Yearly Archives: 2015

Escalator attendants of the former Soviet Union

Across the former Soviet Union there are many metro stations found deep below ground, with incredibly long flights of escalators linking them to the surface. That in itself is not unusual, but there is one feature of them which is – escalator attendants.

Bank of four escalators at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Майдан Незалежності) station Continue reading

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Kiev to Rostov-on-Don by train

All aboard for another look out the train window – this time the 20 hour journey south-west from Kiev, Ukraine. Our next stop was the Black Sea resort of Sochi, but due to a lack of direct services we made our way to the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where we would change trains.

Main entrance to Київ-Пасажирський railway station off Vokzalna Ploshcha Continue reading

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Passenger trains of Romania

I only spent a couple of days travelling through Romania, but I did manage to photograph a wide variety of the passenger train fleet that operates across the country.

CFR Class 41 electric locomotive 41-0767-8 with a very modern looking carriage set Continue reading

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Finding your way on the Bucharest Metro

If you ever visit the capital of Romania, then getting around on the Bucharest Metro can be a pain thanks to poor signage and misleading maps.

Bombardier Movia 346 train arrives into the platform at Obor station Continue reading

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Overcrowding on the Bucharest Metro

As I travelled across Europe, I spent plenty of time exploring the metro networks of each city I visited. I’m not sure how I did it, but I managed to avoid the overcrowded peak hours, at least until I visited Bucharest – capital of Romania.

Passengers squeeze their way out onto a crowded platform Continue reading

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Staying the night at Brasov railway station

When arriving into a new city late at night, the last thing you want to do is traipse all over town in an attempt to find your hotel. I found myself in this situation when travelling to the Romanian city of Brașov, but my solution didn’t quite work as well as planned.

Street frontage of Brașov railway station Continue reading

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Budapest to Bucharest by train

Our rail journey from Budapest in Hungary to Bucharest in Romania was a long one, because we made a pit stop in Transylvania to see Dracula’s Castle. So what did we see along the way?

Spooky castle on the hill Continue reading

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Train formation and carriage numbering diagrams

When travelling by long distance train across Europe, finding your booked seat can be difficult – the trains are long, so finding your carriage by walking along the entire train with heavy bags is something to avoid. It becomes doubly difficult if your train is one that splits up mid-journey to form two separate services! So how do you make sure that you end up in the right place?

Main concourse of Wein Westbahnhof railway station Continue reading

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Maintenance vehicles of the Budapest tramways

Tramway operators need a fleet of special vehicles to keep the tracks and overhead lines in good working order, and the city of Budapest is no different.

'Üzemzavar Elhárítás' truck for the Budapest tramways Continue reading

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Stumbling upon a heritage train in Hungary

I spent a couple of days in Budapest on my trip across Europe, and on one of them I was lucky to stumble upon a heritage train parked at Budapest Keleti railway station.

MÁV heritage train at Budapest Keleti pályaudvar Continue reading

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