PHOTOS: Brussels Trams & Buses and the 12 Minute Layover

[WMATAGMOAGH]

You know you are a railfan when you take the train from Madrid to Cologne instead of flying!  A flight from Madrid to Frankfurt takes about 2.5 hours, and one then takes the ICE the rest of the way, taking an additional hour.  Factor in about 30 to 60 minutes to get from the plane to the train in Frankfurt, and the whole trip can conceivably takke 3 and a half hours and costs a bit over 200 dollars if you buy a round trip airplane ticket and never show up for the return (a one way nonstop flight from Madrid to Frankfurt costs over $1200). 

On the other hand, one can make a 19:25 long odessey by train, taking the Elipsos TrainHotel Francisco de Goya leaving Madrid at 7 PM to Paris, arriving just before 8:30 the next morning.  One then has about 2 hours to transfer between Paris mainline stations before taking a Thalys to Brussels, and then, following a 12 minute layover in Brussels, and ICE to Cologne to finish the trip, arriving there at 2:15 PM.  The price on this is comprable to the plane option (assuming a round trip is purchased for the non stop flight), costing about $260.

So, any doubts as to which option I chose?  If you thought the first one, think about what type of message board this is.

Anyway, the Madrid-Paris overnight arrived at Gare de Austerlitz on time, and I took Paris Metro Line 5 to transfer to the Gare du Nord from which the Thalys departs.  I arrived to catch the Thalys that left 60 minutes before the one I was scheduled to take, but was told I wasn't allowed to exchange my ticket for the earlier train.  Oh well, I say to myself.  European trains are pretty reliable for the most part, and the 12 minute layover is a legal connection, so I should be fine.  My Thalys is announced, I board, and we set out along the LGV Nord uneventully.  However, near the Fretin triangle flying junction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fretin-triangle-diagram.svg), we slow and come to a halt.  We move after a few minutes delay, but it takes several more minutes before we come up to full speed again.  Arrival in Brussels is 14 minutes late.  Do the math and think for a moment about the ICE's reputation for timeliness, and as you may have guessed, that ICE I was supposed do be on to Cologne was nowhere in sight.

I was due in at 11:47 AM, my ICE had departed at 11:59 AM, we actually arrived at 12:01 PM, and I had printed out other train times in case of a missed connection along my journey, and knew that the next train to Cologne (a Thalys) was at 1:25 PM.  So what is a railfan to do with an hour and 24 minutes in Brussels? 

1.  Go to the ticket office to receive authorization to board the next train (in Europe, instead of giving you a new ticket, they just stamp the one for the missed train, indicating to the conductor of the next train that he or she is to let you on board)
2.  Call whoever is meeting you at the end of the trip to tell them you aren't going to be arriving on time, complicated when SIM card is out of funds and you don't have a calling card
3.  Go outside and photograph trams & buses
4.  Have lunch
5.  Buy an International Herald Tribune since the same French labor action that caused the missed connection in the first place also meant that no IHTs were delivered to the Gare du Nord that morning
6.  Make sure you don't miss that next train to Cologne

Anyway, enough story telling, here are the photos from my 60+ minutes in Brussels, and I'll post photos from my European High Speed Train trips in the next round of teasers:













More on my website at http://www.orenstransitpage.com/otpbrusselspics/brusselshome.htm

[LandoverDivision]

Oren, I'm going to either Germany or England next year. The last bus look awesome in the front and I like the LCD. If you're in Japan sometime, could you get some pictures?

[WMATAGMOAGH]

You make it sound as if I just pack up and go abroad whenever I feel like it, LOL.  However, if you missed where I've posted it elsewhere, I was living in Rome from January through May of last year and traveled extensively during that time throughout the continent.  I had also been to Europe on several other trips prior to last year.  if you are going to Europe, I'd be more than happy to offer advice on trains or other tourism (assuming I've been to where you are going), just ask sometime.

No plans to go to Japan anytime soon, it isn't anywhere close to the top of my places I want to go list at the moment. 

Glad you like the photos.

[LandoverDivision]

You make it sound as if I just pack up and go abroad whenever I feel like it, LOL.  However, if you missed where I've posted it elsewhere, I was living in Rome from January through May of last year and traveled extensively during that time throughout the continent.  I had also been to Europe on several other trips prior to last year.  if you are going to Europe, I'd be more than happy to offer advice on trains or other tourism (assuming I've been to where you are going), just ask sometime.

No plans to go to Japan anytime soon, it isn't anywhere close to the top of my places I want to go list at the moment. 

Glad you like the photos.

I wish I did have that kind of power. Maybe during my years in college, I can go traveling. I wish I could go to China traveling from Beijing to Xian, from Xian to Shanghai (on their high speed trans) and go to Hong Kong from there. I'd probably end up in Europe though even though it might be better. I'm trying to get on London's double deckers too.