Thanks

Die to privacy of people who are on camera I won’t tell the exact date, but it was on a Sunday in December.

How did you like these trains? I think they’re super comfy.

@ yes its ok but was surprised with one older we took. That was a good one

Sounds great!

Haha I really like to travel indeed and time wise this was somehow a good thing.

It is, they're just still waiting on certification for their Stadler FLIRT trains to be able to run in Latvia and that's taking a (very long) while. Last thing I read they're hoping to start the service in Summer(?) Anyways, for the time being the new synchronized express service to Valga is starting Jan 6 of 2025 so at least there's that.

I honestly think things can be improved on this as well. I’ve heard on some other KZbin channels that this train between Riga and Vilnius was also a challenge to get it started on the track because of Latvian authorities. Somehow I would have expected that the Skoda trains will be suitable for this route because you also fine them in Latvia (I think a big part of these trains can use both diesel engines and also electric overhead wires but I’m not sure about that). The electricity on the overhead wires in Latvia and Estonia is the same so this should make things easier for duo mode trains. Okay I really need to do some more research on this for the Tallin - Riga video. Thanks for the updates. Good information for the Tallin - Riga video.

@@Trainviking I guess it’s just the nature of bureaucracy to take its time! 😉 Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the process is as long - or even longer - in Estonia and Lithuania. The fact that cross-border certifications are relatively rare probably adds to the delays. It’s true that Estonia’s and Latvia’s Škoda trains are very similar under the hood, but unfortunately, none are equipped with diesel engines. These trains were intended to run on Riga’s commuter lines and Estonia’s regional and commuter routes (like Tallinn-Tartu and Tallinn-Narva), where electrification is already underway. So, while they are compatible with the electric infrastructure, they can’t help with routes requiring diesel power. Interestingly, the original plan was to include the Tartu-Valga stretch in the electrification of the Tallinn-Tartu line. Sadly, budget constraints delayed this. As a result, even after electrification is completed, trains running to Valga will likely remain Stadler FLIRT units. A nerdy detail: once the Tartu electrification is finished, it’s possible that a Valga-Tartu train could run on diesel and then couple with a Tartu-Tallinn Škoda train. This coupling approach is already common on the Tallinn-Tartu line due to high demand-trains are split on arrival, with one continuing to Valga and the other returning to Tallinn. On a more positive note, there's been news that Latvia’s passenger operator ViVi plans to rent Lithuania’s LTG Link train, which currently operates between Vilnius and Riga, and extend it to Valga. The Pesa 730ML model is already certified for use in Estonia, making it a neat interim solution. Unfortunately, extending this service to Tallinn isn’t feasible due to capacity constraints, but it’s still a significant improvement while we wait for the Tallinn-Riga connection. I know this is a bit of an infodump, but I hope there’s something here you’ll find useful for your video! 😏

TEP70BS+ K/P/SV? Are You kidding?

Actually I think things can be improved already without the rail Baltica by just having better connections and upgrade some tracks. Of course in some parts having a high speed line is great, in Poland a big part has been finished already but it is possible to have tracks on 2 different track gauges (I’ll refer to that in another future video for Vilnius - Warsaw and also in Spain I noticed this on some tracks, between Castellon de la Plana and Valencia, so It is possible to adopt the tracks faster and make travel easier, high speed line is great in some sections but should be the second step.

@@Trainviking I experienced the different gauges when I travelled by train from Poland to Ukraine in 2019. It was a little slow, which I didn't mind, and I really enjoyed that trip! 👍

Glad you mentioned that 👍 - I was also going to say something about "Lituthenia"... 🙂

Littleweenia is a cute name for a country though

Hahaha thanks for letting me know.

Absolutely I took that ferry. Although I have some videos on trains and connect that will be refurbished soon, so it might take a while before I’ll upload that video.

@Trainviking Looking forward to them. Happy New Year!

I saw some pictures of 3th class and it looks pretty nice to be honest. Making the same journey if the days are longer is really nice I guess.

Glad you liked it

Haha some of the newest videos will be automatically synchronised in other languages, i really need to be careful with my pronunciation.

You need a different ticket. Deutschlandticket is only valid on German railways. You can book online on the SNCB international website or App or use the SNCB ticket machine in Aachen.

Same to you

I honestly think busses do fit in the sustainable travel mix. Of course I prefer trains l, however busses do have a bad image what’s not worth it. I did one time earlier a domestic FlixBus in the Netherlands (mainly price concern, because it was cheaper than taking the train and if I can also shoot a video, why not?). However I really want to highlight some more busses in the future, the main focus will still be train (and occasionally ferry) though. For example the RegioJet busses between the Netherlands via Germany to Prague, those busses are actually great.

@@Trainviking I totally agree; we definitely need to break the social stigma against buses, as they are important to fill gaps in the railway network, as well as a cheaper alternative to the trains as you have pointed out. An example of complementing the rail network is the town of Keswick in the Lake District, which has no railway connections, but there are good bus connections from both Windermere and Penrith railway stations, with integrated ticketing such that you can buy a train ticket to Keswick that will be valid on those bus connections. We also have a PlusBus scheme for most large towns and cities around the UK, which is a discounted day ticket that can be bought for either the origin or destination (or both) of a train ticket (I think it only works for point-to-point tickets though), valid on all participating bus companies around the target town or city for the day you depart or arrive by train. This can often be a great way to save money on last-mile connections at the start or end of your train journey. However, I think you might have a better system in your country. Wales has largely improved their long-distance bus connections across the country over the past decade, which is much needed given the severe lack of railway connections across many parts (especially north-south connections), as they now have a fully connected network under the TrawsCymru brand. They even have a day ticket costing a little over a tenner, which is valid on the entire network, so it is perfect if you want to go from Wrexham or Bangor in North Wales to Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest or St Davids in South Wales within a day. One good route is to start in Cardiff, get the T4 to Newtown in the middle of Wales (this bus route is 4 hours long end-to-end and only a few buses a day go the full way, so I would recommend getting a bus as far as Brecon an hour before one that goes the full way, so you have a nice break especially given the lack of onboard toilets), followed by a T12 across to Machynlleth then a T2 all the way up to Bangor. There are plenty of other possibilities, so it is worth checking their network map.

Thank you, all the best for you as well.

@Trainviking you're welcome

Okay interesting system indeed. Might be interesting to check if you book the ticket indeed.

Glad I could help!

Well i've already got the info in d comment below btw 😂 so we can buy it on d spot (in ur experience) hope it will still d same...

It is near a tram stop so he’s on a crossing.

I’m at a tram stop indeed, and it’s also at a crossing. My girlfriend recorded me and could see traffic from my back and I could see traffic coming from her back.

Oh that’s not a good development. Hopefully this will be fixed, because toilets should work, period. To me having good functioning toilets on board of the train is very important.