Korea’s high-speed rail network makes it incredibly easy to cover the roughly 320 kilometres (as the crow flies) between Busan in the southeast and Seoul in the northwest, with the fastest services taking just a little over 2 hours to traverse the distance. In this report, we’ll see what a passenger can expect from theContinue reading “Rail Report: First Class on the KTX from Busan to Seoul, South Korea (04 February 2019)”
Category Archives: Trains
Rail Report: Busan to Gyeongju via Singyeongju Station, South Korea (02-03 February 2019)
With more historic sites and cultural treasures than one can hope to see in a lifetime, Gyeongju (경주) deserves at least an overnight stay for one to properly appreciate the key attractions. That said, the sprawling city of Busan (부산) to the south – with its airport, harbour, and railway station – can also serveContinue reading “Rail Report: Busan to Gyeongju via Singyeongju Station, South Korea (02-03 February 2019)”
Rail-Air Report: The Seoul Station City Airport Terminal and the A’REX Train to Incheon Airport, South Korea
Seoul, the bustling capital of South Korea, is a popular destination for tourism and business alike. Unfortunately, that same popularity often leads to a fair bit of queuing at its main gateway, Incheon International Airport (IATA code: ICN). Today, we’ll try to beat the queues by checking in for our flight before we even leaveContinue reading “Rail-Air Report: The Seoul Station City Airport Terminal and the A’REX Train to Incheon Airport, South Korea”
Rail Report: Beppu to Fukuoka on the Yufuin no Mori, Japan (25 September 2018)
Think of Japanese trains, and the high-speed shinkansen will probably come to mind before anything else. But some of my favourite journeys were on much slower rolling stock, like the service that brought me from the onsen town of Beppu to the bustling centre of Fukuoka in nearly three and a half hours. Welcome aboardContinue reading “Rail Report: Beppu to Fukuoka on the Yufuin no Mori, Japan (25 September 2018)”
Rail Report: From the Shinkansen to the City on the Hakodate Liner, Japan (02 October 2017)
The long journey from Tōkyō to Hakodate isn’t as time-consuming as it used to be, thanks to the newly opened first segment of the Hokkaidō Shinkansen. That said, the shinkansen terminus serving one of the biggest urban centres in Japan’s northernmost prefecture is located about 16 kilometres from the heart of the city: hardly aContinue reading “Rail Report: From the Shinkansen to the City on the Hakodate Liner, Japan (02 October 2017)”
Rail Report: Tōkyō to Hakodate on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, Japan (02 October 2017)
Travelling between Tōkyō and Hokkaidō has never been easier, with new high-speed rail services whisking passengers from the Japanese capital to Hakodate in under four and a half hours. Today, let’s see what it’s like to zoom all the way up to the great big north on an unbroken run along two shinkansen lines: oneContinue reading “Rail Report: Tōkyō to Hakodate on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, Japan (02 October 2017)”
Field (and a bit of Rail) Report: Suwon Hwaseong Museum, South Korea (18 February 2018)
This report should have been focused on the museum in the title – but, as you’ll see further on, I was momentarily distracted by the transportation infrastructure I employed to reach it. What can I say: I’m a railway enthusiast through and through. But read on chaps, and I promise you that we’ll end upContinue reading “Field (and a bit of Rail) Report: Suwon Hwaseong Museum, South Korea (18 February 2018)”
Rail Report: Gyeongju to Seoul on the Mugunghwa and KTX, South Korea (17 February 2018)
Travelling across Korea during the Seollal holiday rush is no picnic; not when trains are filled to bursting with hordes of people flooding back into the big urban centres from their hometowns. Fortunately, the KORAIL network’s efficient intercity services can help take some of the pain out of the annual migration … provided one isContinue reading “Rail Report: Gyeongju to Seoul on the Mugunghwa and KTX, South Korea (17 February 2018)”
Rail Report: Seoul to Gyeongju on the KTX and Mugunghwa, South Korea (16 February 2018)
On a freezing winter’s day in Seoul, I set off on a long journey to the historic city of Gyeongju, about 300 kilometres to the southeast as the crow flies (even farther than that on the ground, of course). Let’s see what it’s like to travel from one to the other on Korea’s extensive railwayContinue reading “Rail Report: Seoul to Gyeongju on the KTX and Mugunghwa, South Korea (16 February 2018)”
Rail Report: Trainspotting my way around Shikoku, Japan (19-23 November 2016)
I’ve logged thousands of miles of travel through the years in pursuit of the two Japanese things that interest me the most: trains and castles. Needless to say, I find a journey especially rewarding when I can satisfy my thirst for both in one fell swoop – and there are few places better endowed inContinue reading “Rail Report: Trainspotting my way around Shikoku, Japan (19-23 November 2016)”
Within striking distance 