iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

NEW VIDEO! Riding Leo Express’ incredible Premium Class across the Czech Republic! Link: youtu.be/UlTIIpb0BBY?...

OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NEW VIDEO! Riding the STRANGE Amtrak Cascades Talgo 8 from Seattle to Vancouver! 🇺🇸 ➡️ 🇨🇦 Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXNg...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

BONUS VIDEO - a look at the newly refurbished EMR Luton Airport Express Class 360! Link: youtu.be/OArKa0WtlDQ?...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

NEW VIDEO! Inside Indonesia’s luxury compartment suites overnight train from Surabaya to Jakarta! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=cuGC...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

NEW VIDEO! Inside the refurbished first generation Railjet along Austria’s NEWEST high speed line! Link: youtu.be/BDbka6FZhP4?...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

NEW VIDEO! A super delayed ride on the SJ EuroNight in a deluxe ensuite sleeper cabin from Stockholm to Berlin! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=DNW_...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

NEW VIDEO! A look at Etihad Rail, the UAE’s first passenger railway! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=VAun...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

NEW VIDEO! Riding GoVolta’s now extinct Amsterdam to Hamburg service! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=o5ro...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Always wondered how the 175s/180s would look in the GWR livery, suits them well!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Padding worn out? There wasn’t any to begin with 🙃😂

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

This evening I headed back up to Sheffield via the East Coast Main Line - had I travelled via the Midland Main Line things could’ve ended up very differently… My thoughts to all of those affected by the disastrous event this evening 🙏

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

And made it back 2 mins early - the 180s may be falling apart, but I can’t really be complaining much given the price I paid. Hopefully when the 820s arrive things will turn around for Grand Central!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

📍 Sunderland Back home for me now - somehow managed to get a £30 first class fare with Grand Central a day in advance all the way back to London (£20 advance single and £10 Seatfrog upgrade), so should be an interesting journey!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

📍 Newcastle Arrived with a 4 min delay, nothing to worry about. Was great to finally ride this iconic train north of York for the first time (was always on HSTs before the Azumas came in 😅) and more importantly, not have a sore back… 😆 Sadly not here long - off to Reform land on the T&W Metro 🫡

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

📍 London King’s Cross LNER reinstating their IC225 sets north of York certainly wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card, but a very pleasant surprise nonetheless. Should be a nice comfortable 3 hours up North, let’s go!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

NEW VIDEO! 24 hours on board VIA Rail’s “The Ocean” from Halifax to Montreal! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=dLlQ...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Took me long enough, but finally managed to see 387172 with its new GBR livery - still can’t help but think the red and the white on the middle two coaches is a bit much, and the double arrow is nowhere near prominent enough in comparison… 🙃

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

On the left, the last GTR-operated Thameslink service out of KGX, and on the right, the first operated “publicly owned” Great Northern service. I guess the only thing I’m really hoping is the end of the whole “brand” nonsense this franchise had over its lifetime, but maybe I’m too optimistic… 🤷‍♂️

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

NOW LIVE on the channel - the inaugural ride of Lumo West Coast from Stirling to London! Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSns...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Today I was on the inaugural Lumo service from Stirling to London Euston for the full 6 hours - quite a lot to unpack from that trip, but on the whole there’s not much for me to complain about considering I only paid £20 for the trip. Full review out soon on YouTube… 🫡

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

And back in Dublin, made it a whole minute early. Probably the first Irish Rail journey I’ve done where I’ve not been late! That’s it for Ireland this time - off to the airport now to reach my next destination… 🇮🇪 ➡️ ❓

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Time to head back to Dublin now - the service I’m taking is normally booked as a 6 car ICR with “Premier Class” seating (standard class seating with maroon leather, headlamps and a now defunct cafe bar), however it would seem Iarnrod Eireann have decided to put on a standard 6 car ICR instead 🙃

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Whilst at waiting at Cork, I managed to catch one of the Class 2600s repainted into the vintage “Arrow” colour scheme! Looks absolutely fantastic 😍🇮🇪

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

📍 Cork Kent Arrived with a delay of 10 mins - can’t say the onboard service has improved since 2023, the trolley only made a 2 min guest appearance in Dublin then went AWOL for the remaining 2.5 hrs… but the refurb has at least improved comfort. A few hrs to kill then back to Dublin 🇮🇪

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

📍 Dublin Heuston Only other thing on the agenda for this trip is a return with Iarnrod Eireann on the flagship Dublin-Cork route - first up is a ride on the CAF Mk4 stock, with all first class carriages having been refurbished since I last took this service. Already seeing a huge improvement! 🇮🇪❤️

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Certainly took a while, but made it to Dublin after over 10 hours of travel. Obviously not the fastest way to travel between London and Dublin, but definitely the more environmentally friendly and fun option if you want to take in the sights! Right, off to my accommodation… 🇮🇪

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

📍 Holyhead Yeah that was horrible… and here I thought TfW’s capacity issues had finally been resolved with the 197 introduction, but they seem to be getting worse. Should never have been ordered as 2/3 car units! Final leg to Dublin - Irish Ferries “Ulysees” across the Irish Sea 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ➡️ 🇮🇪

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

The 197 thankfully emptied out at Llandudno Junction, which meant I was able to get a shot of:

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

📍 Chester Arrived 10 mins late, which is ok as my connection to North Wales did too. TfW is weirdly affected by “unit shortages”, so everyone has to crowd onto a 2 car 197 up to Holyhead. Even with more trains in the TTC, 77 197s were ordered & almost all are in service… why are there shortages?

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

📍 London Euston As I did several years ago, today I’m doing the London-Dublin “Rail Sail” - the first leg of this trip is an Avanti Evero up to Chester, which sadly isn’t booked to work all the way to Holyhead today… 😕

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Seems one viral Twitter post was enough to make Thameslink finally do something about the extensive graffiti on their Class 700 toilets - taking a page out of NS’ books…

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Reposted by OM the Rails 🇵🇸

Justin on eurostar @eurostarjustin.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

When I retire, hopefully in 2031, HS1 between London and the Channel Tunnel will still be the UK's only high-speed rail line. Services on part of HS2 will be 5 years away if we're lucky. Not a good look for the country that invented railways. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...

bbc.co.uk

HS2 updates: Railway could cost up to £102.7bn, transport secretary says

Heidi Alexander tells the Commons the railway, originally estimated to cost £32.7bn, will now cost somewhere between £87.7-102.7bn.

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

📍 East Croydon Making use of London’s lessor-known cross-city rail service this evening en route home, the East Croydon-Watford Junction service operated by Southern. Just a shame they decided to use the 377/7s in recent years, which have the very uncomfortable ironing board seats… 🙃

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

When I took this train last month it was incredibly packed, mind you a large amount of people boarded at Amersfoort and alighted at Bremen. Funnily enough I already had this video scheduled in for a couple of weeks time, will have more to say then…

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

📍 Milton Keynes Central A trek to work today proved to be worth it as I caught 222601 (formerly 222001) on a Stirling-Euston test run ahead of Lumo’s West Coast launch at the end of the month. Nice to see a Meridian that doesn’t look like it’s been through RHTT season for a change 😅

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

NEW VIDEO! A ride on Germany’s FASTEST regional train, the RE 200! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=MImx...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

📍 London Kings Cross Attending a wedding in Herts today, with 387114 and 387102 being my chariots of plastic onwards - an increasingly rare sight on the Great Northern route nowadays with the 379 introduction…

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

NEW VIDEO! Riding France’s first PRIVATE express train along the French Riviera! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=EKtO...

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Reposted by OM the Rails 🇵🇸

𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚎 🚇 @taras-grescoe.com · 05/05/2026

After getting around #Morocco for 10 days on fast, comfortable, on-time trains, I have a new definition: “A developed country is one where you can easily, comfortably, and routinely travel between major cities more quickly by train than by car.” Morocco qualifies. Canada and the US? Not so much.

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Out enjoying the weather in South London today - completely forgot about the Southeastern Redhill diverts over the Bank Holiday weekend, so was a nice surprise seeing a 375 trio whilst waiting for my connection into Croydon 😁

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

This is brilliant news - prior to this the only way to book was on the CFR Calatori website and then pick up the ticket(s) in person at Bucharest, or at TCDD booking offices. Any progress is good progress! Speaking of which, really need to get that video from last Summer moving… 🙃

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Another sight nowadays on the WCML - the inactive @varamisbhi.bsky.social 321s, one of which I noticed had even been graffitied over its headlights. I wonder if they’ll be back soon (if ever)?

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

📍 Milton Keynes Central Out for work today in MK - whilst waiting for my train home I was reminded of the changing face of the WCML, both the current and what’s to come…

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

NEW VIDEO! Inside Switzerland’s AMAZING new double decker train from Basel to Zürich! Link: youtube.com/watch?v=6NlM...

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Well at least that was the plan - the German rail network imploding on itself again pretty much restricted my day to Berlin, but at least the rail scene around here is pretty interesting… Home time now - I’ve used all my pass days so won’t be away for a while, which means more focus on content 🫡

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

📍 Berlin Hbf (Tief) Arrived 38 mins in the end, but still a great journey in the end with Nightjet. Been a while since I arrived on a sleeper train showered and refreshed for the day! Heading back south now, there’s something I want to try… 👀

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

📍 Singen Normally this train would go via Basel, however it’s taken a diversion tonight owing to track works. Safe to say seeing an NS Vectron here isn’t an ordinary sight!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Heading up to Berlin on the Nightjet, with my Interrail reservation costing €199 for a deluxe ensuite sleeper… better than having to pay €500 as you used to have to!

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

📍 Zürich HB Made it in time which gave me a moment to relax and grab dinner… also never knew Zürich HB hosted a squash tournament, what are the odds hey 😅

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OM the Rails 🇵🇸 @omtherails.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

📍 Bern Now onwards to Zürich on the IC1! 🇨🇭

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