The Chinese understand rail and how trains can move people – a lot of people – quickly and efficiently. We arrived in Beijing at a grand old rail station with some 30 trains appearing on the constantly-changing departure board, all scheduled to depart at varying times in just the next 120 minutes. First order of…
So far, Mongolia has been the biggest surprise of this journey, perhaps even the highlight. And without question, the most exhilarating experience in Mongolia occurred when we attended a performance by the Mongolian National Orchestra. There were a few western instruments in the back rows, but almost all of the musicians were performing on traditional…
As Congress persists in providing Amtrak with bare-bones support, the railroad struggles on, doing its best to keep old equipment running and all the while serving more and more people. This past May Amtrak carried 2.6 million passengers. It was the 19th consecutive month that ridership has increased and projections are for record numbers to…
For most rail enthusiasts, the Trans-Siberian Express – covering 5,753 miles from St. Petersburg through Moscow to Vladivostok – is the ultimate train travel experience. It’s certainly been on my must-do list for years. In less than two months, I’ll be taking off for an extended rail journey and a version of the venerable Trans-Siberian…