Giugiaro]

Day 7 – 28/09

Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Frankfurt (Main) Süd

The next train, the Nightjet 403/Intercity 60403 was eventually fully cancelled near the scheduled departure time, being first announced by the station’s sound system which German and Swiss passengers promptly ignored, considering it as a possible fluke. Until the train was definitively removed from the station’s timetable about 20 minutes after the scheduled departure, at which point all passengers started leaving the platform.

At this time of the day, almost 3:00 in the morning, all the station's auxiliary facilities were closed, including the waiting room and the lounge, with only the customer support office, a street food store and a pastry open.

Most people were advised by customer support to take the next S-Bahn train to Frankfurt (Main) Süd to board the NightJet 408/Intercity 60408, which was bound for the same station as the Nightjet 403/Intercity 60403.

Upon arrival at Frankfurt (Main) Süd, the Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408 train was already 47 minutes behind schedule.

Several passengers from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf were now in Frankfurt (Main) Süd, both in the underground tunnel that gave access to the platforms, sheltered from the cold, and on the platform where the train was expected. Many were sitting on the floor from the lack of seats, with a group of students leaning against each other while lying on the floor to try to rest and protect themselves from the cold, as there was no guarantee that the trip to Switzerland would be made with available seats.

 

NightJet 408/InterCity 60408

The train Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408 had a delay that would make it arrive at the same time in Frankfurt (Main) Süd as the train Nightjet 471/Intercity 60471, and both were heading to the same destination.

Despite this last train also being announced with a 30-minute delay, it arrived at the station right on schedule, being immediately followed by the Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408, causing a huge flurry with passengers jumping between the two trains looking for a place to sit or anticipating which train would be the first to depart (and the first to arrive at its destination).

I initially embarked on the Nightjet 471/Intercity 60471, but I quickly switched to the Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408 upon its arrival, since the latter was a train that was from Berlin Hbf and I had it flagged as an alternative when planning the return trip from Berlin.

Both trains departed at the same time, running side-by-side for a while, until both stopped again and, finally, the NightJet 471/intercity 60471 went ahead first.

The coach I boarded on the Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408, as I had no seat reservation, was a 2nd class coach type SBB EW4 for long and regional service.

The seats were all in a front-to-front layout, with a 220V electrical outlet for every two seats, placed on a small table under the window, with an integrated waste container. The seats on the corridor side had their folding tables, and each window had a semi-transparent roller blind.

The coach was cold, with the AVAC system turned off, and the heat was regulated only by the fact that the coach was completely overcrowded. People were sitting and standing the entire length of the coach, with passengers who were originally on this train and passengers who came from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf after the Nightjet 403/Intercity 60403 was cancelled.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, I ended up falling asleep during virtually the entire trip, having reached Basel SBB with a 30-minute delay. At Basel SBB the coach was much emptier and, consequently, even colder than in Frankfurt. The deeper cold eventually woke me up somewhere between Freiburg and Basel.

With the cancellation and the delay, it was no longer possible to catch the TER to Mulhouse in time to book the trains to Montpellier Saint-Roche and Barcelona.

 

TGV 9206

For the trip to Berlin, the extremely competent team of Basel SBB’s ticket office was able to plan an alternative route that would allow me to reach Barcelona within the same day, despite the delays and cancellations, but the seat reservation was only possible for the train departing from Basel, and the trip between Paris and Barcelona would be needed to be booked with SNCF at Paris.

The suggestion given by SBB was to book a 1st class seat on the train TGV 9206, SNCF/SBB Lyria, to Belfort. From Belfort to Paris, I would continue the trip without a seat reservation, under the pretext of being compensated for the cancellation of the Nightjet 403/Intercity 60403 and the delay of the Nightjet 408/Intercity 60408.

This trip was made with no reservation costs, and I was given a printed justification stamped by SBB for travelling in 1st class first and then without a seat.

In Paris, it was expected there to be 3 hours between the arrival of the TGV 9206 train and the departure of a corresponding train to Barcelona, at the same arrival and departure station so that the FIP manual booking could be smoothly made.

Seriously. Thank you SBB. You rock! If it wasn’t for this the trip would probably end up being even longer than it would become.

 

Paris-Gare de Lyon

Paris-Gare de Lyon is a large terminal station. It is split into two distinct terminals, separated by a fence in the platform area.

The ticket office is like that of Lyon Part-Dieu. It focuses on both sales and customer support, with automatic and manual ticket sales. Access is controlled by queue number at the ticket office’s hall.

The ticket to Barcelona was bought with a reservation for 1st class on the train TGV 9715, to which I paid the difference, as the 2nd class seats were already completely booked. The ticket operator suggested travelling the next day where 2nd class seats were available, but that would imply a day of delay and the loss of the already booked overnight stay at Barcelona. The difference, plus the booking fee, was 109,00€.

As I still had about two hours before the departure of my train to Barcelona, I took the opportunity to travel to Pyramids, at the heart of Paris, to have lunch at one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in the city. Since I already had with me a Navigo card from previous journeys to Paris and was well acquainted with the Paris Metro, I quickly walked to the Metro Line 4, bought a ticket from a less busy ticket machine, and went to Pyramids. More than an hour before departure, I was already back at Paris-Gare de Lyon.

There is no luggage safety control to access the trains, so passengers are not required to be at the station very early to board the train. Many were waiting in the station’s atrium, waiting to know from which platform the train they wanted would depart (or arrive).

In this space, there was a public piano for passengers to use for free. During the time I stayed at the atrium waiting for my train's departure time, three distinct people played on the piano. An adult man with an abstract music style, another adult man with a more classic style, and a very young child that already performed some classic pieces with a remarkable level of experience.

About 30 minutes before the departure of the TGV 9715, the platform from which the train would depart appeared on the departure boards. Passengers then went to the gate to the platform, where manually and automatically (by reading a QR code on the ticket) passengers got into the platform, even if the train itself was not yet at the station.

 

TGV 9715

The trip back to Barcelona was onboard the TGV 9715, departing at 14:42 from Paris and arriving in Barcelona at 21:27.

It is a TGV Duplex equal to the SNCF TGVs previously used. The big difference from 2nd to 1st class in these trains is essentially with the seats used.

Concerning electric outlets or charging plugs, there is only one CEE 7/5 plug for each line of seats on each side of the train, which, in the case of first-class, corresponds to one per passenger on single seats, and one per two passengers on double seats. Each seat has motorized reclination and an individual reading light.

From the Spanish border onwards the Wi-Fi aboard the train was very spotty. First, by changing from a French mobile network to roaming in Spain, and second, it was noticeable that the network failed whenever a tunnel or underground station was crossed.

There is a clear lack of coordination between the rail operators and the Spanish railway infrastructure manager, ADIF, as tunnels and stations do not have signal and network repeaters. Just like in Portugal, between CP and IP.

This helps to explain Renfe Wi-Fi's poor performance in Galicia. The number of tunnels prevented the train from having good network coverage.

[Giugiaro]

Day 8 – 29/09

Few trains, and always full

Regardless of the arrival time at Barcelona-Sants station, and whether I could book the tickets on September 29th or the day before, it would be impossible to book the trip to Portugal via Galicia, because the trains AVE 4345 and Media Distancia 9183 were already fully booked. This was the only option for those from Barcelona who wanted a connection with Porto on the same day.

 

The ticket officer said that the Galician network on weekends is usually fully booked well in advance, sometimes more than a month before departure, due to the high demand and the low number of trains.

 

From a Portuguese point of view, having seat reservations for a limited-capacity long-distance train, such as the AVE, is perfectly normal. But a regional train like a Media Distancia also having seat reservations seems completely absurd, if it weren't for the fact that in Spain there are not enough trains and, therefore, certain lines don’t even have a train-per-hour count, but a train-per-day count, making it necessary to impose seat reservations to avoid constant episodes of overcrowding on non-commuter trains.

 

The only available option to reach Portugal would be through Badajoz, with the aggravating factor the only train with available seats was the last train of the day, the Alvia 194, from Madrid to Badajoz. Scheduled to arrive at 9:10 pm, the return trip would now be extended for another day, making it necessary to spend the night in Badajoz before continuing the journey to Valongo.

 

AVE 9730

A seat was booked on the train AVE 9730, coming from Marseille in France and heading to Madrid. As per usual in these Franco-Spanish trains, it is composed of a Renfe Class 100 EMU. The reserved seat is in a 1st class coach, very similar in look and feel to a 2nd class coach, but with different and wider, reclinable seats, covered in leather instead of fabric, and have one CEE 7/3 socket per passenger.

 

The bar was full at lunchtime, and 1st class passengers who booked their meal in advance, when booking their ticket online, were served at their seats.

 

FIP reservations and Renfe in France

Speaking with the conductor on board the AVE, he confirmed to me two facts:

1. The AVE train in France admits FIP reservations on board the train, upon presentation of the FIP document valid for France and Spain at the platform entrance to SNCF staff, and then addressing the Renfe conductor upon arrival of the train at the station.
2. The Renfe ticket and customer support office in Lyon Part-Dieu has been operating since 2023 but will only be open to the public in 2025.

 

Madrid Puerta de Atocha – Cercanías

Puerta de Atocha station once again shows the chaotic policy of departures and arrivals management in Spain. Access to the commuter train station is controlled by manual check-in for passengers with reservations for medium and long-haul services. There is a mezzanine between the entrance and the platforms.

 

Funnily enough, unlike the mezzanine of the high-speed trains, traditional medium and long-haul passengers have waiting rooms with seats, USB and CEE 7/3 sockets for charging cell phones and computers, along with the usual departures and arrivals panel.

 

Unlike the arrivals board, the departures board shows only blank spaces for the platforms, and the audible announcements were only made in Spanish, these being the only source of information with the platform of departure for medium and long-distance trains.

 

Compared to other stations, or even platforms at the same station, there was no information about the train's consist and how it would be positioned on the platform. I also couldn’t find any panel showing what train was calling at the platform, so non-speakers of Spanish may find it almost impossible to know by themselves where their train will depart from.

 

Alvia 194

The train Alvia 194 is a Renfe Class 730 hybrid electric multiple unit. The first class only differs from the second class by their seats, and by having a CEE 7/3 socket in each seat, under the seat.

 

Double seats have a waste container in front of them, mounted on the front seats, and the folding table contains cup holders. (Not all seats have these tables, perhaps due to a lack of replacement parts when one is damaged).

 

The train always ran on Iberian gauge, both in electric and diesel mode, and jumped between the original track and the recently built high-speed line which, in the future, should directly connect Badajoz to Plasencia. This section, still under construction, is part of the hypothetical Lisbon to Madrid high-speed line, although the currently built distance is far shorter than the total length of the proposed connection.