_thumbnail.jpg)
Nov 13th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Dear Leader, I've heard that's how you like to be addressed by the people of North Korea, but since this is the beginning of a letter I guess I should say Dear Dear Leader. My editor sent me this article claiming that while your people are starving you own six luxurious trains fitted with high-tech communications facilities, conference rooms, and even ballrooms. Since you're reportedly afraid of ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
train posts
An open letter to Kim Jong-Il of North Korea
Nov 13th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Dear Leader, I've heard that's how you like to be addressed by the people of North Korea, but since this is the beginning of a letter I guess I should say Dear Dear Leader. My editor sent me this article claiming that while your people are starving you own six luxurious trains fitted with high-tech communications facilities, conference rooms, and even ballrooms. Since you're reportedly afraid of ...In the Corner of the World: TranzAlpine Train
Nov 4th, 2009 at 11:30AM:
Railway travel just isn't what it used to be. Gone are the fastidiously dressed conductors checking their pocket watches before yelling, "All aboard!" Gone, too, are the eager young porters loading trunks into the luxury cars of well-heeled travelers. It's the era of air travel and checked baggage fees, and we may all be worse off because of it. Sure. you can still take trains domestically and ...New luxury trains coming to India
Oct 29th, 2009 at 3:00PM: It just goes to show that luxury travel may be as enduring as the Taj Mahal. Even in this economy, not one but two luxury trains are debuting in India in the next few months. The Indian Maharaja-Deccan Odyssey, the first privately-operated luxury tourist train in India, will launch on November 18. Its seven-night, eight-day itinerary includes ...Amtrak traffic down - but last year was a record
Oct 13th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Ridership on Amtrak fell by more than a million passengers since last year. Now, we could turn around and blame the financial crisis, talk about a decline in travel and so on, but to be fair, 2008 was the best year in the railroad's history for passenger traffic. Even with the decline, we're talking about the second best year. So, let's give a little credit where it's due.
For the 12 months ...Escape from Chicago with low Fall rates at The Abbey
Oct 6th, 2009 at 3:30PM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/06/escape-from-chicago-with-low-fall-rates-at-the-abbey/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Several weeks ago, I had the chance to check out The Abbey Resort and Spa on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. 80 miles from Chicago and even less from Milwaukee, it's the perfect Fall escape from either city. Chicago residents don't even need a car to get there; the ...Dim Sum Dialogues in Thailand: The sounds of Siam
Sep 30th, 2009 at 5:00PM:
Monks chant at Wat Chana Songkhram, near Khao San Road.
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/09/30/dim-sum-dialogues-in-thailand-the-sounds-of-siam/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
It's my last day in Bangkok and I'm not ready to leave Thailand. If I had another two weeks, I would have opted to stop at Ko Phi Phi and then cut north to trek through Chiang Mai, but my ...Spain to become leader in high-speed trains
Sep 22nd, 2009 at 4:30PM: Spain is tipped to become the world's leader in high-speed trains next year, surpassing Japan and France for the most kilometers of track. With the rising costs and hassles of airfare, train travel has become more competitive. The high-speed train between Spain's two most important and visited cities, Madrid and Barcelona, takes just two-and-a-half hours. That's quicker than flying once you factor ...Amtrak to become gun-friendly?
Sep 17th, 2009 at 3:00PM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Amtrak_to_become_gun_friendly'; Thanks to a Senate vote on Wednesday, Amtrak is a step closer to becoming the nation's gun-friendly travel alternative. The proposal was approved by a vote of 68 to 30 and would allow passengers to take firearms with them on trains – as long as they declare that they are doing so. The firearms also have to be ...Dim Sum Dialogues in Thailand: The road (+ rail + ferry) to Ko Pha Ngan
Sep 17th, 2009 at 9:00AM:
The neon pink taxi screeches to a halt. "You must be the best taxi driver in Bangkok." I declare to the driver, and I mean it. Moments ago we were at a complete standstill for nearly twenty minutes, in the center of a jammed four-lane road. An everyday occurrence in Bangkok. I had already started considering alternate travel plans, since I was sure that I'd be missing the southbound train. ...The Abbey Resort and Spa: Luxury on Lake Geneva
Sep 11th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
Billing itself as "the only full-service resort" on the shores of Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, The Abbey Resort and Spa is one of those places where you can almost feel the ghosts of the past whispering around you. The resort was completely renovated in 2005, but its timber A-frame and low-slung bungalow style buildings look much as they did when it was built nearly 50 years ago, when the ...Five ways to get to the airport
Jul 28th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Your bags are sitting in the hallway, and you're ready to go to the airport. How to get there involves a tradeoff between cost and hassle. A sacrifice is always necessary, and it's significant: you'll have to give up something important. But, this is the nature of travel, so the best you can do is understand the good and bad associated with each.
1. Drive Take yourself to the airport, and you ...Across Austraila by train
Jul 26th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Australia's transcontinental railroad, affectionately referred to as "The Ghan", has a long and storied history. In fact, on the 4th of August, it will celebrate the beginning of its 80th year of service as an 1850 mile north-south route running between Darwin and Adelaide. As the Ghan approaches this milestone anniversary, Australian newspaper The Age, hops the train to see how it is adapting to ...Mayor wants to eclipse city's mooning festival
Jul 10th, 2009 at 11:00AM: It's the type of event that a mayor might normally look forward to--one that brings people together and puts them in a celebratory mood. No matter that the celebratory mood makes the people here want to drop trou and start mooning trains. This Saturday, Laguna Niguel, California will be celebrating its annual "Moon Over Amtrak." Last year, between 8,000-10,000 people participated in the day-long ...ACES train makes NYC to Atlantic City less of a gamble
Jun 30th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Summer in New York City is all about weekend getaways. The city gets hot, sticky and smelly. Thankfully, we're surrounded by beaches to the north (Connecticut), east (Long Island) and south (New Jersey). But only the trip south can add something unique to your beach getaway: gambling. And that's why thousands of New Yorkers flock to Atlantic City, NJ every summer to enjoy the sand and the slots. ...Tourist hangs on to Australian train for hours - records his adventure
Train from Chicago to Minneapolis news
May 13th, 2009 at 7:00PM: As a born and raised Minneapolitan, I am very excited about the possibility of a high speed train running between the Twin Cities and Chicago. "Plans are moving fast to spend more than $1 billion on high-speed rail between the Twin Cities and Chicago," writes Mike Kaszuba of the Star Tribune. But he warns that we shouldn't get too excited about the "high speed" aspect; the trains will top out at ...$50bn needed to keep train system from going off the rails
May 1st, 2009 at 4:00PM: The Federal Transportation Administration believes that $50 billion is needed to repair major metropolitan train systems ... and another $5.9 billion a year to maintain them. Railways that need the money, it continues, are in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Together, they carry more than 80 percent of the train passengers in the country ...$8 billion stimulus could help revive travel by train
Mar 20th, 2009 at 10:00AM: I've always loved trains -- I think, primarily, because for most of my life I lived in places where there are few trains. There are no passenger trains in my native country of Trinidad, and here in Houston, where I live now, Amtrak goes to very few destinations. When I finally moved to London for work several years ago, I decided to forgo owning a car, just so that I could travel the commuter ...Europe By Rail
Mar 1st, 2009 at 8:30AM: For many, taking the train is still the most wonderful way to travel. It is a romantic throwback to a long gone era, before modern jets linked the world. For some, taking the train is just too slow, but for those that enjoy it, that is one its charms. It affords travelers the opportunity to see the countryside, often from a comfortable car filled with modern amenities. The train system in Europe ...Photo of the day (2.24.09)
Feb 24th, 2009 at 10:00PM:
Most people don't think "art" when they see a train yard, but as dydcheung shows in this picture, the right perspective and frame can really bring out the beauty in an otherwise mundane setting. This photo was taken at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, one of largest train stations in Germany and reminds me how much I enjoy watching trains and people move, commute and flow through a maze of public ...
