On the rails again…
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@darkphoenix @Darkskynet And as we leave Tarragona at +135, I’m going to resuscite a post from earlier on, when we thought we might be leaving from Estació de França.
France station, which is the translated name is Barcelona’s properly monumental station. It was built for the 1923 world expo in Barcelona, as they wanted to have a station they considered worthy for all the international visitors from the rest of Europe to arrive to.
It has the hallmarks of early 20th century design- multicoloured poured concrete, understated but still grand decorative architecture, and some great light-distribution devices that are basically polished metal balls that reflect the light that pours in from the overhead windows onto other parts of the ceiling.
It’s a shame that these days it’s only used as a terminus for regional trains, and a couple of slow long distance trains. There are no plans to add it to the high speed network.
@darkphoenix @Darkskynet We are now stopped at La Plana-Picamoixons, a station that is on a slight incline, at a junction just past a very tall viaduct.
It is windy here. Very windy. The train took three goes to reach the right stopping point before the brakes took hold, and the platform signs are visibly swaying.
We have to abandon the train here, as the high winds have apparently blown a tree over onto the line at Montblanc. We are going to need to need to take a rail replacement coach, and have no idea how long that will take.
Thankfully, there is a waiting room, which is open, and we have a conductor with us
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@darkphoenix @Darkskynet We are now stopped at La Plana-Picamoixons, a station that is on a slight incline, at a junction just past a very tall viaduct.
It is windy here. Very windy. The train took three goes to reach the right stopping point before the brakes took hold, and the platform signs are visibly swaying.
We have to abandon the train here, as the high winds have apparently blown a tree over onto the line at Montblanc. We are going to need to need to take a rail replacement coach, and have no idea how long that will take.
Thankfully, there is a waiting room, which is open, and we have a conductor with us
The first rail replacement bus service arrived pretty quickly. There was a very normal scramble for the bus, with an utterly bewildered bus driver, who had very little information about where he was going, whether there were trains on the other side, or what was going on. There are no station staff here. The conductor lent a hand and quite rightly insisted that the mob let the elderly and those with children on first, but that bus only had space for 35 people, and there’s quite a few more here.
There were a couple of very vocal ladies who made a huge fuss and wouldn’t let the driver get a word in edgewise to tell he he’d take her to the station she needed to go to.
Needless to say, we didn’t make it onto this bus.
The conductor disappeared off onto another train back towards Tarragona, and another train from Valls has turned up, with security staff.
As we are stuck here at La Plana-Picamoixons for a while, have some station porn.
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The first rail replacement bus service arrived pretty quickly. There was a very normal scramble for the bus, with an utterly bewildered bus driver, who had very little information about where he was going, whether there were trains on the other side, or what was going on. There are no station staff here. The conductor lent a hand and quite rightly insisted that the mob let the elderly and those with children on first, but that bus only had space for 35 people, and there’s quite a few more here.
There were a couple of very vocal ladies who made a huge fuss and wouldn’t let the driver get a word in edgewise to tell he he’d take her to the station she needed to go to.
Needless to say, we didn’t make it onto this bus.
The conductor disappeared off onto another train back towards Tarragona, and another train from Valls has turned up, with security staff.
As we are stuck here at La Plana-Picamoixons for a while, have some station porn.
@moof Interesting-looking cant on that crossing
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The first rail replacement bus service arrived pretty quickly. There was a very normal scramble for the bus, with an utterly bewildered bus driver, who had very little information about where he was going, whether there were trains on the other side, or what was going on. There are no station staff here. The conductor lent a hand and quite rightly insisted that the mob let the elderly and those with children on first, but that bus only had space for 35 people, and there’s quite a few more here.
There were a couple of very vocal ladies who made a huge fuss and wouldn’t let the driver get a word in edgewise to tell he he’d take her to the station she needed to go to.
Needless to say, we didn’t make it onto this bus.
The conductor disappeared off onto another train back towards Tarragona, and another train from Valls has turned up, with security staff.
As we are stuck here at La Plana-Picamoixons for a while, have some station porn.
It’s a bit windy…
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It’s a bit windy…
And we’re aboard the second bus. We somehow managed to fit everyone on. It’s stopping at a couple of intermediate stations, but not all of them. We’ll eventually make it to Borges, where we will take the next train.
Hopefully there is one waiting for us, as the next scheduled service is at 8pm…
Also, we will miss our AVE back. We will try to get put on one for free, but if the worst happens, there are a few of them left that are still pretty cheap.
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And we’re aboard the second bus. We somehow managed to fit everyone on. It’s stopping at a couple of intermediate stations, but not all of them. We’ll eventually make it to Borges, where we will take the next train.
Hopefully there is one waiting for us, as the next scheduled service is at 8pm…
Also, we will miss our AVE back. We will try to get put on one for free, but if the worst happens, there are a few of them left that are still pretty cheap.
The irony of this is that this was supposed to be the safe option, as we decided not to take the RL4, which had a known disruption with a rail replacement bus. This one arrived with a 2 hour delay.
Anyway, we go onwards…
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The irony of this is that this was supposed to be the safe option, as we decided not to take the RL4, which had a known disruption with a rail replacement bus. This one arrived with a 2 hour delay.
Anyway, we go onwards…
Sunset on the road…
The Arabic speakers on the bus are sharing small biscuits with each other. These people should have been breaking their fast at home.
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Sunset on the road…
The Arabic speakers on the bus are sharing small biscuits with each other. These people should have been breaking their fast at home.
@moof whelp, guess you’re staying in Lleida tonight.
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Sunset on the road…
The Arabic speakers on the bus are sharing small biscuits with each other. These people should have been breaking their fast at home.
Unfortunately there was not a train waiting for us at Borges. On the upside, this replacement bus is now taking us all the way to Lleida…
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Unfortunately there was not a train waiting for us at Borges. On the upside, this replacement bus is now taking us all the way to Lleida…
And we made it to Lleida finally! We arrived at 19:42, a mere 4 hours and 33 minutes after our timetabled arrival. We did miss our AVE, and we were told to buy new tickets, and then submit a compensation claim for the old tickets.
Thankfully, last minute tickets were a mere 14.60€ a head, so we’re not too out of pocket.
In the meantime, we are taking a well deserved refreshment
Cw: alcoholic drinks
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And we made it to Lleida finally! We arrived at 19:42, a mere 4 hours and 33 minutes after our timetabled arrival. We did miss our AVE, and we were told to buy new tickets, and then submit a compensation claim for the old tickets.
Thankfully, last minute tickets were a mere 14.60€ a head, so we’re not too out of pocket.
In the meantime, we are taking a well deserved refreshment
Cw: alcoholic drinks
@moof passing through in about half an hour. Should I be prepared to wave?
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And we made it to Lleida finally! We arrived at 19:42, a mere 4 hours and 33 minutes after our timetabled arrival. We did miss our AVE, and we were told to buy new tickets, and then submit a compensation claim for the old tickets.
Thankfully, last minute tickets were a mere 14.60€ a head, so we’re not too out of pocket.
In the meantime, we are taking a well deserved refreshment
Cw: alcoholic drinks
We are now aboard a Renfe S103 Velaro-E zooming along back to Barcelona at 270km/h. Our conductor has assured me we will hit 300km/h.
We are having beers. In a cafe car.
We are about to spend an hour and a quarter travelling the distance that should have taken 3 hours 24 minutes and in fact took almost 8.
@Darkskynet is suitably impressed.
Cheers!
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We are now aboard a Renfe S103 Velaro-E zooming along back to Barcelona at 270km/h. Our conductor has assured me we will hit 300km/h.
We are having beers. In a cafe car.
We are about to spend an hour and a quarter travelling the distance that should have taken 3 hours 24 minutes and in fact took almost 8.
@Darkskynet is suitably impressed.
Cheers!
@Darkskynet “Wait, that was a whole train that just passed by us in the other direction?! That quickly?”
“No, it’s only a half-train”
He’s also quite amazed by how long trains can get….
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@moof passing through in about half an hour. Should I be prepared to wave?
@tops I think we’re one train ahead of you
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@Darkskynet “Wait, that was a whole train that just passed by us in the other direction?! That quickly?”
“No, it’s only a half-train”
He’s also quite amazed by how long trains can get….
@moof @Darkskynet Seeing another high-speed train passing in the other direction is always impressive. “Foomp-foomp-foomp-gone”.
Differently impressive are stations with the high-speed tracks running through the middle, and stopping tracks with platforms off to the side. I had that experience in Japan a while ago: the non-stopping train was gone before I realised what was happening. I think DB has stations like that on the Frankfurt-Cologne line.
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@tops I think we’re one train ahead of you
@moof agreed. ENYOY.
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@moof @Darkskynet Seeing another high-speed train passing in the other direction is always impressive. “Foomp-foomp-foomp-gone”.
Differently impressive are stations with the high-speed tracks running through the middle, and stopping tracks with platforms off to the side. I had that experience in Japan a while ago: the non-stopping train was gone before I realised what was happening. I think DB has stations like that on the Frankfurt-Cologne line.
@hmwilker @Darkskynet You should make a point of changing train at Valence TGV Rhône-Alpes Sud. There is a footbridge over the high speed line, and TGVs go through it at full speed every 5-15 mins or so
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We are now aboard a Renfe S103 Velaro-E zooming along back to Barcelona at 270km/h. Our conductor has assured me we will hit 300km/h.
We are having beers. In a cafe car.
We are about to spend an hour and a quarter travelling the distance that should have taken 3 hours 24 minutes and in fact took almost 8.
@Darkskynet is suitably impressed.
Cheers!
@moof @Darkskynet next time, send him through the Eurostar, maybe? (Or at least do the YJB-XOC)
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@moof @Darkskynet next time, send him through the Eurostar, maybe? (Or at least do the YJB-XOC)
@javicuna @Darkskynet We are doing Lleida Pirineus to Barcelona-Sants. This is currently the highest speed section of the train network in Spain
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@hmwilker @Darkskynet You should make a point of changing train at Valence TGV Rhône-Alpes Sud. There is a footbridge over the high speed line, and TGVs go through it at full speed every 5-15 mins or so
@moof @Darkskynet *notiergeräusch*, as we say on German social media. Thanks for the tip.
