Trivia: Interesting or unusual railway stations in other countries.

eastwestdivide · 23 Dec 2019

alex397 said:
...Is Hergenrath really a 'halt' station? We did stop there, but didn't notice anyone getting on or off there, suggesting it stops there anyway. Can't say I was being completely observant on my trip though.

Earlier this year, I caught the train at Hergenrath (cycled there from Aachen), and it's definitely not a request stop.
I don't think there's a definitive meaning for 'halt', other than 'very minor station' but at least in the UK not all 'halts' are/were necessarily request stops.

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duesselmartin · 23 Dec 2019

I guess from a German perspective it is a platform in a rail line with no points or any other facilities.
Most people would call it a station I assume.

scragend · 23 Dec 2019

Historically (in the UK) wasn't a "halt" just a term for an unmanned station? In the days when most stations were manned, so only small, infrequently used stations wouldn't have been.

Pakenhamtrain · 23 Dec 2019

MarcVD said:
Namur : a train station with a bus station on its roof (still under construction )

View attachment 70903

Box Hill here in Melbourne has a shopping centre above it with the bus interchange above that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Hill_railway_station,_Melbourne

Springs Branch said:
I

In the afternoon, the direction of travel on each line through the loop is switched. Now trains depart from Flinders Street, pick up punters from the underground Loop stations, then head out to the suburbs.

Not entirely. Of the 4 tunnels (Clifton Hill/City Circle, Caulfield, Burnley and Northern) The Clifton Hill/City Circle these days tunnel stays the same direction all day. The Caulfield Group tunnel is set to do the same in 2020 when the HCMT begins service.

Glenhuntly, Riversdale and Kooyong stations all have level crossings with trams.

d9009alycidon · 23 Dec 2019

Always found it a bit of an oddity that you can cycle from Brussels Central to Brussels Schumann faster than the train. According to Google, to cycle from one station to the other is 8 min (1.7km), the train loops north via Nord station and takes 13min

Fireless · 23 Dec 2019

alex397 said:
...Is Hergenrath really a 'halt' station? We did stop there, but didn't notice anyone getting on or off there, suggesting it stops there anyway. Can't say I was being completely observant on my trip though.

IIRC, the sole difference between a station and a halt in Belgium is that a station has ticketing facilities and a halt doesn't have them.
Hergenrath has ticketing facilities (http://www.belgianrail.be/en/stations-and-train/search-a-station/15/hergenrath.aspx), so it is a full-blown station according to the belgish definitions.

Yet, Hergenrath has rather low passenger numbers (24 passengers on weekdays, 73 on saturdays and only eight on sundays according to the 2015 passenger numbers) making users of the station a relatively rare occurence.

MarcVD · 23 Dec 2019

Hergenrath is, in belgian terms, a PANG, acronym for "point d'arrêt non gardé".

duesselmartin · 23 Dec 2019

I like the sound of PANG

Panceltic · 24 Dec 2019

70014IronDuke said:
That really is bizarre. I thought at first you had mixed up this line with that from Murska through Hodos (which was also lifted c 1950, AIUI, then relayed and reopened c 1999). I thought the land was quite hilly north of Lendava, and there is nothing there anyway. But I presume the line went to Redics, which is still open on the MAV network.

Since Prekmurje - this slice of present day Slovenia - and Croatia were controlled by Hungary until 1920, this would make sense (to a point).

I thought I'd noticed somewhere that passenger services had resumed, but I never checked it out. And what a service!
https://www.slo-zeleznice.si/images...-17-8-2019/811_maribor_pragersko_cakovec4.pdf

34 minutes for 23 km - ok, there is a Schengen border crossing, but that must take all of 5 minutes to clear.

As you say, two trains each way per day, only one of which appears to connect to anything at Cakovec. I mean, who on earth would catch these trains? Despite Prekmurje being the poorest area of Slovenia, every Janez and his Jelena has a car, probably two, and Cakovec isn't exactly poverty stricken these days. I wonder if the service is run to obtain EU funds? If so, it's a disgrace. I wouldn't mind betting these trains carry a grand nought passengers most days.

Yeah, the line went to Rédics in the past.

I am quite sure nobody uses these trains. There is practically no reason for anyone to travel from Lendava to Čakovec (or vice versa), and to use the connection to go somewhere useful like Maribor it takes 3 times as long as in a car (and also involves crossing a Schengen border twice).

There are many services like this on SŽ, maintaining a token service over the border, and with a total of approximately 5 passengers a year.

StephenHunter · 1 Jan 2020

Croatia has met the technical requirements for admission into Schengen and just needs political approval for it; that service might ramp up considerably once that happens.

70014IronDuke · 1 Jan 2020

StephenHunter said:
Croatia has met the technical requirements for admission into Schengen and just needs political approval for it; that service might ramp up considerably once that happens.

Have you been to Lendava or Cakovec? The service could be ramped up to 2 trains per hour averaging 60 mph start to stop for the working day if you like - I doubt you'd get more than one person per train. Lendava is a small town - popn 5,000 - 7,000 ? - on the edge of nowhere, and almost in another country. Cakovec is a small town - popn 5,000? - on the edge of nowhere and in another country (today). I suppose, in Yugoslav days, when few families had cars and when the oil refinery in Lendava was operational, there could have been some commuter passenger demand. Today, no way. Yes, there are always two-three Cakovec-plated cars in the Aldi supermarket in Lendava when I've called by - there is some cross border traffic - but it ain't gonna support any sort of rail service.

dutchflyer · 2 Jan 2020

Have been to Redics a few monthes ago at the HU side-it also has a narrow gauge line and it looked a bit like a ´Bad=Kurort´ but it very much was the end of the line. Went there as many of these once closed then reopened lines but with investment needed to keep them running are to be closed again. And it s free for me anyway there.
Prices just across borders inside the EU still can differ a fair bit-espec. on taxed items, as many Brits who just come for shopping fags+booze very well know. Interestingly this can even change when the yrs pass by_once CZ was cheaper as PL, but now its reverse-and so are the giant hypermarkets just along the border.

Catracho · 2 Jan 2020

70014IronDuke said:
Lendava is a small town - popn 5,000 - 7,000 ? - on the edge of nowhere, and almost in another country. Cakovec is a small town - popn 5,000? - on the edge of nowhere and in another country (today).

Lendava's population is around 11,000, Cakovec has around 27,000. Still on the edge of nowhere, though

2HAP · 2 Jan 2020

I've read the whole thread, and it's not been mentioned.

Noyelles-sur-Mer, Somme, France

Interchange with a heritage railway. Said heritage railway has two branches (to Le Croytoy and Saint-Valery Quai / Saint-Valery Ville then Cayeux-sur-Mer). Line between Noyelles-sur-Mer and the two Saint-Valery station is four rail dual gauge, with metre gauge laid within standard gauge. Makes for some very interesting trackwork.

lxfe_mxtterz · 2 Jan 2020

I've always had a considerable interest in Japanese railways (and even Japan as a country) because of how unusual and bizarre everything is. The stations are, of course, no exception. Here is a list of some of my favourites, with extracts taken from various websites and photos too - all of which respectively credited.

Doai

"In Gunma Prefecture a few hours north of Tokyo lies Doai Station, the deepest train station in Japan. With its platform located 70 meters underground from the entrance, Doai station has been a hot spot for many travelers looking for a spooky experience unlike anything else!

Functioning as part of the Joetsu Line that connects Niigata Prefecture area to Tokyo as it runs all the way to Ueno Station, Doai Station opened in December of 1936 with two platforms servicing the few trains that operate every day. In a recent census, it was discovered that the station still attracts about 22 passengers a day as of 2011.

One of the platforms is above ground in a very unassuming area just behind the main entrance. The other platform lies inside the Shimizu Tunnel that connects Niigata Prefecture to Gunma Prefecture.

In order to get to the Shimizu Tunnel, though, you will have to go down a total of 486 steps to reach the train platform.

As the station itself is in an area that is rather remote, it remains unmanned by staff, and visitors are free to enter the premises to explore to their heart’s content. However, please be aware that you will still need to pay to get on the train if you decide to jump aboard.

- JAPAN Forward

Photo by JAPAN Forward.

Photo by Makoto Saito.

Tappi-Kaitei & Yoshioka-Kaitei

These two stations are located in the Seikan Tunnel which connects the main Japanese island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido, but what I find really interesting is how narrow the platforms of both these stations are! Sadly, both stations are now closed, but here are some photos of the stations which put Wapping to shame!

Photo by The Japanese Stories.

Photo by Excite (Japanese).

Yes! Those are the platforms!

Okoba

"Located in a mountainous area surrounded by steep slopes, this station is famous as the only station in Japan to be equipped with both a zig-zag railroad track and a loop track. Inside the station are a stone water tower that used to supply steam locomotives with water and a water spring that was used by passengers and train staff to rinse off the soot that got on their hands and faces."

- Rakuten Travel

Here is an extract from Google maps which shows the "zig-zag" railway and loop track:

Of course, more about these stations (information and photos) can be found by searching up the name of the station you wish to research.

However, I'd like to share the tip about how searching using the station name using Japanese characters usually yields more photos (even if you can't understand the captions which accompany them!) To do this, you can simply copy the name in Japanese from each station's Wikipedia page.

Panceltic · 3 Jan 2020

lxfe_mxtterz said:
Tappi-Kaitei & Yoshioka-Kaitei

These two stations are located in the Seikan Tunnel which connects the main Japanese island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido, but what I find really interesting is how narrow the platforms of both these stations are! Sadly, both stations are now closed, but here are some photos of the stations which put Wapping to shame!

View attachment 72276

Photo by The Japanese Stories.

View attachment 72278

Photo by Excite (Japanese).

Yes! Those are the platforms!

This looks crazy. Surely you'd be blown away as the Shinkansen speeds through. As far as I understand, these two stations were built only as a temporary measure, but still it baffles me why anyone would have used them!

I am going to Japan this summer and I hope to visit Doai!

Cloud Strife · 3 Jan 2020

Panceltic said:
There is a railway station in Lendava (Slovenia), at the end of a short line leading directly into Croatia (3km away). It is not otherwise connected to Slovenian railway network.

In the past, the line continued north to Hungary (about 2km away) but this was lifted in 1945.

After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, this short branch was abandoned but in 2014 the train service resumed, and now there are 2 trains a day to Čakovec (Croatia) and back where connections are available towards other lines to Slovenia.

Yup, the whole intention is to provide access to Čakovec, which in turn provides onwards connections to Maribor, Ptuj, Varaždin and beyond.

I've done the connection from Ormož towards Čakovec and back, and there were only a handful of people on the train. Border control was relaxed (as is normal on the Slovenian-Croatian border these days), though interestingly, the Slovenian police are still conducting checks in Središče ob Dravi rather than in Čakovec.

70014IronDuke said:
As you say, two trains each way per day, only one of which appears to connect to anything at Cakovec. I mean, who on earth would catch these trains? Despite Prekmurje being the poorest area of Slovenia, every Janez and his Jelena has a car, probably two, and Cakovec isn't exactly poverty stricken these days.

I can answer this. From the Slovenian point of view, the purpose of these trains is that it provides a connection to Maribor, Ptuj and other destinations within Slovenia. It also gives a connection to Čakovec, which is still much more of regional importance than Murska Sobota - you only have to compare the two towns to see how much more developed Čakovec is. Furthermore, Varaždin is only 20 minutes from Čakovec, and that's easily much more of a draw than Ptuj.

Anyway, about strange stations - my favourite one right now is Przemyśl in Poland, which has separate domestic and international stations. Taking a train from the international station is quite oppressive, as you're kept in a narrow corridor after passing passport control. When they open up the international platform, it's always heavily guarded (and even more so on return) too. Brest-Central in Belarus also has passport controls within the station, although unfortunately for lovers of strange architecture, they demolished the previous horrific structure that provided a thoroughly unwelcoming first experience to the country.

Gag Halfrunt · 4 Jan 2020

Panceltic said:
This looks crazy. Surely you'd be blown away as the Shinkansen speeds through.

The stations were closed when the Seikan Tunnel was converted to dual gauge for the Hokkaido Shinkansen. The speed limit for Shinkansen trains inside the tunnel was initially 140 km/h but has been raised to 160 km/h.

AlbertBeale · 4 Jan 2020

[Deleted - I misunderstood the map I was commenting on.]

70014IronDuke · 4 Jan 2020

Catracho said:
Lendava's population is around 11,000, Cakovec has around 27,000. Still on the edge of nowhere, though

I did look up Cackovec's population after I (rashly) guessed. Wiki has the town itself as 15,147 - which is, I agree, three times my estimate. I trust your figure on Lendava without bothering to look it up. But let's face it, even with Murska's population thrown in, Prekmurje is hardly the economic heartbeat of Slovenia - even if it has produced some bright lights of humanity in its time - and some nice wine

70014IronDuke · 4 Jan 2020

Cloud Strife said:
Yup, the whole intention is to provide access to Čakovec, which in turn provides onwards connections to Maribor, Ptuj, Varaždin and beyond.

Except that it doesn't. If you look at the timetable I posted earlier,
https://www.slo-zeleznice.si/images...-17-8-2019/811_maribor_pragersko_cakovec4.pdf

it's clear that only one train, the 16.34 ex Lendava, provides even a modicum of a decent connection onwards. Even then, any passenger seeking to travel beyond Ormoz has to change a second time to arrive in Ljubljana at 20.31. Really? You can do it in 2 hours, half that time, from Lendava on the motorway, without any need to break the speed limit.
This train might, at a push, provide a commuter/school service out of Lendava, but the incoming morning train is far too late to cater for incoming passengers. So it really doesn't work.

Cloud Strife said:
I've done the connection from Ormož towards Čakovec and back, and there were only a handful of people on the train.

Sure. And this is on the 'logical' extension of the lines from Ljubljana/Maribor to Cakovec. A (limited) service that has been continuous since the break up of Yugoslavia. (More or less, I can't be certain about 1991 and the conflict times). It makes some sort of sense to take the train, at certain times of the day, from, say Ljubljana to Cakovec. But even Maribor to Cakovec is, well, very pedestrian. Maribor to Lendava via Pragersko, Ormoz and Cakovec? Forget it. It's about 50 - 60 km, or 45 mins door to door on the motorway.

Cloud Strife said:
Border control was relaxed (as is normal on the Slovenian-Croatian border these days), though interestingly, the Slovenian police are still conducting checks in Središče ob Dravi rather than in Čakovec.

Sredisce is closer to the geographical border line. Why would they go to Cakovec? The Slovene border police probably go to the station to check passengers on the trains when necessary, and then return to the road border to help the team out there.

Cloud Strife said:
I can answer this. From the Slovenian point of view, the purpose of these trains is that it provides a connection to Maribor, Ptuj and other destinations within Slovenia. ...

See above. It doesn't. The only possible justification for this service is political, ie it sends a (very token) message "Dear Lendava, Slovenia Railways hasn't forgotten you!" Ha!

But thanks to this thread, I'll try to do a trip to Lendava to sample the passenger demand on these trains at some time in the future.

Cloud Strife · 4 Jan 2020

70014IronDuke said:
I did look up Cackovec's population after I (rashly) guessed. Wiki has the town itself as 15,147 - which is, I agree, three times my estimate. I trust your figure on Lendava without bothering to look it up. But let's face it, even with Murska's population thrown in, Prekmurje is hardly the economic heartbeat of Slovenia - even if it has produced some bright lights of humanity in its time - and some nice wine

It's true that it isn't exactly the economic centre of Slovenia, but this might also reflect the reason why Slovenia is willing to run these services despite them being lightly used.

rf_ioliver · 4 Jan 2020

lxfe_mxtterz said:
Okoba

I was wondering where I'd heard about that station before ... took a while, but it was part of one of the routes supplied with the original Microsoft Train Simulator - always wanted to visit there

ScotsRail · 18 Feb 2020

Midnight Sun said:
This being 'Hell, near Trondheim in Norway. No point in temping fate.

I was in "Hell" last week, well passed through it, there isn't much there. A lot of the stations between Trondheim Lufthaven and Trondheim Sentral appear to be nothing more than small sheds and that's it.

Did manage a complete run on the worlds most northerly tramline from St Olafs Square out to Lian. Which in the snow had some nice scenic moments but a distinct lack of H&S in relation to iced up platforms.

Trivia: Interesting or unusual railway stations in other countries.

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