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Konichiwa! I have been using a Japan Rail Pass to travel on the Shinkansen in the Green Car (premium class). I have done Tokyo -> Shin Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Okayama -> Himeji -> Kyoto -> Tokyo. It has been an excellent experience and I recommend it to all, but there is something strange going...

I need to go to Glastonbury on Sat-10-Jun, departing Paddington. Public transport seems limited... I don't mind paying for a cab from an appropriate station, but want to avoid (a) paying £100 return just for taxi and (b) arriving and finding that no transport is available. What is the optimum...

I need to get from Penrith to London on 14-May-22. With just over three weeks to go tickets are not yet available. Is this just because they have not finalised the timetable yet, or does it mean that they will not operate at all for engineering work? Many thanks in advance.

I understand from a friend who used to work at one of the TOCs (now retired) that with the launch of Great British Railways, DfT is most likely looking for experienced revenue managers from industry and I am tempted to put my hat in the ring. I reckon I would be a great candidate, with 14 years...

I am going to travel from London to Maidstone. Does 1ST on this route have a separate carriage, a separate compartment or is it just one of those ends of the carriage without even a door? If the latter I will travel STD but otherwise might pay for 1ST. Can anybody highlight a picture of what is...

If I get on a train at Newcastle and proceed non-stop to Edinburgh at what point do I have to stop obeying English law and start obeying Scottish law? Is it: (i) When I board the train (ii) When the doors close (iii) When the train leaves the platform (iv) When the train crosses the border...

I took a return trip from Newcastle to Darlington today, using VTEC in 1ST which offers free drinks. On the outbound drinks were served out of Newcastle but out of Darlington I went to the service area and asked the stewardess for a Coke, which was provided. But it made me wonder if any of the...

Consider the following scenario: (i) My Client is expecting me to buy rail travel and will strictly reimburse STD and not 1ST (ii) I pay GBP 100 for a STD Anytime Return (agreed with the Client) (iii) I then pay GBP 120 for a pair of 1ST Advance Singles (iv) I bill the Client GBP 100 - the...

When I first started travelling on GNER the 125s had what you might call a "brown" interior with table lamps. The 225s had a "grey" interior. "Mallard" interiors were introduced from late 2003 and are only just starting to be replaced now. The "Mallard" has lasted a respectable 13...

Why have VTEC retained monuments dividing the old smoking section from the rest of coach M following refurbishment? The smoking section is redundant and will never be used again, so I don't see what function these fulfil. :)

On Saturday I am going from Vauxhall to Bentley and then returning from Farnham to Vauxhall. But of course I cannot buy a return ticket on that journey and have to buy either two singles or a return ticket to Bentley, which costs GBP 1.60 more than Farnham. Essentially the railway is doing me...

The next generation of smartcard-enabled gates could have vertically mounted readers on both sides of the ingress as well as the top surface. This would allow passengers with a smartcard in their pocket to simply bump against the side rather than having to get it out and wave it around...

Yesterday at 4.21pm I was waiting for a friend to arrive at Pimlico station. A chap came up from the trains, jumped over the barrier and left the station. The member of staff on duty did nothing. What is TfL policy for events like this?

I took the 14.30 VTEC from King's Cross to Newcastle today. The good - the train arrived more or less on time and the Coca-Cola was chilled The bad - three triangles of the coronation chicken sandwiches had between them approximately three square centimetres of chicken The ugly - twenty...

So after my St Pancras to Sheffield yesterday it was time to leave the train. I was wearing a blazer, slacks, shirt and tie. And headphones. There was nobody behind me, so when I reached the door of the carriage I stood for a few seconds in the doorway, looking around for the exit. I...

The Valley Junction Indian restaurant at Corbridge station offers a 'curry train' service where you get on at Newcastle or Carlisle, have a drink and a starter on the train and by the time you arrive at Corbridge your meal is ready. Here is the link. Has anybody tried it? It sounds quite fun.

I am probably going to take an EMT operated service from St Pancras to Sheffield soon and am looking at the 8.56am departure. I note with interest from this page that there is a complimentary breakfast in 1ST but that all northbound services offer a light breakfast, with a full breakfast only...

I am inclined to convert GBP 50.00 of Nectar points to GBP 75.00 of VTEC travel under an Advance fare. But I do not see the mechanism for achieving this. Am I being dim or does this facility not exist yet? Can anybody see how to do it? Many thanks in advance! :)

I was pondering last night ... does the East Coast Mainline ever cross east of the prime meridian and enter the eastern hemisphere? I don't think it does, but am thinking that it just might somewhere between King's Cross and Peterborough. This question is just to satisfy my own curiosity, so...

I wonder if VTEC will mark their new franchise with a sale? I have a choice for some upcoming travel: i) book a 1ST Single at GBP 44.50 now and earn enough EC Rewards points for a "free" STD single, which I would use at a weekend and upgrade to 1ST with the GBP 25 supplement (total spend =...