The grand tour. Day 18. Innotrans wraps up.

25 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

Tags

Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

Today’s the last day of the Innotrans trade fair and I’m back on site for a few hours just to wrap up a few more internal shots of some of the trains. The weather’s overcast and we’ve had more rain overnight, so it’s been ideal conditions for such shots. Now i’m spending a bit of time in the media centre editing pics and planning the next part of my trip which will see me heading to Dresden for one night before returning to Berlin in order to spend an evening with a friend. the next day I’ll be travelling overnight to Zurich in Switzerland, my 10th country on this trip.

I’ll be blogging more later, but first I’ll leave you with a couple of those internal shots from this morning.

This is the most luxurious train of the show. Stadler’s Flirt Nordic Express EMU.

1st Class has some very luxurious reclining seats.

There’s a family coach which even has a Wendy house with slide!

In contrast, here’s details and the interior of CRRC’s commuter Vellink EMU.

1340.

Having done what I wanted to at Innotrans I left by midday. There were lots of things I bever got to see (or photograph) but that’s just the way it is – the show’s so vast! Now I’m exploring railways in the ‘wild’ so to speak. First stop was Spandau, which has a great selection of Intercity, regional and local services passing through.

16;55.

I left Spandau on an ICE that took me over new lines to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. It was far quicker than relying on the S-Bahn. From the HbF I headed East to a favourite location of mine, Warschauer Straße. it’s a busy station on the S-bahn. Terminus of the historic U1 line as well as a tram route. Oh, there’s also a Talgo train depot! I’ll add pictures as soon as I can. Now I’m abandoning Berlin before the rush hour ro head to Potsdam for a while to pick up some shopping and breakfast for the morrow. Werder (where I’m staying) is lovely, but shopping is limited to say the least.

Seen from the overbridge at Warschauer Straße, an S-bahn train passes another in the stabling sidings.

The dome of St. Nicholas Church in Potsdam this evening.

Potsdam still operates some of the the old Tatra (Czech built) trams which were a staple of the old Eastern bloc countries.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 17. Innotrans day 4.

24 Thursday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Siemens, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, europe, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

Yesterday things didn’t quite go to plan due to the weather staying sunny all day. That and massive crowds of people meant that the idea of getting decent internal shots of some of the new trains for the Nordics, Austria and the UK went out of the window. I spent most of my time trawling the halls for interesting things to photograph instead.

Today’s different. we had rain overnight and the skies remain cloudy, so I’ve made a start at getting pictures. Innotrans will quieten down a lot today – as you can tell by the amount of suitcases left in the luggage area in the main foyer! This afternoon I’ll be heading out to Spandau for a couple of hours on a press trip with Siemens to have a look at an autonomous train they’re testing.

In the meantime, here’s a new selection of pictures from yesterday and today, including from an event this morning when Siemens handed over one of the new London Underground trains to Transport for London.

Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility presents a momento made from the same material as the trains to Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London.

Inside the new tube trains for the Piccadilly line.

Hyundai Rotem unveiled this striking new high speed train model.

Two new OBB Railjet trains were on show, one from Siemens and one from Stadler. This is the interior of the 200kph Stadler KISS

I’ll be adding more later…

21:45.

A small update as it’s been yet another very busy day. Thanks to Siemens a few of us got to ride on and learn about theur autonomus train project. It’s an interesting idea that’s been three years in development. It’s also worth a blog in its own right because it’s a complex project. Here’s the train out at Spandau. Observant eyes may notice that this is the Mireo that aas bult as a hydrogen powered train.

Now it’s days end and I’m kicking back at my villa in Werder. I’ll be back at Innotrans for the final day first thing tomorrow as I have a lot of interesting pictures to add, which include the excellent new train for Norway, which is being built by Stadler.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 16. Innotrans day 3.

23 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

I’m back at Innotrans this morning on a lovely crisp and sunny day. In fact, for some of what I want to do it’s just too sunny! I’ve been concentrating on outdoor shots and mooching around the vast number of halls here. But there’s some really exciting new train interiors to take a look at and photograph, but that’s best done on quieter days and when the sun isn’t streaming through the train windows. As the weather’s due to cloud up later today that’s what I hope to do. In the meantime, here’s a few more pictures form yesterday.

People flood off the S-Bahn at Messe Sud on their way into Innotrans. There will be more than 300,000 people attending over the course of the event.

As well as real trains there’s plenty of models too – like these 400kph Chinese bullet trains from CRRC.

The UK had its own pavilion here at Innotrans, but other British companies could be found elsewhere too – like Rosehill polymers from my own town of Halifax, West Yorkshire!

The world’s press and media are out in force at Innotrans. We have a base to work from in hall 6.3.

At the end of day 1 some company’s lay on a free bar and food for people attending the event. this is the bar at Fraauscher (part of Wabtec)

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 15. Innotrans day 2.

22 Tuesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

Today Innotrans opens its doors to the world’s rail industry and the madness begins as 1000s of people flood in to look at what’s on offer. Enormous amounts of shoe leather will be expended over the next few days as people tramp the halls or view the outdoor exhibits. I’ll be blogging on and off throughout the day as I visit old friends and colleagues from various companies whilst catching up on new technologies.

Some of the stands here are huge (and expensive). Stadler’s is mid-range…

Dual power locomotives are much on show at the moment. Here’s CZ Loko’s ‘dual shunter 2000’ which rather puts the humble British Class 08 to shame…

14:25.

It’s only early afternoon and I’ve already banked 17,000 steps today! Here’s a few more pictures for your delectation.

Siemens have several stands here but their main one’s the size of a village!

Looking down on the main outdoor exhibit area.

I‘ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. day 14. Innotrans press opening, Berlin.

21 Monday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Travel

11:50.

Hi ho, hi ho – it’s off to work I go…

Having been up early again I’m now at the enormous Innotrans rail trade fair, waiting for the official opening. I’ll be blogging throughout the day and will attach pictures as soon as I can…

A late exhibit? A Db bi-mode class 249 approaches Messe Berlin…

Dirk Hoffmann, the COO of Messe Berlin officially kicks off the event to the world’s media. A bit of an embarrassing event for the British as the UK’s Rail Industry Association (RIA) had sponsored a table, but no-one from RIA turned up!

14;30.

I’ve spent the past couple of hours getting a preview of some of the rolling stock on display outside in the yard. It’s been challenging due to the untypical Innotrans weather, which has treated us to high winds and stormy skies. Here’s a few pictures.

The only train on show that relates to the UK is this Piccadilly line tube train for London Underground. The majority of the fleet will be built in Goole, Yorkshire.

Stadler are exhibiting the world’s first narrow-gauge hydrogen powered train they’ve built for Sardinia.

Innotrans isn’t all about sexy passenger trains or heavy freight locomotives, Track machines like this one from Spitzke are an important part of the show.

This is the ‘Vellink’ from Chinese builder CRRC. Or the ‘goldfish bowl’ as I’ve christened it.

The site is organised chaos at the moment as an army of Carpenters, Electricians and others frantically work to compete the 1000s of stands ready for the event’s opening tomorrow at 10:00.

You’ll be able to find the full gallery of photos by following this link to my Innotrans gallery, which features the event going back as far as 2008.

18:45.

Having covered a lot of stuff during the press preview I called it a day and headed into town with the idea of visiting some old haunts around Alexanderplataz to have a beer before going home. it wasn’t to be. Alexanderplatz station is a building site. All the shops and bars are empty as DB rebuild the station and the main lines above, leaving the -Bahn ridiculously crowded. I was gutted as I have fond memories of the ‘Alkopole’ bar which was where a lot of us met up over the years, not to mention that Thai noodle bar which used to keep us fuelled. Admittedly, it’s early days, but I’m beginning to wonder if Berlin isn’t loosing some of its funky edge. but then I’ve been coming here for over 20 years so the place is bound to change, and not that every change is for the worse.

One thing I’ve been fascinated by is something I’ve seen in a couple of countries now. Places in supermarkets where you can get cash back for recycling bottles and cans. Many EU countries charge you a small deposit (around 10 cents). If you’re rich enough and can’t be arsed you discard your cans and bottles, which are then ‘Wombled’ by those less fortunate who convert them to cash. Its serves two purposes. It keeps the place tidy – unlike the UK, which is littered with litter – and it puts cash into the pockets of the less well off who need the money.

Recycling for cash at a Berlin supermarket

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 13. Warsaw to Berlin.

20 Sunday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in europe, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, poland, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Germany, Innotrans, Photography, poland, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

13:15.

My plan to blog throughout this trip fell at the first hurdle. Whilst I’m in 1st Class on the Polish run ‘Berlin – Warsaw express’ there’s no wifi on board. Well, unless you use the buffet and on this train laptops are banned from there! Admittedly, it is a little more swanky than the last PKP catering vehicle I was in where they were allowed. This one has padded seats but no places to perch that aren’t sit down tables for dining. Ah, well. I’ll do what I can on my phone. As I’d not had chance to try Polish food and this was my last chance I treated myself to the Pierogi (stuffed dumplings) which were really rather good.

Lots of seats for eating, but nowhere to perch if you’re just having something to drink.

I’m not staying on the express all the way to Berlin. I’m not in that much of a rush so I’m going to change a couple of times, first at Rzepin, then at Kostrzyn. This will allow me to sample a few different trains en-route to Berlin-Mahlsdorf. Not that it’s the end of the journey as I’m actually staying just outside Potsdam. When Innotrans is on Berlin hotel prices go through the roof but if you’re prepared to be flexible and travel a little you can get some far better deals.

Right now I’m two hours into the first train journey, which is fine, apart from the lack of wifi – and tables. I’m seated in an old-fashioned compartment. Well, the coach itself is very modern, it’s merely the seating layout. The UK did away with compartment stock donkeys years ago. But they’re still popular in Europe.

The trip’s traversed gently undulating farmland via a couple of main railway junctions. I’m beginning to miss hills, I haven’t seen any on this trip at all so far. The most popular crop I see out of the train windows seems to be maize. It’s everywhere, but I’m unsure if its grown for human consumption or as animal feed although to be honest – I haven’t seen that many farm animals.

15:30.

I abandoned my swish 1st Class train at a small station called Rzepin. The station may be quiet but it’s an important railway junction with wide fans of freight sidings and a locomotive depot full of shunting engines – the sort of thing that’s unheard of in the UK nowadays. The depot still retains a turntable and small roundhouse. This trip on a regional EMU to Kostrzyn takes a little over 30 mins. Even though it’s a quiet rural train stopping at all stations I had my Interrail ticket and passport checked. The passport check was to confirm the validity of my ticket.

16:25.

Phew! Made it…

My inbound stopper was late and with a tight connection I didn’t even have time to grab any pictures. Kostryzn station’s on two levels and the Berlin train goes from ‘upstairs’ but you have to go up and down a footbridge first!

16:50.

We’re now heading along a single track branch line towards Berlin, passing through semi-derelict stations, some with enormous defunct buildings that have outlived their usefulness, like Munchenburg. Others have history boards which remind me of the work community rail volunteers do back in the UK.

21:30.

Our trip into Berlin was greeted by black skies and a torrential rainstorm that lasted just a few minutes before the skies cleared back to blue. I wasn’t sad to leave the train as the air cobditioning had been struggling for most of the trip, making it a sweaty one. Due to engineering work on DB’s central corrider through Berlin from East to West I had to make the entire journey to Charlottenburg from Lichtenburg by S-bahn. Only then could I catch a ‘proper’ train for the last 35 minute trip to Werder, where I’m staying. I have six nights in an extremely nice villa – but there’s no wifi, so you’ll have to wait for pictures until tomorrow. Well, apart from this one!

I think I’ll have coffee on my private balcony in the morning. It’s through those curtained doors.

Tomorrow I’ll be at the Innotrans preview, but before I do I’ll flesh this blog out with a few more pictures. We’ll be finished early in the afternoon, so I’ll post pictures of what’s on show as soon as I can. The full show begins on Tuesday, which is when the madness starts…

Cheers,

Paul

The Grand tour. Day 12. Warsaw.

20 Sunday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

europe, History, Photography, poland, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel, warsaw

I’m staying in Warsaw until 11:00 tomorrow when I move on to Berlin, so I have a full day to explore the city. The weather’s gorgeous with clear blue skies. The temperature is due to hit 21 degrees, so I’m out exploring. My first destination was the old town which was half an hour’s walk away. That time wasn’t wasted as I got to see the more of the modern city. I have to say, I’m impressed with Warsaw. The quality of its transport infrastructure puts many UK cities to shame. Especially the provision for cycling. But then, that’s been 6. 3off the idea that the only way to get around it by car – and they’re all much nicer places for it. Unfortunately, there’s still a mindset in Britain that car’s should come first and any attempt to provide safe and attractive options for pedestrians and cyclists is an ‘attack on the motorist’.

5i made it to to the old town early, so as to avoid the tourist hordes. Most bars and restaurants were still closed which gave me the opportunity to take pictures of nearly empty streets. The architecture and artwork of the old town is gorgeous, even more so when you realise that it’s been painstakingly recreated. During world war 2 the old town was razed to the ground by the Nazis in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising. 85% of it was destroyed. There’s many plaques on buildings explaining their significance during t53hose awful, brutal times. I’ve a whole selection of pictures to edit when I get the time, but here’s a few for now.

After experiencing the darker side of human history I encountered something completely different. I hadn’t realised, but Warsaw was hosting the annual international tram driving competition. Imagine ‘it’s a knockout’ with trams! Teams form 26 countries (including the UK, who sent a team from Croydon) compete on various challenges which show off their skills in driving trams. It’s wonderful. Warsaw had turned it into a big event with displays of old trams and buses and lots of family activities. Thousands of people turned up.

the event was so much fun that I changed my plans to hang around, watch and take pictures. Next year the event is in Luxembourg in July.

Right, that’s all for now. The flaky wifi here in the hotel won’t let me add more. I’ll (hopefully) blog from the train to Berlin tomorrow.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 11. Vilnius to Warsaw.

18 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Architecture, Food and drink, Lithuania, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Architecture, europe, Food and drink, History, Lithuania, Photography, poland, Railways, Travel, warsaw

Typical! The day the rain stops is the day I’m on the move again!

I was woken early this morning by the sound of military jets in the skies above Vilnius. It’s easy to forget that the Lithuanian capital is only a few miles away from Belarus, part of Russia. The Russians have been getting increasingly aggressive in their attitude towards NATO countries. Sending drones and sabotage teams over various countries borders. The idea that Putin is no threat is not one that’s held in the Baltic states. The Ukrainian flag is on display everywhere around town. Even the buses carry this message on their PIS screens.

As my train didn’t didn’t leave until 12:20 I had time to have another wander around the old town, only this time in the sunshine. Here’s a couple of pictures.

I do love a good market and this one in the old town is redolent with the smell of smoked meats, pickles and spices.

Many buildings could do with some TLC. Plenty are receiving it – just not this one, yet.

My train to Warsaw, which is of the same type that’s taken me all the way from the Estonian border, through Latvia to here. This particular services runs all the way to Krakow, via Warsaw with a change of train at Mockava.

14:05.

We’ve stopped twice on the trip so far. First at the busy junction and freight yards at Kaunas, where we picked up so many passengers that we’re almost full – then at the small town and junction of Kazlų Rūda. My table bay of four now has three occupants, of which I’m one. But, I have a window seat, a power socket and wifi, so I’m content. We’re gradually leaving the built up and more industrial areas behind to head out across open fields, which makes a change as the railways in this part of the world are often hemmed in by trees. I’ve just watched a pair of deer bound away from the tracks!

My fellow passengers seem to be mostly locals of all ages with a smattering of older travellers like me. The atmosphere is relaxed and the two young women stewards both helpful and efficient.

We’ve just called at the wonderfully ornate station at Marijampole. The station building is a delight. The area also boasts extensive freight yards full of grain wagons (there’s some massive grain silos here) and tank wagons – although I haven’t got a clue what they carry. Lithuanian railways are fascinating as (unlike the UK) most industrial sites still have a rail connection. Some are disused, but they still exist.

15:25.

We arrived at Mockava Spot on time. A swift cross platform interchange saw us go from a crowded 3-car multiple unit to a far more expansive locomotive hauled train run by Polish railways (PKP).

14:45.

We’re currently stopped at Kierunek, where a posse of Polish Immigration officers and military have checked everyone’s passports. We’re in the territory of the Suwalki gap, which has gained greater significance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

16:15.

Polish railways are like stepping back in time. We’ve not seen anything like this in the UK since the 1980s. Imagine a loco-hauled train of half a dozen coaches – one of which is a buffet car! Said buffet car serves freshly cooked meals from pans. None of this ‘prick and ping’ microwave stuff! At Suwalki we stopped for a good 20 minutes so the the engine could run round the train. Now we’re bowling through the countryside along a railway followed by telegraph poles.

The buffet car counter on my Polish train.

Arrived. We had an engine change from diesel to electric at Bialystok where this modern EU160 was attached for the final leg.

It took me 25 minutes to walk to my hotel in central Warsaw, partly because the place was packed with people. It being Friday night a lot of young people were out on the town. The city certainly seems to have a vibrant nightlife, although as a solo traveller that’s not something I’m partaking of. Instead, it was a trip to the local Lidl to stock up on food for the kitchenette I share with another room at the hotel, have a video call with Dawn, then work at my desk sorting out pictures. Unfortunately, the hotel wifi’s a bit flaky, which is hindering these updates. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 10. Vilnius (Lithuania).

17 Thursday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Lithuania, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

europe, Lithuania, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, trains, Travel

Sadly, the weather’s let me down today. I’ve been really lucky everywhere I’ve been up to now, there was an evening shower in Tallinn, but the next day was fabulous. I was looking forward to exploring Vilnius this morning, but the weather’s been crap. It’s been raining since I woke up at 07:00 so I decided to make the most of the facilities where I’m staying (I have a great room with a desk and a kitchenette) to catch up on editing some of the pictures from the last 9 days travels.

I’ve now cleared my French collection, which can be found on my Zenfolio picture website. The railway ones are here and the travel ones here.

The weather’s slowly clearing. The forecast is that the rain will stop by mid afternoon, which is when I’ll head off into the old town. I did nip out to the station earlier to have a quick look at the adjacent railway museum and check out picture opportunities before I leave for Warsaw on the 12:20 tomorrow. Here’s a couple of pictures for now.

It’s fair to say that (being outdoors) some of the exhibits at the railway museum are looking a little the worse for wear. Like this ChME3 class heavy shunting locomotive!

At the station I found this ER20 class “Eurorunner” from Siemens. Originally bought to work freight trains, they now find themselves on passenger services, like this one – the 12:35 to Klaipėda.

OK, the rain seems to have stopped, so I’m off exploring…

18th September update.

I was conned! the rain didn’t clear up until nearly 16:00! Still, I had chance to explore more of the railway station before heading off into the old town, brolly in hand. Vilnius is quite hilly, which makes walking more exerting than in Riga, but it’s rewarding because (like Tallinn) you never know what you’re going to find when you peek round corners and into doorways. There’s a lot of restoration work going on in the old town, parts of which can be quite rundown. Even so, it’s an attractive town with some great architecture. It didn’t really come to life until after 17:00 when – with the rain having stopped – all the restaurants and bars but their tables and chairs out in the streets. There was even a huge screen in one square that was showing opera in the evening.

Here’s a few pictures.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 9. Riga (Latvia) to Vilnius (Lithuania).

16 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in latvia, Photography, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Estonia, europe, latvia, Photography, riga, Travel

I’m on the move between countries again, but part of me wishes I wasn’t. I’ve really enjoyed Riga. It’s the best new city I’ve seen on this set of travels as it has so much of interest. Today I did more of the tourist thing. First thing was to take the lift to within 2 floors of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Observation deck. The last couple of flights you have to walk. The views from the top are well worth the 8 Euro admission fee. Plus, it’s one hell of a building.

Having filled my camera with views across the city I moved on to a nearby site that’s far less entertaining. The Riga ghetto and holocaust museum which is a very informative and sobering account of the fate of so many Jews (and others) in world war 2. We’ve learned so little in the past century. Then it was people demonising Jews. Now it’s people (some of whom should know better) demonising Muslims. Is it any wonder that some of us are cynical about religions?

Needing my spirits lifting to celebrate the best (not the worst) humanity can achieve I walked back into the old town to photograph more of the amazing buildings. You’ll have to wait for pictures I’m afraid.

Now I’m on the train from Riga to Vilnius en-route to the third of the Baltic states and yet another new country for me. I’m on another modern Class 730 that carried me from Varga, only this one is nowhere near as busy. I’ll describe the journey (with pictures) tomorrow.

For now, here’s a couple of shots from the top of Institute.

The old Zepplin hangers which now form part of a huge and fantastic market.

My train to Vilnius left Riga at 16:55, which was great for giving me extra time in Riga but it meant that I didn’t get to Vilnius until 21:22, leaving me no time to explore the city. Fortunately, my hotel was less than 10 minutes walk away from the station, so I decided the best thing to do that night was take an evening off and hope to make the most of the next day.

The trip itself was fine. The train was one of the same class 730ML’s that carried me through Latvia from Estonia. it wasn’t too busy and the only minor interruption in the journey was when we crossed the border and immigration officers walked through the train checking passports. From what i could see, Lithuania is a lot less rugged than Latvia, but then nearly half the journey was in darkness. I’m looking forward to having time to explore tomorrow.

Cheers,

Paul

	Violet Payne on The Greens rail policy is a di…
	Neil Marshall on The Grand tour. Day 12. W…
	Matthew R on The grand tour. The adventure…
	ramakrishnanaidu400 on The grand tour. The adventure…
	Charles Esteppé on The grand tour. The adventure…