Via Rail

I have mixed feelings about taking the train in Canada. Although Via Rail may feel normal to the uninitiated traveler, it’s at least odd even by American standards. Where to begin? I traveled between Ottawa and Toronto, about 4.5 hours each way, but there was no buffet car. The only Read more…

Standseilbahn Dresden

Dresden’s funicular railway is one of the few notable sites that survived the bombings of WWII. Its two carriages, original from when the railway opened in 1895, were hidden in a tunnelled section and spared from destruction. I also wanted to ride on the Schwebebahn, a hanging railway nearby, but Read more…

Stuttgart Rack Railway

Stuttgart is built on hilly terrain – perfect for a fun drive. Maybe that’s why both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are based in the city. But if you don’t drive, local public transportation will have you covered with two urban railway lines designed for uphill (and downhill) travel. The Stuttgart Rack Read more…

Standseilbahn Stuttgart

Stuttgart is built on hilly terrain – perfect for a fun drive. Maybe that’s why both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are based in the city. But if you don’t drive, local public transportation will have you covered with two urban railway lines designed for uphill (and downhill) travel. The Stuttgart Rack Read more…

Strausberg Railway

Berlin’s tramway network stretches to nearly 200 km. But not all of Berlin’s trams are accounted for in this figure. After I visited every single S-Bahn and U-Bahn stop, I went to every single tram stop in Berlin. Part of that included the extended overland tramway. Three lines, the 87 Read more…

Woltersdorf Tramway

Berlin had the world’s fifth-longest tramway. But not all of Berlin’s trams are accounted for in this figure. After I visited every single S-Bahn and U-Bahn stop, I went to every single tram stop in Berlin. Part of that included the extended overland tramway. Three lines, the 87 Woltersdorf Tramway Read more…

Seattle Monorail

The Seattle Monorail is just under a mile long and probably one of the world’s shortest urban railway lines. It was built to shuttle passengers between downtown Seattle and the Space Needle, which was the site of the 1962 World’s Fair. The two trains, called the Red Train and the Read more…

Late Swiss Trains

Between 2017 and 2019, the Swiss Federal Railways, SBB, managed an average of 97% of trains calling at their stations within 3 minutes of the advertised time. When compared to other European rail operators using a similar method of calculation, Swiss trains come out at the top for punctuality. However, Read more…