An interesting article from The New Yorker
Jun 25, 2018
Every Train Station in Ireland – 2018 IRISH RAIL
In under a week I will be starting my mini adventure of visiting every station in Ireland. Lets see how far I get! A little research before this to answer the question - What is Irish Rail?
What is Irish Rail
Irelands National Public Transport Service (Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE)) is a state-run corporation. This means CIE’s members are appointed by the Minister of Transport (in 2018 that is Minister Shane Ross). Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann (IE)) the national Railway company of the Republic of Ireland is one part of Irelands of CIEWhat does IE operate
IE provides passenger and freight rail services and also operates Rosslare Europort.InterCity (IC) services:
Intercity rail passenger services operate between Dublin and Belfast, Sligo, Ballina, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Ennis, Tralee, Cork, Waterford and Rosslare Europort. IE and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) jointly operate the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service.Regional (RE) Services:
The Limerick to Galway line, Cork commuter network including the Cork-Midleton line, Limerick Junction to Waterford, and Limerick to Ballybrophy (via Nenagh) services.DART: Operates between Greystones and Howth/Malahide, Commuter service in the Dublin area between Gorey, Drogheda, the new M3 Parkway line and Maynooth, as well as the commuter service to Kildare.
Statistics
2400 km of Track5100+ Bridges
1240 Level crossings
147 Open Stations
372 Platforms
14 Tunnels
Dec 29, 2015
Oliebollen in Dordrecht
Dordrecht located in the west of the Netherlands (just South of Rotterdam) was granted city rights in 1220 making it one of the oldest cities in Holland although its importance waned over the intervening centuries its beautifully preserved historic city and picturesque canals as well as it's hefty festival calendar makes this a must see city!
If you jump on an InterCity (IC) train from Amsterdam (€17.20 one way) you will get to Dordrecht in under 90 minutes. You can easily purchase tickets from www.ns.nl
Besides a nice ramble around the city centre 'binnenstad' to see one of the hundreds of monuments, at this time of year it is also nice to drop in to the Dordrechts Museum (and on a side note I do recommend the museum card if you plan to visit more than 2 museums during your holiday).
This painting is from the 1600's so eating oliebollen to usher in the new year is not only a nice and tasty tradition, but one that really makes you feel you are living in continuity with past Dutch generations!
Don't forget to check out the VVV Dordrecht website for info on what to do when in Dordrecht.
So Happy New Year I hope you get to visit Dorcrecht or at least have some Oliebollen to usher in the New Year!
If you jump on an InterCity (IC) train from Amsterdam (€17.20 one way) you will get to Dordrecht in under 90 minutes. You can easily purchase tickets from www.ns.nl
Besides a nice ramble around the city centre 'binnenstad' to see one of the hundreds of monuments, at this time of year it is also nice to drop in to the Dordrechts Museum (and on a side note I do recommend the museum card if you plan to visit more than 2 museums during your holiday).
There are so many gems in this museum but my favourite one (perhaps due to the
time of year) is a painting from the 17th Century by Dutch Painter Albert
Cuyp. You probably recognise the name if you have spent anytime in the
Netherlands. The painting is called 'Vrouw met schaal oliebollen' or
woman with pot of oliebollen.
This painting is from the 1600's so eating oliebollen to usher in the new year is not only a nice and tasty tradition, but one that really makes you feel you are living in continuity with past Dutch generations!
Don't forget to check out the VVV Dordrecht website for info on what to do when in Dordrecht.
So Happy New Year I hope you get to visit Dorcrecht or at least have some Oliebollen to usher in the New Year!
Dec 22, 2015
Paper Timetables
I know and hear from a lot of people out there that they would like to have a paper format of the timetables. The main train company here in Holland (NS) stopped making these some time ago, however they are still available and sell about 5000 copies per year here in Holland.
Last week the 2016 version was published. If anyone wants I can send a copy if find one left in the stores. It costs €10 and I can send one on for €15 + P&P if I can find one.
It is a proper book so it would cost a bit to post it abroad - as an alternative is just as easy to plan your trip with the online planners such as 9292.nl and the NS travel planners. This will be the topic of my next blog entry so keep an eye out for that!
Alternatively you can keep an eye out for it when you arrive in The Netherlands yourself - it can be found at the AKO or Bruna book stores.
Happy Planning and Happy travels
Dec 20, 2015
New NS website
Looks like there is a new look at the NS website! Also updated in English the new website offers a fresher appearance and it is now optimized for mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop use!
The thing I like best however is the plan your route page - which now also brings up a map! Nice one!
You can find the updated site here: http://www.ns.nl/en/new-ns.nl.html
OV Bike Price Increase
It looks like the cost of renting a bike from the stations (OV bikes) is set to increase from January 1st
The price today for a 24 hour rental is €3.15, this is set to increase by 20 cents to € 3,35.
The €10 subscription to the OV bike plan remains the same at €10 per year.
Don't forget that there is now a OV-bike checker APP in both the APP store and Google Play store, this allows you to check if a bike is available at the station or OV spot before you leave the house!
Happy biking!
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