Trains and other things: Harrow & Wealdstone, Emmerich-Elten, Praest, Rotterdam

Today I'm leaving Birmingham and heading to Rotterdam, by train

At Birmingham New Street station I'm waiting for the train at the Avanti lounge

It takes about 1h 30 min to reach London

Breakfast is served

London Euston station

I have some time before my Eurostar train to Rotterdam, so I'm visiting some stations in London

Harrow & Wealdstone station at West Coast main line

The station serves slower regional trains

Underground and Overground

Also there are tracks for fast trains

Freight trains are using the line

British Rail Class 66

Freight wagons in UK look different from the European ones, they are more narrow

The containers however are the same

The line seems to be a busy one for freight traffic

Let's see if I see these containers tomorrow in the Netherlands/Germany

Bakerloo Line with London Underground 1972 Stock manufactured by Metro-Cammell

It's cozy inside

The platforms here are higher than the doorstep

South Kenton station

Willesden Junction station

Westfield London mall

Overground train

My last stop before my Eurostar train is at Alexandra Palace

British Rail Class 717 Desiro City[

Arriving at St Pancras

St Pancras Champagne bar - is not a cheap place to hang out at, but the view is great

Waiting hall at Eurostar

The new direct train London-Amsterdam is a nice alternative to flying

The train makes stops also at Brussels and Rotterdam

Arriving at Rotterdam Centraal

Next morning I'm at the station again, my hotel is just next to the station

A freight train is passing by, that is a good sign. I'm heading to a place where I'll see lots of freight trains

At Utrecht I'm changing to ICE train

The direct train between the Netherlands and Switzerland

Arnhem

A double set of ICE trains

Arnhem is the only town in the Netherlands with trolleybuses as I mentioned in my earlier posts

It's fascinating with all the wires needed for trolleybuses

I'm heading to the railway called Hollandstrecke

The Oberhausen–Arnhem railway (also known in German as the Hollandstrecke, meaning "Holland line") is a two-track, electrified main line railway running close to the lower Rhine from Oberhausen via Wesel, Emmerich and the German–Dutch border to Arnhem and forms part of the line between the Ruhr and Amsterdam. The line was opened by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company in 1856 and is one of the oldest lines in Germany. (Wikipedia)

On the German side it is a double track railway shared between freight and passenger trains, in the Netherlands it is connected with the freigt only "Betuweroute"

Unfortunately "Betuweroute" is hard to access for a photographer like me, so it is easier to takes pictures here in Germany close to the Dutch border. Later today, I will get to "Betuweroute" anyway...

Emmerich-Elten station

So far, only Class 189, Eurosprinter locomotives

Finally, a Traxx MS from Lineas

The high speed train can't reach it's maximum speed here, only 160km/h is permitted

193 379, MS Vectron 100

Nightjet Wien-Amsterdam

I can see the Netherlands from here

Vossloh G 2000BB

193 260, SBB International

The line here in Elten is indeed 25kV, which is unusual for Germany

186 154, Captrain

Next stop is Praest

189 097

186 508

186 422, RTB Cargo

Not only trains

Emmerich is the former border station

I have some competition here

"Das ist grün"

As promised, I'm heading to "Betuweroute", which can only be accessed via nearby non-electrified railway

I'm at Hemmen-Dodewaard

5 minutes walk, and I can see the railway

In November it's not getting better than this, with the weather

The natural fence

Betuweroute is built next to A15 (E31) highway

Heading back to Rotterdam

My hotel

Rotterdam is one of my favourite towns, even more beautiful in the dark

The police on bicycle

The harbour area is particularely nice

Erasmusbrug

Rotterdam Blaak station

On this particular day in November, the new Covid variant broke out, I'm not sure now whether it was Delta or Omicron. The new rules was put in force, allowing the restaurants only sell for take away