Lmst

The #EuroCity Transalpin from Zurich to Graz is always worth a ride, regardless of the colour of the dining car. Crossing the Austrian Alps is beautiful, even if you're not sitting in the panoramic carriage. As far as I know, this will be the only remaining loco-hauled Swiss daytime EuroCity from 2026 onwards. (2/2)

A sun-illuminated mountain with rocky slopes, Tyrolean style buildings on the green valley floor, a white cloud partly hiding the tip, blue sky

Mountains with forested slopes, a thin layer of snow on the conifer trees and small patches of grass, some buildings on the shore of the lake, grey sky reflecting in the lake

A conifer forest with thin layers of snow sits on a mountain, grey sky

An ÖBB 1st class long-distance car and an SBB panoramic car seen at an island platform in Leoben station, people preparing for boarding the train, forested hill slopes and blue sky in the background

Saying goodbye 👋 to the ÖBB @diningcar on my beloved #EuroCity Transalpin (Graz-Zurich) with 🌱 black lentils and mushroom dumplings. Despite the new Interregio concept in the Austrian Alps, the Transalpin will continue to operate in 2026. However, the ÖBB dining car will disappear with timetable change. Having both an 🇨🇭 SBB panoramic car and an 🇦🇹 ÖBB dining car on this scenic route was pure luxury. Instead, a (subsidised) SBB restaurant car will be part of the train. (1/2)

Two dumplings and black lentils on a rectangular plate on a sun-illuminated table with a white cloth and a menu on the table, people sitting at the tables in the background, snow-covered hillslopes passing by

Inside a dining car, tables of four with white table cloths and menus on it, black leather chairs, sun-illuminated hill slopes with trees and thin layers of snow passing by

View into the panoramic coach, grey seats in 2+1 vis-à-vis configuration, bended windows, white ceiling panels

lars' transport world boosted:

#Eurocity #Zürich 🇨🇭 - #Bologna 🇮🇹 will be extended to #Zürich 🇨🇭 - #Firenze 🇮🇹, all year long.

EC 37: Zürich HB 14:33 - Firenze SMN 21:30
EC 30: Firenze SMN 07:50 - Zürich HB 15:27

https://www.gazzettadiparma.it/parma/2025/11/25/news/dal-14-dicembre-leurocity-da-zurigo-cambia-orari-e-arriva-a-firenze-da-parma-per-la-svizzera-partenza-alle-10-10-arrivo-dalla-svizzera-alle-19-28-908227/

#Fahrplan2026

On 14 December, the Swiss standard-gauge network will become slightly more monotonous. The Chemins de fer du Jura #CJ are ceasing passenger operations on their only standard-gauge line Porrentruy–Bonfol, which only serves the two intermediate stops of Alle and Vendlincourt. The line will be served by SBB Flirt trains operating (Delémont–) Porrentruy–Bonfol. I took a farewell tour of the line on this grey, cold Sunday afternoon. There are still a few days left for anyone who wants to do the same.

A trainset consisting of a CJ class RBDe 567 motor coach with a low-floor intermediate and a control car is waiting on its departure at Porrentruy. The livery is red with a white horizontal strip underneath the windows and white doors. A drawn horse consisting of white contours is displayed underneath the driver window.

Interior of the CJ class RBDe 567 motor coach, dark-gray vis-à-vis seat benches with foldable armrest in the middle, white wall and ceiling panels, grey-silver partition to the vestibule, two screens above the door, left one showing the stops

A trainset consisting of a CJ class RBDe 567 motor coach and a control car on one of two tracks before a small train shed with gabled roof, another CJ trainset waiting on one of two modern tracks passing the train shed, grey sky

🥁🥁🥁 🔊 "Next stop: Zurich Main Station. This is the terminal of #BlankSpots. Lars is kindly requested to leave the train."
#BlankSpots was a great pleasure and by far the longest trip I've ever made. 😍 I'm glad I managed to document the whole journey here. Thank you very much for reading and interacting! (16/16)

Last two coaches of an SBB ICN leaving Zurich Löwenstrasse, anthracite platform, golden ceiling panelling, Swiss station cloxl showing 12:03

For those of you interested in the statistics of #BlankSpots...
🏳️: 🇸🇪🇬🇧🇵🇹🇫🇮🇨🇮🇪🇦🇫🇷🇸🇯🇩🇪🇧🇪🇪🇪🇩🇰🇳🇱🇨🇭
🌙: 89
🏩/🏠: 50
🚂: 170 / 23,882 km
💶: #Interrail Continuous 3M, 1st class, promo €918
🚅💺: 37 / €360 (Eurostar, Renfe, SJ...)
🚌: 30
🛳️: 7
📸: 2,929
🫎: 0
🐍: 4
(15/16)

A map of Europe, "#BlankSpots, @larstransportworld, July-October 2025", route in different colours: dark blue: Zurich-Edinburgh-Inverness-Fort Wiliam-Oban-London-Manchester; blue: Manchester-Dublin-Sligo-Galway-Bray; turquoise: Bray-Birmingham-Lille-Antwerpen-Kiel-Jönköping-Umeå-Luleå-Abisko-Narvik-Tromsø; green: Tromsø-Rovaniemi-Tallinn-Jyväskylä-Iisamli-Jakobstad-Vaasa-Umeå-Kristinehamn-Södertälje-Borås-Norrköping (including a lot of #Streckensammeln); yellow: Norrköping-Tingsryd-Hamburg-Zürich-Clermont-Ferrand-Zarautz-León-Ortigueira-Vigo-Porto; red: Porto-Coimbra-Lisboa-Faro-Lisboa-Badajoz-Girona-Avignon-Évian-les-Bains-Zürich; OSM background map

@lionelb Indeed. I was very pleased with the photo, as it wasn't planned.

Of course, not everything could be reached by train. Buses and boats were also included in #BlankSpots. I always found them a little tricky, as every bus system has its own ticket system and checking in for a ferry is always different. And despite my small fear of boats, I enjoyed some very scenic journeys by road and sea. (14/16)

View through the bus window: A huge rock with a flat top, some houses and bushes in front

Oncoming red double decker bus not in service, red double decker bus in the opposite direction as line 19 at dusk, oncoming bike in front, historical buildings with cupolas in the background (edited image: number plates removed)

A white coach with a horizontal orange "S" on a paved area, an "Esso" gas station behind it, two mountains in the background, one with snow on the top

View of the sea, a ship in the distance, a rain front covering the sight of the shore

As trains can be beautiful, I tried to capture some trains on my #BlankSpot trip. Here are another four of my favourite pictures. 😍 (13/16)

A SJ X55 Regina class EMU on a straight track, a harvested but still yellow appearing cereal field in front, a green meadow and a forest in the background, dark-grey clouds, sun-illuminated front of the train and foreground

A CP class 0450 DMU in a right bend along a promenade, sea on the left, sun setting, yellow-red appearing sky, prominent catenary

An oncoming three-car Elron Flirt EMU on a straight track from left to right, a forest in the background, a meadow in front, blue sky with clouds

A Norrtåg X11 class EMU on a slightly bended track, a forest in the background, a trail parallel to the tracks, blue sky

As trains can be beautiful, I tried to capture some trains on my #BlankSpot trip. Here are four of my favourite pictures. 😍 (12/16)

Scene just after sunset, black contours of bushes, reeds and catenary masts in the yellow-orange sky, an oncoming CP class 0450 DMU with two white headlights

A VR Intercity with six double-deck coaches and Sr2 locomotive on a single-track line, a yellow cereal field in front, blue sky with some white clouds

Two oncoming coupled DART 8100 class EMU on a bended track along a rocky and green coast line at dawn, some rocks in the sea

A black Tågab Rc locomotive pulling five silver-red retro passenger coaches, a harvested but still yellow appearing cereal field in front, a green meadow and a forest in the background, dark-grey clouds, sun-illuminated picture

@siegeavecvue It's worth it. 😊

Of course, #BlankSpots confirmed my preference for open rail systems without (mandatory) seat reservations like in 🇧🇪, 🇳🇱 or 🇩🇰. It was much more fun to travel spontaneously without worrying about trains selling out.
Even when booking your seats for your #Interrail Pass, the differences are huge:
- 🇬🇧🇨🇮: it's for free
- 🇸🇪🇩🇪: choose your seat in our own booking system
- 🇫🇷🇪🇦: book online, but it costs a lot and we often check before boarding
- 🇫🇮: call us
- 🇵🇹: come to the ticket desk
(11/16)

A waiting hall in a Spanish station, a Renfe desk with two Renfe staff members (anonymised) talking to each other behind the fenced off access to the platforms

Reservation paper slip with text:
"Reserved
Class | Coach | Seat
2 A 16A
To direction of travel, between MALLAIG-FORT WILLIAM
Please DO NOT remove this label or you may be charged a penalty fire of £200.
You may also be charged a penalty tara of £50 for unauthorised occupation of this seat."

Interior of the coach, 2+1 configuration, white plastic seatshells, blue seat covers, green curtains

Sometimes, quirky and nerdy trains were included in #BlankSpots. These were particularly unsystematic services, absurdly low service levels on long-distance lines, incredibly comfortable regional trains, or just bizarre rolling stock. Needless to say, these preferences are sometimes in strong contrast to my professional opinion. 😅 (10/16)

A Renfe FEVE class 529 railcar on a short concrete bridge spanning over a roundabout with red and pink flowers in the midfle, a residental block on the left, a palm and bushes with signposts on the right, blue sky with clouds

Slightly bended subway station, a narrow grey, island platform with three people on it, a train on the right side, white wall panelling

Steel framework bridge, vanishing point centred, illuminated middle part of the bridge in the background

Three silver-red coaches, a black locomotive at the end of the train, platform under construction, platform indicator "Ankommande tåg från Kristinehamn"

Sometimes, also #Streckensammeln was disguised with #BlankSpots. I am not particularly interested in travelling on every track and heritage railway, but I like the feeling of having experienced the regular rail services and their lines. (9/16)

Two trains on separate tracks, the Krösatågen X11 class EMU "Carl Petterson" in front and a Västtåg X50/X52 Regina EMU in blue-silver livery at the platform in Nässjö

A SL Pendeltåg EMU at platform in Södertälje centrum at night

A SNCB class AM96 at the platform in Lille-Flandres, a TER with Piccardie livery behind, the roof covering the majority of the platforms in the background, blue sky

As you may know, the aim of #BlankSpots was also to take picturesque train trips themselves. Someone once told me that I never look more relaxed than when I'm enjoying a train ride. 🫢 (8/16)

Interior of a modern train, anthracite-grey pattern on the seat covers, sand beach and sea passes by

Lateral view of three train windows, red seats, dry grassland, wide valley, a forested hill in the background, clouds and light-blue sky

A plate with pasta on a lateral small table in front of a window, blurred heathland with trees outside, seen behind waterdrops

#BlankSpots involved visiting beautiful places and in Europe that take a long time to reach by train from my Swiss home. It was my first time in Scotland, Ireland, Estonia and Portugal. Unsurprisingly, it proved to be absolutely worth it! (7/16)

A roofless castle tower on a small herbaged plateau, sea with islands in the background, grey sky

A castle on a green cliff, seawaves break on the rock slabs sloping down into the water, grey sk

A plank path through a scandinavian forest, a lake is visible behind the trees

An elongated island seen from a mountain across above, the shore in front, anothet island with a mountain in the background, the middle island is almost fully developped, a high bridge connecting it to the shore in front, low clouds, grey colours, sun illuminated island in the background

Nevertheless, as you've probably noticed, I couldn't resist sharing some charming scenes of the old towns from my #BlankSpots trip. (6/16)

Historical buildings in a pedestrianised cobble stone lane, illuminated pubs with flowers and small trees in front, ireland flags hangig on a rope stretched over thr lane, dawn

Skyline of the medieval town at dawn, city wall, three towers with conical, one with angular sloped roof, a church, roofs of historical buildings on the right, trees on the left, sea in the background

A pedestrianised lane with cobblestone, small shops and restaurants at the ground floor, historical buildings in different shades of red and yellow, light-blue window shutters

A narrow lane with a single track, historical buildings with white or yellow façades, sun-illuminated façade of a white building in the back and a white church tower

However, I decided not to post about the overly touristy destinations of #BlankSpots, as they are well-known enough. This made me think about overtourism, which I have experienced in many places. I try to reduce my global impact by avoiding air travel and animal-based products. However, my local impact remains the same on site. I am one of (too) many. This is also why I sometimes opt for smaller, lesser-known destinations. (5/16)

"STAYING OVERNIGHT IN CAMPERVANS

Whilst the majority of campers are responsible, the rise in popularity we are experiencing here is unsustainable If you do stay, please do not promote the site on social Media etc.

Thank you!"

Tourists on a cliff with sand and grass, sea in the back

Lateral view of the Glenfinnnan stone arch viaduct in front of a hill slope, trees in front of it

Why am I posting about my #BlankSpot trip here? It involves a lot of work, though! Well, partly because I want to encourage people to travel by train. It's a great, ecofriendly way to travel. I'm well aware that I have a lot of time now, and as someone living in Switzerland, I'm in a good position to begin with. However, discovering intermediate regions is a great part of it in any case. In addition, I hope that those who already travel by train a lot could take away some new inspiration. (4/16)

Lateral view of 2+2 vis-à-vis seating in a DSB IC3, a table with foldout elements, the sun shines through clouds and the window on the table

Lateral view of a train window from inside, sunlight on the olive-green seats in the 2+2 compartment, sea and light-blue sky outside

Lateral view of a train window, marshland, trees with some yellow leaves in the background

Lateral view of a train window, two seats on the left and the right of the window, rich green pasture with two trees, forested hillslope in the background, blue sky

Apart from the first three weeks, #BlankSpots was booked more or less spontaneously, bearing in mind my 'must-dos'. I would do it the same way again, even though I couldn't fit in everything I wanted to do, such as visiting Eastern Europe. But my FOMO would have kicked in anyway — you can't fit everything into three months. And sometimes, fully booked trains or overpriced accommodation offered the opportunity to visit beautiful places I hadn't heard of before. (3/16)

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