codewiz, 2 months ago

6:56 AM: my connection to Interlaken arrives on track 2 exactly as we enter the small Lautenbrunnen station on track 1.

The driver hops off, walks to the opposite end of the train, and climbs into the cabin facing Interlaken. We depart exactly on time.

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codewiz, 2 months ago

7:30 AM: RegioExpress 4211, one stop from Interlaken Ost to Spiez.

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codewiz, 2 months ago

This short train ride coasts Lake Thun, offering stunning views.

Sorry for the 7:30 AM grey sky... you can easily find better shots online:
https://www.thunersee.ch/en/

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codewiz, 2 months ago

Once in Spiez, I rush to the ticket office to purchase the Trenitalia ticket to Milano Centrale.

International itineraries can't be booked with the SBB app, and their website says that tickets are no longer available (a lie).

I pay and run out, forgetting to pick the physical tickets. They call me back. Panting, I arrive at the platform exactly on departure time...

...but thankfully the Italian train is running 1 minute late! 😆

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kai, 2 months ago

@codewiz @jon #CrossBorderRail 😋

jon, 2 months ago

@kai I think the Trenitalia app would sell it though? (not that that's much better) @codewiz

codewiz, 2 months ago

Actually, the livery suggests this train belongs to SBB CFF FFS, short for Schweizerische Bundesbahnen / Chemins de Fer Fédéraux / Ferrovie Federali Svizzere.

But my ticket says Trenitalia. Must be some sort.of "codeshare" agreement... or did I take the wrong train? 😰

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codewiz, 2 months ago

The onboard restaurant serves a delicious Planted Geschnetzelte, a 100% #vegan version of the typical Zurich-style sliced meat with purée 😋

codewiz, 2 months ago

Uh-oh... the SBB-Trenitalia codeshare will be delayed 26 minutes. And who is to blame? 😤

There's a good chance I will miss the 11:10 Frecciarossa to Firenze 😨

An announcement just said that passengers who miss their connections can head.to the ticket office to get rebooked on the next train. Luckily, there are high-speed trains departing from Milano Centrale every 30 minutes 😌

codewiz, 2 months ago

Arrived in Milano Centrale.

But there's no rush: my next train is also running 15 minutes late!

codewiz, 2 months ago

Zooming towards Florence at 297 km/h!

The Shinkansen beats the Italian ETR 500 by peaking at 320 km/h on some sections of the Tōhoku line.

Both train technologies could achieve 360 km/h with future track upgrades.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Class_ETR_500

benoit, 2 months ago

@codewiz JR is still experimenting with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALFA-X

Commercial run at 360 km/h is still not planned...

"On 30 October 2012, JR East announced that it was pursuing research and development to increase speeds to 360 km/h (224 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen by 2020"

They clearly missed their deadline. 😅

globalc, 2 months ago

@benoit @codewiz
Looking forward to the Chūō Shinkansen topping all of that :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%AB%C5%8D_Shinkansen