Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms I do like high speed trains.

A couple of shots from the TomTom Amigo app on my phone.





Mandello to Rome and back in a day. Easier than flying and no need to drive to the airport or get from the airport into the centre of Rome.

Milan to Rome in 3 hours non-stop on Italo high speed trains.

I had to go to the British Embassy for some documents: a 10 minute walk to the station from home and a 20 minute walk to get from the train a Rome Termini to the Embassy. All my requirements were handled with extreem kindness and courtesy. I could not have asked for more.

There not a lot about Italy I don’t like, I wasn’t aware they had such trains and now I know, that’s another reason to go back!

In contrast to Germany, the railway in Italy works. While in Germany everything has been catastrophically cut back over the last 25 years and almost every train is late and one in four has a technical fault, you can travel well by train in Italy. I was amazed. I travelled the same route as Peter about 6 years ago, from Milan to Rome, when I was in Italy on business.

Incidentally, the European Championship proved it. The English fans had to wait 4 hours in Gelsenkirchen for the journey home because the station was blocked by a broken train. The Austrian fans didn't make it from 10am at the German border to kick-off at 9pm in Düsseldorf. 15,000 Austrian fans didn't arrive at the stadium until the 70th minute of the game.
I've been to Japan twice and travelled on the Shinkansen several times. That is a level of timetable punctuality, comfort and courtesy that we will never achieve with our German railway in the next 200 years.

When we were in Switzerland we got a 4 day rail pass and travelled all over. It also included a tour boat on Lake Geneva and a ferry on Lake Lucerne for free. The best was the Matterhorn train at a 50%rate. Swiss trains run on time, if you're1 minute late you watch it leave.

Also did Amsterdam to Paris and return in 1 day. I saw 300kph on my phone too.

We just visited Barcelona. Spanish HS rail is great too but their booking offices are nowhere near as efficient as the Swiss.

We have nothing like them in the USA.

Switzerland is just behind Japan in terms of punctuality. The timetable leaves 15 minutes for changing trains. In Germany, you often only have 5 minutes to change trains and it never works. At the end of each day, the entire network has long collective delays. In addition to the rotten technology, such systemic errors are responsible for the unreliability and delays.
Our superfast trains are modern, but with a few exceptions, such as between Cologne and Frankfurt, they have to use the ancient tracks.
Japan has completely separate tracks for each Shinkansen connection and the trains run at the same frequency as underground lines.

Re the US, the railway once made your country. I think the areas in the USA are far too large from east to west going superfast. I could imagine that you could make two all-electric fast lines in the USA, one from San Diego to Seattle and a second from D.C. to Boston?

How many passengers use the fast trains? They could be good for long distance commute. A deadicated line would help timetable management too.
Here in S Wales the main line Swansea to West Wales passes nearby. The only time the trains are full is for rugby days in Cardiff but then they are too full. Sardines in a tin full. Not a fan of the HST though as it was a money pit for how much benefit? Creative accounting and white elephant project politics.
My last train journey was to pick up the new Morgan. I enjoyed the journey. On time, train ok cost ok. Destination was Yate for a pick up by Williams just a few minutes away.
Return journey was better in the Plus Four though!

On board a high speed train in China 2015