Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Vacation Pictures - And Now, Trains

I didn't see a need to rent a car while I was in Germany, as it boasts an excellent public transportation system. I can safely say that the boasts are well-justified. I traveled in buses, subways, commuter rail, trolleys and intercity rail, and was impressed by their efficiency, speed and punctuality.
Makes me wonder why we can't do that here.
Anyway:

This is the cog railway car (Zahnradbahn) that takes tourists up to and into the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in the county. The terminal is under the Sonn Alpin restaurant on the 2600-meter level (which puts it on the glacier on one of the mountain's shoulders).
A commuter rail train of a newer sort. All the trains were electric drive and very quiet. These trains link the city's main rail station with the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, and it'll cost you only about $12 (as opposed to renting a car or taking a taxi).

A commuter express. This one took us back to Munich from Dachau.

This is one of the Interregio trains, that links Bavaria with the other German states as well as with other countries. This one had an endpoint in Strasbourg, France.

And now, trolleys! These streetcars are used extensively. They're reasonably priced and I spotted three models of various ages:


What this!?

A train named BOB!?
Yes indeed. Deutsche Bahn (DB) isn't the only game in town; this train is operated by Bavarian Overland Rail. I also saw a cooperatively owned train named Alex.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home