PLEASE READ: I just want to take a moment to update you and clarify my position regarding travel in relation to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Being a UK citizen, I consult the UK Foreign Office for advice on where I am travelling and what I may need to be aware of. At the time of writing, the Foreign Office advises against all non-essential travel abroad. In addition, non-essential travel within the UK is currently not permitted. With this in mind I am currently unable to travel and film content. I am lucky to currently have a large (about 6 months worth) of content already filmed so you can still expect a new video every Friday. I do however want to stress that I travelled in line with the advice of the UK Foreign Office where travelling outwith the UK and in line with UK law when travelling domestically at the time of recording. This advice will likely have changed in the time between recording and publishing. With that, I am hopeful that travel will once again be possible in the near future and I hope to get out and about filming again over the summer. Lastly, thank you for your continued support through these strange and difficult times. Stay safe! Kind regards, Dylan.

Also interesting is that in Talgo coaches, the seats are turned to face in the direction of travel, though the journey on this train Oriheula to Barcelona involves a change of direction at both Alicante and Valencia (hence the seats all facing backwards between these two cities). Before the starting on the return trip they come though the entire train and with a clever mechanism under the seats change them round to face the other way (except the ones at ends of each coach that are fixed).

Ah, a taste of life BC (before Covid 19). Thanks- I needed that!

I lived in Spain for a couple of years and loved it. It seems that Amtrak got Talgo's cars and Renfe got Amtrak's delays in return. Nice trade! 😁. Thanks for the journey. Please keep the videos coming. 👍

Hello Dylan, first of all, thank you for your videos, they are a very good time at the end of the week. Keep travelling and sharing, please. Talgo trains began to run in Spain in 1940s, the eldest brother was Talgo II, later, in 1964, Talgo III arrived and started to replace other trains in the main lines all around the country. 1969 was an important year because the first international talgo joined Barcelona and Geneve, it was Talgo III RD, the first one with multy gauge system. It run serving a TEE service (what a honour!). Talgo Pendular IV arrived in 1981. The overnight version for internacional services between Madrid-Paris and Madrid-Barcelona some years later was Talgo V series. Talgo VI, the one of this video, began their trips in 1988, and increased the number of trains quickly because of the new high speed line Madrid-Sevilla. Talgo VI were the first ones running up to 200km/h (125 mph) and their services covered , since 1993, Madrid-Málaga, Madrid-Cádiz/Huelva trains running, partially, on the new HS line. 2000 was the year for Talgo VII, 2004 for Talgo 350 (102 series) and 2010 for 112 series. Today Talgo II, III, IV, and V have been retired. And a new member is under test now, they are Talgo Avril. They are coming soon, probably next December. There are many other models: USA Talgo, Arabia Talgo, Russia Kazajstán... Each one has it own particular technical difference, but are very similar to their brothers. As you can imagine, I'm Talgo fan. 😂😂

In 2007 i took the AVE Serie 102, with these coaches. A damn good ride. Best train experience so far. I can remember toilet smell as a great one which i can't get over.

Le Talgo est l’un des meilleurs train au monde je le prenait tout les ans de Paris Austerlitz jusqu’à Madrid Chamartin en version couchette train hôtel et c’est mes meilleurs souvenir d’enfance ils l’ont arrêter en 2013 et ça me manque vachement c’était bien mieux que l’avion

Russian and Kazakhstan Railway also operates Talgo coaches.

Another plus with Spanish train seats is when they recline, they do so within their own space so do not reduce the passenger space of the seat behind, unlike aircraft seats.

Thank you for your video, Dylan! Yes, I really liked it. This kind of Intercity travel is nice. Friendly and cool. The price of the ticket is really cheap too, you did well, well done !!! Yes, I like the architecture of the stations that you showed us. You really have to open a derivative store, you !!! Thank you for everything.

This train's proprietary rail gauge changer is the world's fastest. Talgos are the rolling stock choice for services leaving Iberia and the former Soviet States (see RZhD's #Strizh Swift train). They're also very lightweight, seems a lot of their equipment is stuck in that end car. Idk if it's true, but their marketing attributed design optimisation for desert conditions to Spanish heat home environment. Thus, the Saudi government chose Talgo for its hsr project. Speaking of hsr, i think the only other low-platform high speed train is by Stadler. Overall, I guess the main Talgo drawback is proprietary design

More Spanish stuff please!

Did the euromed from Barcelona to Valencia and the Talgo back about six years ago. Paid similar pricing both ways for a shorter journey but it was the easter period. An used separate stations in Valencia. The Euromed used Joaquin Sorolla which is about a ten minute walk from Nord. Hoping to do same trip in September prior to staying in Barcelona for just under a week.

Another job well done Dylan. You and your family take care and keep safe.

Hiya Dylan thanks for this! looking forward to going thru spain on trains circa 2021 haha, appreciate the inspiration whilst in lockdown

Great experience. I always thought Spain was a little behind some other countries as pertains to rail travel, not sure why I thought that. But it look fine, and the station was very upbeat. Not sure I would have enjoyed the beginning of the trip going backwards but the ride quality and noise level is better than the Amtrak Talgos. Hope you have enough trips backlogged to get to the end of this pandemic !!

By the way, the large and spacious concourse of Alicante station you praised, was the original train shed, with four platforms - i.e. one alongside each wall and an island in the middle. I have a photo of it I took in 1992, but couldn't find a way of inserting it into this comment!

Great trip report. 👍 I’ve caught a Talgo from Granada to Madrid and really enjoyed the experience too. 😉

I love alicante

The people in Washington are lucky to have Talgo sets in their Cascades regional train.

Really enjoy your train trips, thanks!

That was an excellent price! I wish American trains would have trolley service and some sort of entertainment system. Great video. I will definitely check out the channel you recommended.

Renfe's long distance services are known for being comfortables and punctuals. On the other hand, the urban commuter trains aren't that punctual and comfortable...

I think the tray design will be flimsy but I'm quite sure yours was broken - there appeared to be a crack in the left side of the hinge when you lowered it. Thanks for these videos - they make us dream of the day when this is all over and we can go back on the road again.

Another amazing video!

RENFE is wonderful, I love travelling round Spain by train, having lived in Valencia 2004-2008. Why is it that the State-run train companies in the likes of Italy, France, Spain can provide such spacious comfortable trains, whereas in Britain the privatised companies cram us into overcrowded trains with hard seats, and in many cases poor window views? RENFE - 10/10, Northern Rail - 2/10!

It looked clean and kinda roomy. Good video. Stay Well..

I WAS THERE !!!!

124 mph is about as fast as I ever want to go haha! anything faster and I start feeling some anxiety. I like Spain's no-nonsense train system. Always reliable. Always clean.

Having seen so much sadness from Spain recently, it's super nice to see footage from before the Coronavirus pandemic.

Good to hear that you still have loads of videos to entertain us for the coming period. Question I understood that this was a 'tilting' train? How did you experience that ?

Fun as ever Dylan! I only wished you had ordered something to eat - it always fascinates me to see what you can get these days and how they prepare it. But otherwise - great video.

Hi Dylan! I've taken the train from San Sebastien to Barcelona. It was a good ride! Thanks for another awesome video! I always look forward to Fridays :) Stay Safe!

Hey dylan your videos are making my day super bright i would like to see you riding the surfliner next friday :D Edit: i subscribed and turned on the bell and liked all your vids

Wish you safe travel

You are the best traveler in yt you are very nice. Don't be Corona. OK?

Looked like the left side of the tray table hinge was cracked

You have to understand the Talgo principle to get best use of it - whilst good when running fast, the total inflexibility of the whole train being one unit incapable of disconnecting carriages needs very precise expensive planning. A simple route with vast expensive maintenance sheds are part and parcel of the initial price!

They tested these takes in the broad gauges of India with a EMD GT46PAC to 180-200kmph. Dunno why it did not go through. India is quickly upgrading it's coaches to the German LHB standards for all trains, getting rid of the old ICF Designs.

I’ve seen these coaches in India it’s sad that they refused literally we could’ve gotten at least something 😢

If the option is available, then it¡s really worth it on RENFE Talgo trains to book in Clase Preferente. The seating is 2+1, so very spacious indeed and very comfortable seating. Often, the prices are almost the same as in regular carriages, depending on demand, of course. Because of their unique design, in particular of the bogies, those Talgo trains give a very smooth ride. Spanish genius!

Interesting to see shared bogies like on the APT

32 seats per car in tourist class. Argentina's Ferrobaires rail operator got Talgo sets for its Buenos Aires-Mar del Plata line, which may be similar to the Talgo VI. They were parked when service was suspended for track and bridge work. When passenger train restarted, it was just twice daily trips each way using new Chinese built rolling stock. Talgos stayed parked as too costly to maintain.

Bravo Dylans Succes Vasilică Stoica din Romania

Dylan do a Venice Simplon one if you can and when you can if it's possible.please. I've tried a few of those out there and they are dreadful. Definitely a journey that deserves better. Ooops! gonna leave the request up, I've just looked at the prices but I'm going to post anyway just in case the next hunt down the back of the sofa cushions turns a few quid up.Eye watering.

You should travel in the AVE, is very fastar than talgo and more confortable.

Nice one Sir

Great video. I'm a big fan of these kinds of trip reports, with information conveyed by captions. Just keep it simple and don't be tempted to start adding commentary or presentation. Moving in that direction has ruined a couple of other channels for me.

Alicante has a international airport as well.

Very nice trip report it's a shame you didn't get a window seat especially as you requested it hopefully you will be able to travel to Spain soon again can I ask why is the iberian gauge bigger than the European standard

Unlike airports, train stations are in the center of town, close to where people live and work. Trains have lots of elbow room in them, they're not sardine cans like airliners are. A plane takes 1.5 hours for all the passengers to board, all filing through one tiny door loaded with luggage. Passengers board trains thru about 40 doors simultaneously, 2 doors per wagon. So trains don't have to delay everyone 1.5 hours... they stop only 1 to 5 minutes at a station. When an airliner crashes, everyone dies, because it is going 300 mph &/or falls thousands of feet to the ground. Most people survive a train crash. My favorite is the sleeper car. Airline seats recline only 1", making sleep impossible or uncomfortable, but you can get real bunk beds on a train. The most popular train trips in Europe, as they used to be in the US, are those that depart a major city around 10pm and arrive in another major city around 8 a.m. These Schalfwagons allow one to travel while sleeping in a real bed with sheets, rocked to sleep by the gentle rolling of the train. So much for trains being "time consuming." Also you see so much from the huge train windows, whereas from the tiny plane windows you see only cloud tops. You really can't see anything of the towns & cities of Norway or Croatia from 30,000 ft. And lest we forget, there is also the dining car where real food is cooked and served to you at real tables with white linen! Another article included a quote from couple who said: "We were crammed into a night train compartment with a woman who spoke neither the local language nor anything they could speak, and who was traveling with a vast assortment of baggage, including what appeared to be a sewing machine." These intolerant travelers are missing the point: Traveling together with other people is one of the things that makes train travel such fun. It's important that train wagons be divided into several compartments with bench seats facing each other, as they have historically always been until recent decades. These compartments are vastly superior to having airline style seats, especially when these seats are arranged like on an airliner all facing forward. Some of the most interesting people can be met on a train if the seating is right. It's nice to have your own little compartment, 3 people facing 3 people, a large window, a folding out table, 6 bunk beds that fold down at night, and a door that locks at night to keep out the sneak thieves! One must drive about an hour out of town to reach an airport. (No neighborhood wants the noise.) Train stations are in the center of towns, and they are much more numerous -- these 2 factors make train stations closer to your home. The closest airport is 2+ hours away for many Americans. In Europe (and formerly in the US) every town has its own train station, and cities have several. One must arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure. You can arrive at a train station 2 MINUTES before departure! On a train you can have a huge suitcase or two without having to check them. Wheel them on yourself. And no charge for any luggage. Upon arrival, no waiting 45 minutes for your bag(s) to show up on the luggage carousel. After finally boarding your plane, you sit for another half hour or so before the wheels begin to slowly turn. You taxi at snail's pace a long way, then stop again. The captain announces, "We're fifth in line for take off, thank you for your patience." Within about 2 minutes of boarding a train, you're at full speed toward your destination. Finally your turn to take off comes and the engines begin to scream, about 20 feet from your ears. They continue their high decibel screaming throughout the flight. On a train the engine is far away from your wagon; usually it cannot be heard. Also in these old wagons from Europe, passengers can open the window in their compartment. This is good for saying goodbye to your friends & relatives standing on the platform to see you off. In Soviet countries, at many stations private women sell home cooked food & beverages thru the windows to passengers. Jet liner windows don't open and they have stuffy, recalculated air because of the high cost of heating the below zero outside air at 30,000 feet. (The stewardess' union is always complaining about the unhealthy air, but airline executives refuse to spend the money to heat enough fresh air.) Trains don't have this problem since they are at ground level where the air is warm. Trains are hugely more fuel efficient than planes or cars. For the same gallon of fuel one may travel 7 times as far by train as one can by plane. So planes pollute the air 7 times as much as trains. This alone, without even considering the above many advantages of trains, should be enough to outlaw plane travel, and replace it with trains & ships. And most important about train travel perhaps is that it is a lot of FUN!

I enjoyed it! 200kph/ 124mph is high speed in the U.S.

Looks like you got out of Spain just in time! Safe travels.

I still miss Seoul and the super long and crowded metro

that Talgo wasnt't travelling from Orihuela, it was travelling from Cartagena

Actually Euromed is just a name, they are the exact same Alvia train

2:00 is that a cab car, or is it a trailer?

Wait, is that cab car on thumbnail? Sleeping for 30 hours? 😱😱😱

Did you guys notice that America operates the talgo too

It feels so good when you see a report like this from my original region!! However, I find myself Talgo a bit of claustrophobic, as the trainset's aren't that comfortable as the former Arco service, provided with coaches hauled with Eurosprinter Class 252 locomotive, capable to run up to 200km/h; or the first years of Euromed service, provided with TGV Atlantique trains. They ran temporally in the Mediterranean Corridor, working on the same main line you travelled (however stopping only in Alicante, Valencia, Castellon, Tarragona and Barcelona) on Iberian gauge, instead of UIC 1435mm gauge. Now you've got a bit more of history! ;) And regarding the Turista Class, besides AVE trains, there is no point to upgrade to First (Preferente) to be honest. Save some Euros for nice tapas instead!

Same kind of rakes came to India for testing but don't know why they dropped the idea

Can you do some more Amtrak trip reports when the pandemic stops?

A Talgo running all the way on broad track, thought they only were used when changing is needed?

But you have already seen the talgo train on Amtrak in America they are literally the same thing

Bro I have a doubt! Is this the same talgo coaches used in India? Coz if feel that even the body design and decals are exact same.

Great video ; but the design of the train is realllyyyyyy weird

Que si quiere bolsa

Is this wagons have russian railways, while trains go from Moscow to Nicea? (Sleeping Car)

As a Spaniard, I cannot see how this train is weird haha. Could someone from other country tell me what they find weird about it?

the talgo came in india but i dont know why they didnt work out

These trains were refused by Indian railways for being small

coaches are so small

No narrow English train hallways...

With social distancing and staying at home like a newly learned dialect, I've discovered youtube trip reports are a great way to passively learn lots of necessary facts in a compact space of time. It's a pleasant break from working on anything personal on the pc. Having watch a fair amount, I must say I find myself choosing to re-watch a trip report of yours, rather than suffer some oik's review of his (I redact any identifiable info here). Suffice to say, someone without your natural skill can entirely annihilate what could be a well put together report. One thing I will say, and this is just a general long standing annoyance: whilst yes, flying international business class instead of economy is on the whole a more civilized experience, there's no need to crow about it and ooh and aah and generally make yourself look like Mr.We Come from Outdoor Loos and marrying our farm animals. I understand your excitement, just stick to the facts of the report. Again, not about this channel. But I can give it around 90 seconds before I see where a poor trip report is gonna go.

Can't read anything...use bigger font

same coaches as amtrak cascades

Ghttt

Darkhunter 4472

Please talk the lines rather than having us read the text while watching your excellent video.

Wished you'd vlog your vids instead of having to read everything, takes away from enjoying what your capturing ...

Just shows what a rip off British train fares are

I love trains, but I don't like the new high speed trains. Their stations look & feel like airports, with all the mouth-breathing over-security presence. They won't let your friends & family onto the platform to meet your train or to see you off. I don't like the self-important paranoia and restrictions of airports or high velocity train stations. I don't like the new high speed trains also because of their speed. I don't want to travel from Lisbon to Berlin in 3 hours. I want to enjoy it, see the forests and beautiful towns go by, catch up on my reading, meet new people in my compartment or bar car, eat a real meal in the rolling restaurant, & fall asleep at night in a real bed with linens, to the rolling cadence of the train on tracks. You have to sleep the night anyway, why not do it on a train, while moving toward your destination? Train station ticket window clerks are usually rushed, and just assume without asking that Westerners want the fastest train. If you want to travel at normal speed rather than on the new high tech 100+ mph "bullet train," before you get in the ticket line look in your guidebook and find the word for "high speed train" in the local language. Tell the ticket clerk firmly "No / Nein / Nyet [word for high speed train]." In Italy the high speed trains are called Frecciarossa (red arrow). In France, Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV). In England, British Rail Class 395. Tickets on these high velocity trains cost much more than normal trains, so you'll save money and have a better time.