Travel Tales with Fergal: Great train journeys of the world return in popularity

I can think of no other form of travel that conveys the nostalgia and romance of bygone eras than travelling by train on routes that were often built in the 19th century.

Travel experts are predicting the resurgence in popularity of trains as people become increasingly environmentally aware and seek out modes of transport to help alleviate carbon emissions.

The revival of train travel is both eco-friendly and avoids crowded airports and all the hassles that brings.

Train travel is part of the growing slow travel moment that encourages greener travel but also extols the virtues of making and enjoying the journey as much as the destination on a holiday.

Slow travel also means people will have more opportunity to immerse themselves in the local cultures with more opportunity to strike up a conversation with fellow travellers on trains and see awe-inspiring landscapes sail by through the window on the trip.

I have always loved the romance of long train trips since my college days when I got a night train from Munich to Prague in 1991 just after the Berlin Wall had fallen.

There is something magical about getting on a train at night in one country and arriving in the morning in a completely new country and culture.

I love the bustle and noise of the terminal at night and the anticipation when the poster sounds for the doors to be closed and the screech of the wheels as you set off.

We spent the night chatting to people about life in the newly opened eastern Europe.

The excitement and a little trepidation when the Czech border guards came on to check our tickets and passports.

Then the exhilaration of arriving in the centre of Prague and having locals waiting at the train doors with offers of accommodation. I was hooked after that trip.

The most exhilarating and comfortable way to see countries like India is often by train. You really get to see every aspect of the personality of that country on a train trip.

From the chaos of the stations where it takes a lot of patience to find the right place to book your seat and then find your train.

But once you have weaved your way through the crowds to finally get on the train, you then see the country in all its glory.

I have had some wonderful experiences travelling on trains in India where I found the Indian’s always wanted to know your story and tell you theirs and practice their English.

I have experienced families lay out full home cooked meals and insisted I join them. I also loved how local food sellers with snacks and hot chai would come on the train at every stop.

If you love meeting and chatting to locals, then the train is for you in India. Indeed, this is true of most trains in most countries.

My most memorable trip was on the famous Toy Train from Kalka to Shimla with a narrow gauge track that gave the old rail line its name.

The colourful carriages of red, blue and green climbs relentlessly from 640m to 2060m into the Himalayas through 107 tunnels and crossing fast-flowing gorges to Shimla.

Shimla was the old summer capital of the British empire. Shimla is like an old Victorian village in the mountains where Lord Mountbatten signed over India to Gandhi.

I had other unforgettable train trips through Rajasthan passing Mughal cities like Jaisalmer with ornate places like something drawn for a Disney movie. But really any train trip in India will be remembered forever as it will surely be full of incidents, discoveries, exotic landscapes and chats with inquisitive, friendly locals.

A great trip I would recommend is the Maharajas' Express which is a week-long route from Mumbai to Delhi that takes in the highlights of Rajasthan, including the Amber Fort in Jaipur and the Taj Mahal.

The train is an emblem of classic Indian design with hand-carved furniture, richly coloured fabrics and spacious cabins with full-size twin and double beds.

Many of my guests on the Travel Tales with Fergal Podcast have chosen train trips as some of their most cherished travel memories.

My guest Panti Bliss, who is Ireland’s most famous drag queen, talked about an epic trip after college over land to Tokyo in 1990 just as the Soviet Union was collapsing.

He talks of the magic of taking the Trans-Siberian Express train from Moscow through Siberia and Mongolia to China just before the communist east opened to the west.

The trans-Siberian Express is one of the world’s most legendary train odysseys over 9,800km linking Moscow with the country’s far eastern Pacific coast.

Stops include the relaxed, Mongol-Buddhist city of Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk — the gateway to the shores of Lake Baikal — and a visit to the Romanovs’ final hiding place in Yekaterinburg.

The renowned Irish travel writer Manchan Magan also spoke on the podcast about his decision to give up flying for ecological reasons.

“This is not a necessary time for everyone to give up flying. But as a travel writer, it was vital that I stopped flying and encouraging other people”.

Manchan Magan plans to begin an extensive series of train journeys to explore the feasibility of train travel throughout Europe.

“The next few years are going to be pivotal, as everyone on this island reassesses the unsustainable way of life we’ve been leading and dares to dream up new alternatives”.

“I'm just so excited about exploring Europe and further afield by train. I just love where one's mind goes to and that slow pace. But really the slower we go, the more we see, the more we encounter, and the more meetings with new people we have. I have so many happy memories of places like India when you’re on the train. You meet other families, and they share food, and you end up talking and you don't do that on a plane”.

If you have some spare time and love train travel then the longest train journey is the 11,654 miles new route from Portugal to Singapore taking in Paris, Moscow, Biijing and Bangkok and it takes 21 days to complete.

If all this train travel has whetted your appetite then check out the website www.seat61.com which has been a great resource for itineraries and practical information for over 20 years.

You can listen to the Travel Tales with Fergal Podcast episodes of Manchan Magan and Panti Bliss on all podcast platforms. The website is https://shows.acast.com/travel-tales-with-fergal