Travelling by train
Travelling by train – introduction and history:
The train is one of the biggest and most important inventions that man ever created. It’s an indispensable form of transportation for many people who travel daily to work or in other different places and for others is a way to relax, a journey from a city to another at different prices for all pockets. Every continent and country, every region has its own railway system and rules. In this article, we’ll try to help you understand what means a journey by train, but especially what you need to travel by train, how to buy cheaper tickets and many other journey tips to help you choose the right train journey.
The train, that form of transportation composed by many wagons connected in between and travels on rails is very different depending the purpose it was created. It can be a passengers train (classified in many categories) or a train to transport products (goods). The first steam train was invented by English man Richard Trevithick original from Cornwall in south-west England. The first journey on an average speed of 20 km per hour was made on 22 February 1804, but the first real railway was built in 1812 also in England. The highest speed reached by a steam train was 201 km per hour on 3 July 1938.
Later on, it was invented the diesel train around 1897 by German Rudolf Diesel who gave also its name. Then for many decades, people were still trying, but the first really helpful diesel trains who replaced the steam ones appeared only after the 2nd world war. However, this type of trains barely passed 100 km per hour. Later, diesel trains were also replaced by electric trains. The first of this type were built at the end of the XIX century, more exactly on 31 May 1879. During the XX century more and more countries adopted this type of electric train especially to transport passengers. In Romania, the electric train appeared only at 9 December 1965 on the route Predeal – Braşov.
In modern times, appeared more sophisticated inventions, so the train and journey by train suffered modifications. There were invented faster trains with a higher comfort, trains which included restaurant wagons or wagons with beds for sleeping if they were travelling on a long distance. In 1964, in Japan was opened the first speeding railway, called Shinkansen where trains even today run with over 250 km per hour and the maximum speed was 319 km. Also in the 60s, in France this time, it was inaugurated the high speed railway called TGV where was set the record of 380 km per hour making a journey from Paris to Lyon in about 3 hours. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) So, a bit later, countries like Germany, Spain, Italy or Belgium adopted this kind of high speeding trains.
We all live in a modern world where travelling by train is so important. We know very well what it means the time for travel which for many people is more important than the comfort or other facilities. If more than 100 years ago, the train had a speed of 40-60 km per hour, today many countries in the world adapted to the speed and built modern railways on which the train travels at a very high speed. Of course that meanwhile was raised the comfort, but also the price of a journey. To have a very pleasant journey at a low cost, you must be very attentive to several things.
Travelling by train – how to plan your train journey:
First, as much as you can you need to plan your journey in advance. You need to know exactly your destination and especially the one of the train because many times especially in the bigger countries there is the possibility that the trains will go one after the other. So, if you’re not attentive enough you could get the wrong train and you’ll regret. Every time before leaving home, but also before catching the train, it’s important to look at your train destination (on the boards everywhere you will see the final destination of that train) and then at the destination you want to arrive to see if that’s included in the train journey. We suggest you to check this because there are many trains which stop just a few times till they get to the final destination, so there are chances your destination not to be included.
Travelling by train – how to get cheap train tickets, discounts and offers:
In our opinion, one of the most important moments in your journey when travelling by train is buying the tickets. If you planned well in advance this moment, don’t wait too much and try to buy the tickets as much in advance as you can and you will get cheap train tickets. In this way you will benefit from the lowest prices you can get, prices you didn’t even expect at. Try to buy your tickets at least 3-4 weeks in advance (this will reduce the costs but you will also have your seats assured) and search on the internet because many of the railway companies today sell online tickets at better prices than the ones from the station. Usually you will get a minimum 10% discount for tickets bought online.
On the other hand, some companies offer a second discount (or just one depending the company) for the tickets bought for return as well, because in this way they know they have those seats occupied for the journey back. Usually even if these tickets are not discounted, buying a two-journey ticket well in advance will bring you big financial satisfaction. But be very attentive because there are many countries where buying in advance doesn’t offer you discounts, but only reserved seats. For many railway companies, tickets bought online in advance or the ones bought from the station on the day of your departure have the same prices.
Usually, most countries have different journey offers. The best when you plan your journey is to search carefully and patiently on the railway companies websites what offers they have. There are some countries which offer in the price of the journey also tickets to different tourist attractions or objectives, other countries will offer different travel cards and for those who travel often by train for sure there are discounts or passes to reduce the total monthly costs of your journeys. For most of the passes you will need to apply online or directly with the railway company. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) Usually train passes are split by age, some are for students, others for seniors (usually those over 60 will travel for free or discounted) and others for handicap or disability persons but there are also other types of passes.
Travelling by train – how to choose the right moment of your journey:
Another important thing which can affect your journey when travelling by train is the moment of your journey. In the high populated countries and cities there are at least 5-10 trains a day to travel towards your destination. So, the costs of a journey differ depending the moment of the day you travel. If you are not pressed by time and you can travel any time on the day, we recommend you to carefully look at every journey on that day and choose the cheapest one. Many railway companies will offer lowest prices between the hours where people usually don’t travel a lot (off peak) and the highest prices will be on the peak times. The cheapest journeys can be either early morning, later in the afternoon or in the evening.
Depending the time of your journey, prices differ in certain countries from an area and time period to another, regarding how that railway system is split and organised. For example in the United Kingdom if 3 quarters of your journey is made in the off peak times and the last quarter is made in the peak time, then you have the chance to pay the full price of your journey, like you traveled entirely in peak times. Together with the highest technology in the last years when almost everybody has a smart phone, it appeared also for many companies the possibility to pay by phone and you’ll get a bar code to scan before your journey. This way appeared more in the well developed countries.
Travelling by train can be for some of us an unimaginable pleasure and because there are so many places where just the train can get to, like the car in others. We talk here about countries with a predominantly mountainous relief. Countries like France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria in Europe, U.S.A or Canada in North America, Nepal, China or India in Asia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia or Argentina in South America and many others will offer you great sensations because some railways are built at high altitudes and will offer you the chance to see splendid landscapes and your journey can be an unforgettable one.
Travelling by train – how to choose the comfort and the right train:
For many of you, it counts the price when you choose to travel somewhere, but there are many people who choose the comfort. For this, trains were split in categories of 1st class and 2nd class, some with restaurant wagons or those travelling on large distance or overnight will have sleeping wagons and many other facilities. Of course, that choosing the comfort instead of a low price ticket will automatically increase the price of your journey.
So, our advice for a pleasant and cheap journey by train is to plan well in advance (where possible) and to buy the tickets minimum 3-4 weeks before your departure date or even earlier because the cheapest tickets will sell quickly. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) Also, we advise you to patiently search on the railway companies websites if they offer other types of discounts and don’t forget to check the route of the train and see if your destination is among the stops of that respective train. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey travelling by train!
Tips & Tricks
Remember: Plan your train journey even few months in advance when possible
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Check carefully before leaving for your holiday, the final destination of your train
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Also, double check if your destination is included into that train stops
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If no discounts are given for tickets bought online, remember to buy two-ways tickets and you’ll save a lot of money
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To get the cheapest tickets, search carefully on the rail websites before you go
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If you travel often on a certain train route consider buying a weekly or monthly train pass
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Remember: If you are retired, student or a child you could benefit from this
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If you can’t buy your tickets online, try paying by phone and go paperless
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Remember: Even if most of the times a great comfort means more money, there are situations when you pay the same price for a greater comfort
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Buy your tickets at least one month in advance and you’ll get the cheapest fares
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Don’t wait too much if you find good prices for tickets. Buy them straight away
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As much as you can, buy your tickets online and you can get good discounts
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Buying your tickets online will not only offer you the best seats and the cheapest prices, but you can also get minim 10% discount on some cases
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Remember: Check railway website for offers
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When checking online for tickets, see if some of them will offer you discounts to any attractions
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Avoid travelling during peak times or during weekends
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Instead, try to travel during off peak times or during the week when there are the lowest prices
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In some cities if you travel from one side of the city to the other, try to avoid travelling through the middle of the city, otherwise you could pay the whole fare
