Great video again! Regarding coffee machines, Nordic countries are the biggest coffee consumers (per capita) in the world, and Norwegians drink the second most in the world (Finland holding the 1st place). Drinking coffee everywhere is just a part of northern life, and coffee is by default available everywhere you go (on the train, at work, at funerals, etc :))
Not sure what our stats are like for Canada but we also love our coffee over here! I think it's just a part of living in places that have really cold, dark winters.
@@senorsoupe The average annual consumption of coffee in the Nordic countries is around 7 to 9 kg per person per year. As @ana Lämä said, you aren't very far from a coffee machine.
It has very recently been proposed to build a high speed line from close to Oslo and close to Göteborg with the last legs in each case on existing track which will bring the city centre to city centre time down to 1hour instead of the current time of 3hours 41 minutes. If funding is approved work will commence in 2024 with completion 2 years later.
I went in Göteborg this spring and I agree with you: the Central Station structure is very nice and the bus waiting area is well organised with “airport style” gates.
True. The current plans for duble track high-speed rail are only around Oslo, knows as the Intercity-network or the Intercity-Triangle. But no new approved long-distance train lines.
@@dutchbakery2195 That's the reality when the majority of parliament decided that every nook and cranny of the country should be populated. So many billions spent on roads, tunnels, bridges to tiny places with few citizens. In reality they should have spent money on connecting the rail to Europe (faster than today) and reducing travel times between the Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger. The 1 hour cut in travel time for Bergensbanen has been discussed for 30 or so years now, but the current gvt. won't promise building the new project, even though Nye Veier cut 6 billion in costs.
@@cv990a4 Rail travel is good in some ways. A lot of train usage for work commutes, especially around Oslo. But long distance rail in especially Norway is poor, and it's a scandal that there's not a high speed double track line from Norway and down towards the Swedish west coast (and further to Europe). That being said, the Oslo-Bergen line would be the most important to upgrade.
Your comment about the rural parts of the US was interesting. I've noted similarity between barns and other farm structures in Finland and Sweden with those in parts of New York State, New Jersey, Washington State and some parts of New England. Many people from Norway and Sweden immigrated to parts of New York and Washington in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
It wasn't just New York and Washington, either. Many of the immigrants who populated the Midwest were Scandinavian. My family on both sides has heavy German and Scandinavian ancestry, especially my mom's side.
Frequency isn't the main issue, it's the bloody ticket price. It costs a ludicrous amount of money to take the train. In Norway the price is based on exactly how much it costs to go there by car!
I didn't realize these trains had active tilt! Kind of a cool alternative to the more conventional X2000 configuration though it seems designed for somewhat lighter density routes. As a tilt EMU, this must use a similar setup to the Pendolinos where the Pantograph remains fixed and the carbody tilts around it.
Nice trip report from my country! I agree with the seats, I don't think they're good enough for longer journeys, and it's also a shame they don't offer better on journeys as far as Trondheim (7 hours) and Stavanger (8 hours). There are a few loco hauled trains on these routes though, and some of the carriages are now fitted with new reclining seats, which is probably the best I've ever experienced on a train. And the Oslo-Gothenburg route will get the new class 74 (Stadler FLIRT) from December, but sadly the seats aren't any better there. Another interesting thing is that I think the day you took this train, I was also travelling on the Østfold line and just made the train that went one hour earlier from Sarpsborg. So if I wouldn't have catched that train, I would be on the same train as you ;)
I'd recommend a trip from Bodo up in the north (the farthest train station in Norway excluding Narvik which is connected to the Swedish railway) to Trondheim by night train during the summer months of June or July when the Sun doesn't hide behind the horizon. The train crosses the Polar Circle, and the views during the whole trip are excellent.
This is propably my favourite trainset in whole of europe. The seats were replaced once, the ones before were comfier imo. It was also one of the first trainsets in europe to offer free wifi. About the connection: it is very common to take the bus between these two cities, also way before flixbus was a thing.
Oh yeah those seats were of the same design as those still used in 2nd class on Øresundståg and their quite similar X31 EMU's between Denmark and Southern Sweden
@@drdewott9154 are you sure? Because i used to take the train from Copenhagen to Oslo and always found Øresundståg to be highly uncomfortable compared to this train:'D
A fun fact about that part of the station is that from 1856 to 1923 it served as a train shed for trains to Gothenburg. You can google if you want images. Another cool aspect is that if you look at the end of the roof beams in the hall, you will see small faces sculptured in the wood. It is said that the sculptures show old politicians from Gothenburg.
We love our coffee here in the nordic countries thats all. 😁 And you are correct the seats are bad they mite get better in couople decades of use lol. Some older trains like from 80's in Sweden have alot better seats. I gues they just need to be ''sat in'' for some years or something.
Ah, finally! Welcome to Norway, a country with one of the railway systems in the world... ;) The Type 73 is one of my favourites (Mainly due to its cool design and interior), but this is a 73B, which is more like a regional train than a long distance train. The ones driving on our long distance sections are generally nicer with a proper café and everything. The main reason for the poor frequency (and speed) is because of the antiquated Østfold line, which hasn't changed since the late 1800s, but hopefully we will get a higher speed line over the border in the future. BTW: An "easter egg" on the Type 73: It has the signature of its designer, Terje Meyer, cast in the nose cover! Meyer also designed the funky octagonal WLAB2 sleeper cars, as well as many other trains running on the Norwegian network.
Norgebanan är verkligen föråldrad, men Vänerbanan Göteborg-Öxnered är nybyggd och även delar av Östfoldbanan byggs om, så det finns hopp för ökad turtäthet och kortad restid i framtiden :)
Great video! Just drove a train up that line to the border with Norway today! Very scenic route! From the cab it is even more beautiful! It can shift between top speed over 160 to 75 in a mere kilometer after the town of Brålanda!😅 Depending om the date of recording, i may have been the one to switch that train into the siding in Ed😁 FYI the VY train has always caused delays for me when I drive, it feels like they are systematically always late😅
Pity that you can't experience the old, comfortable NSB coaches with their bank of seats that you could turn to face your friends or direction of travel. Kick down on a pedal at the side and the whole 2 seat base used to turn 180 degrees. On a more modern NSB coach I had a person behind me constantly tapping that footrest which went right through my seat. Rarely if ever lose my temper and say anything but I asked them to stop.
Not all the seats on Class 73A (those who used to be blue) can be changed. Only the once in BFR and BFM. In class 73B (on this video) you cannot turn any seats.
Well done Simply Railway and for the Class 73 EMU NSB max speed is 210 kmh 130 mph if running on the Oslo Gardermoen Airport Railway line. Voltage is 15kv 16 2/3 hz 1.8 m pantographs
Awesome video like always! When i was in Norway they explained me that coffee and tea on trains is not only cause it's part of their "cozy" life attitude to make everthing comfortable but also cause with extrem cold it's important to drink more . I was surprised about this healthy reason but i found same on finnish trains.
True. On Swedish trains you have to go to the bistro, but then you get free refills if you purchase coffee once. In 1st class there’s a self-serve snack station and on the national Scandinavian airline SAS only hot drinks like coffee are complementary on short flights.
This summer, there were trains, but replaced by bus between Rygge and Oslo due to construction work in Norway. A couple of days in August, the line was shut due to construction work at several locations.
Extreme cold? Do you have any idea of how big and long this country is? On the west coast they hardly have any snow at all. The distance from the north to Oslo is about the same as Oslo-Rome. So, we fly a lot more (4 times more than the average european). So, the climate zones differ a lot. So, hope this was another «surprise» for you.
@@frodehagen8690 I had the blessing to work in your country for 6 years in Oslo and in our free time we choosed to travel and discover the country in train. So yes i think to have a little idea how diffrent your country is and for sure every single part has it's own beauty. I think it's a waste that mass turism adresses people only in some parts of it. About my comment i wrote what locals explained me.
Well, in regards to frequency, Oslo and Gothenburg in the grand scheme of things are two rather small metropolitan areas. The model I have, calibrated to the current frequency of routes such as Paris to Lyon, only shows demand for 2 round trips a day between them.
But osla is Norway's biggest, and Gothenburg Sweden's second largest. If you just compare Oslo-Gothenburg to Stockholm-Gothenburg, you'd realize there's a massive difference, not just explained by population difference.
@@thehoogard Nonsense. Please don't make comparisons of large cities with metro population of over 5 million with those with less than 1.5 million. Neither Norway or Sweden have a national population equal to Paris or London. Austin is not Dallas or Houston. Pensacola is not Miami. Peoria is not Chicago. Rochester is not New York City. Fresno is not Los Angeles. Oslo is not London or Paris.Gothenburg is not Berlin or Frankfurt. Large metros can have large airports and train stations with much more frequent services than smaller cities with small airports and train stations with considerably far less services... And oh, by the way, I keep hearing how fast trains are in Europe, yet, this train not running to either Paris or Frankfurt is not true HSR...
It seems like they have now been replaced on this route by class 74 FLIRT units, originally built for local routes with 2+3 seating but meanwhile rebuilt with more comfortable seats and used on intercity routes.
These coffee machine across the train remind me of the vending machines on Danish trains and the complementary coffee/tea/still water/fruit area in first class on SJ trains. Damn are Scandinavian trains designed for the thirsty and the peckish.
Heh, Västergötland being flat is why it was so prosperous once upon a time. It’s even flatter NE of Gothenburg towards Skara. In that area there’s also a famous abbey where a bunch of very early Swedish kings are buried, which kinda shows how important that area was.
Interesting that you can go by train again on this line... when I wanted to this summer between these two cities, there weren't ANY trains, only busses... I've been told that they're doing construction works on the line every summer, so there might be a higher frequency and maybe also better service once they are done with that! I'm really glad I now got to see how my ride would have been if the trains would have been operating!
I mean it doesn't matter much anyway. Heck VY operates both trains and buses between Oslo and Gothenburg (with buses going all the way to Copenhagen directly as well) and the buses are actually faster than the trains on this route! Simply because the Norwegian government has been neglecting its railways, and especially cross border connections for a long time. Its all a matter of politics. Like you hear about how Norway has a ton of electric cars all the time but that has come from political will at the expense of the railways.
I like the videos, like the other ones (they all are quite good in fact!), but the gestures that you make in 11:58, they really does not fit with you: you are silent (you don't talk), curious (you always search or ask for explainations), open-minded (you like to visit places and cultures)... You are, simply, elegant. Ne te baisse pas à ce niveau là, I think that this kind of little detail makes the difference describing the person that you are. But that's only my opinion, in the end. Great work, and thanks for making us travel again!
The tricky table, norwegian pricing, non-working french debit card and finally the non-working hand-dryer…it was just too much😂 It’s human. Great video, though!
Ah, this takes me back. I took that same train trip from Göteborg (Gothenburg) to Oslo (pronounced: oosh’-loo) when I once lived just outside of Göteborg. That last stop in Ed, Sweden was one of the most stunning views I had ever seen. ‘Fika’ (coffee break) is an important part of Swedish culture. And the coffee they serve is a thousand times better than the pigswill we get here in the US.
all the new train in norway has a vending machine. I remembered I was soaking wet after waiting for the train home after work and went to buy hot chocolate.. the conductor on the train used his money and gave me one for free :) And if you choose the reserved seat the comfort are way much better.. Always do that on long train ride =)
2:30 nice video, thing is Norway is unfortunatelly stuck in railway building (like even major project which was Intercity trains) is being so delayed and cutted out, but maybe Oslo and Halden (border with sweden) will be connected with high speed train by 2034 + Sweden is not intrested really to build higher speed train towards Oslo from Gøteborg (Gothenburg), mostly because Norway doesn't want to fix main connection line Lillestrøm - Kongsvinger - Border against Sweden towards Stockholm (Too low local traffic). Norway and building new railways isn't working well together. About trains, there are new trains on the way (from 2025 or 26 i think), especially for longer trips and that train towards Gøteborg (which is not counted as a long distance one - but only as a regiontrain).
The reason for the coffe machines are partly cultural (people drink a lot of coffee in the Nordic countries) but also economical: As the cost of labour in Norway is high, the company can save a lot of money on serving coffee from a machine instead of in an staffed bistro.
I really lucked out when I rode train from Göteborg to Oslo in 2012. I was disappointed there was no longer a through X2000 between Copenhagen and Oslo but I got a chance to "chew the fat" and talk shop with train crews who allowed me to ride on the head-end with the train driver on the Copenhagen-Göteborg connecting train, thanks to the sweet Swedish conductress. The train leaving Copenhagen in the early morning hours was packed with students so we compared life in Sweden and USA and took pictures together. The nice Conductress on the Oslo train upgraded me to Business Class as soon as I told her I was an Amtrak Conductor and showed her my picture in uniform. Well, that's how we roll on the railroad. The train also had a stunning cafe car I wish I could post here.
Live in Sweden, Swedish and Norwegian drink very much coffee. At work there is always free coffe, and at restaurants coffee is included in your lunch .
I actually think the seats are pretty good for being so slim. Sadly these trains will be replaced on this line in 2023 with the Bm74. A Regional Stadler flirt, the same as MTRX uses… No tilt and even worse seats.
Today these - or their sister 73A - take an hour longer to travel between Trondheim and Oslo than they did on their introduction. They were always meant as a rather simple but fast replacment for hauled trains with proper comfort. Something they failed to achieve. To me they are a symbol of what is wrong with the current state of our railways in Norway.
That is a problem with the infrastructure, and not the train itself. Single track line gives you those kind of issues. If there was double track between all the big cities in Norway, travel times would be far shorter.
Great video- there are three versions of this train- the Class 71 (Flytoget high density airport express- three cars upgraded to four), Class 73a series (InterCity four car, with restaurant and child play area) and Class 73b (Regional four car with no restaurant, but coffee machines every two paces). You can guess what you had. The 73a were originally all 1st class luxury trains- I went on one in this original format on the Bergen line and it blew me away. The Signature service was not a success though. I have gone done the Dovre line on a 73a and didn't find the seats too bad, and the space is still all first class style- they have a really relaxing ambiance. The wood panelling is really classy and there are even hypoallergenic floor areas (believe it or not). Did you spot that there is only one set of doors per coach, but that there is a space for a second door? This has been turned into a little panorama section, with seats towards an enlarged window. I think it looked like the 73b series had them too. It is weird that the service isn't used very much, though I think the line between Norway and Sweden has been closed alot for rebuilding and that may have put people off?
10:08 - It amazes me that so many people get confused by Adtranz/ABB "open door" buttons. They use an IR sensor that is pointed from the ceiling towards the black oval on the door. If you reach for the oval with your hand, it will open before you touch the door. No need to wave you hand towards the sensor in the ceiling. 🤣 Same "button" is found on the Swedish/Danish Öresundstog X31K trainset too.
That is the theory anyways. More than once reaching for the black oval does "nothing". Thus you have to raise your hand towards the ceiling sensor until it opens. Having done that so many times over hundreds of train rides - I go straight for the ceiling, every time.
How good that the Swedish and Norwegian still have their crowns. In a few months or even weeks it'll be cheeper for all € citizens to move to Sweden or Norway.
The rude gesture of giving the hand dryer the finger multiple times seemed oddly out of character from the usual family-friendly remainder of your videos. But thank you for the content.
Norwegian here, its many years since type 73b were a flagship, the most common type nowadays for region travel is type 74 with 75 being local successor. The seats are not great on any of norske tog’s trains, they are too firm, and lack basic ergonomics, and start to hurt after long enough rides! The trains and tracks are also not that reliable, and up til 05.09.2024, the trains have been on time all day for a totalt of 57 days! Yeah, imma replace my commute with my own car soon!
This is actually one of my all time favorite trains around the world. The rolling stock is simple, clean, tough enough to endure winter, low to the ground for easy boarding at outlying Stations, and the smooth ride quality is outstanding even on substantially older track and roadbed than what is typical of EU standards.
I heard they withdrew these units from the Bergen line and replaced them by locomotive hauled trains because there can be snowslides/snowdrifts and it's better to drive a heavy locomotive with a big snowplow into those.
@@uncinarynin Correct- I think there was a worry that the snow could get under the plough and lift up the front wheels. I did go on a 73a when it was running a Signature service on the Bergen line when new. I only went Bergen to Mydal though.
Bonjour, merci très bien fait. Its not very quick nearly 4 hours for such a short distance and the seats look like ironing boards. The TGV est does a much greater distance in 55 mins, just as well the scenery’s nice.
Unfortunately neither Norway or Sweden have a national population as large as Paris' metro... I wonder, do all of the HSR TGV trains in France serve Paris? Is there one HSR TGV train that doesn't serve Paris?
I miss the TH-cam cab videos on the lines out of Oslo. VY put a ban on cab videos a while back. It was nice seeing the works in progress on the new lines being built. Sigh.
Looked like a good but not spectacular service. But the scenery was fantastic. Interesting point about rural Sweden and the US being similar, which is not surprising given the high number of Swedish and German immigrants to the US.
Nice video! The train is ran by NSB, Norske Stats Baner. Okey, renamed to VY.... Let me tell a story about them. Going in the other direction, waiting for my Swedish Rail, SJ, at the station Öxnered, the loudspeakers told about trains being late or cancelled. Highly worrying. The first train stopping there was the NSB train. I gambled and entered the train knowing that my ticket was not at all valid. Soon I got hold of the conductor on board, told my ticket is not valid and asked if I could go with them anyway. By that time the train was already moving and the next scheduled stop was in Gothenburg, my goal for the travel... So they cold throw me off there..... The conductor friendly answered my question like this: "We have not exactly a lot of passengers so You can go with us." Norwegian friendliness at a time it was really appreciated. Commenting the video.... Don't remember that the some 2007 year Norwegian train was tilting. Likely not. You missed the bridges near Trollhättan! One is a lift bridge, quite new. You paid A LOT.... Surprise? Know that Norway struck oil ages ago!..... You need to be an oil baron! Hand dryers usually start after a second or two, sensing the IR radion from Your hand, at some little distance..... There was a terrible lot of empty seats.... Can it be profitable to drive those trains?
Took this route several times this summer (and some other NSB BM73s elsewhere in Norway) and have to say I really like these trains, the tilting really sets them apart from other trains because it adds so much comfort on the curvy lines. I'm gonna have to disagree about the seats, they aren't as good as the ICE seats but they are far from hard. The main point I find uncomfortable is the arm rests.
Well are you sure its the same? There are 2 types of BM73's. And the one he was on was a 73B, which is primarily intended for regional services, not long distance ones. Which is also the reason why it has only a vending machine instead of a full cafe. Heck the entire route to Gothenburg is only considered a regional service, and not an Intercity one.
@@drdewott9154 I have been on this line quite frequently for the past 35+ years. Back in the 90s there was always a proper cafe car - with a counter and staff serving you. There was also a trolly cart service - a "cafe lady" would walk through the train with a cart serving coffee, tea, snacks, etc. All of this "disappeared" sometime in the early 2000s (if I remember correctly) and was replaced with these soulless vending machines. Then again - at that time the toilets...when you flushed them you opened up a metal flap directly down on the tracks... (you could see the tracks rushing by down the toilet when you flushed it).
Great video again! Regarding coffee machines, Nordic countries are the biggest coffee consumers (per capita) in the world, and Norwegians drink the second most in the world (Finland holding the 1st place). Drinking coffee everywhere is just a part of northern life, and coffee is by default available everywhere you go (on the train, at work, at funerals, etc :))
Not sure what our stats are like for Canada but we also love our coffee over here! I think it's just a part of living in places that have really cold, dark winters.
@@senorsoupe The average annual consumption of coffee in the Nordic countries is around 7 to 9 kg per person per year. As @ana Lämä said, you aren't very far from a coffee machine.
Always think people don’t drink coffee because they love it but it’s a habit
Norway drinks a ton of coffee for sure.
@@s125ish I definitely drink coffee because I love it, but I agree, plenty drink it out of habit or for the caffeine.
It has very recently been proposed to build a high speed line from close to Oslo and close to Göteborg with the last legs in each case on existing track which will bring the city centre to city centre time down to 1hour instead of the current time of 3hours 41 minutes. If funding is approved work will commence in 2024 with completion 2 years later.
what's the status now?
I went in Göteborg this spring and I agree with you: the Central Station structure is very nice and the bus waiting area is well organised with “airport style” gates.
It's sad how trains and rail in Norway have been neglected for so long.
True. The current plans for duble track high-speed rail are only around Oslo, knows as the Intercity-network or the Intercity-Triangle. But no new approved long-distance train lines.
*laughs in United States* 😭
@@dutchbakery2195 That's the reality when the majority of parliament decided that every nook and cranny of the country should be populated. So many billions spent on roads, tunnels, bridges to tiny places with few citizens. In reality they should have spent money on connecting the rail to Europe (faster than today) and reducing travel times between the Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger.
The 1 hour cut in travel time for Bergensbanen has been discussed for 30 or so years now, but the current gvt. won't promise building the new project, even though Nye Veier cut 6 billion in costs.
Rail travel is surprisingly, even embarrassingly slow in the Scandinavian countries, especially between countries, agreed.
@@cv990a4 Rail travel is good in some ways. A lot of train usage for work commutes, especially around Oslo. But long distance rail in especially Norway is poor, and it's a scandal that there's not a high speed double track line from Norway and down towards the Swedish west coast (and further to Europe).
That being said, the Oslo-Bergen line would be the most important to upgrade.
Your comment about the rural parts of the US was interesting. I've noted similarity between barns and other farm structures in Finland and Sweden with those in parts of New York State, New Jersey, Washington State and some parts of New England. Many people from Norway and Sweden immigrated to parts of New York and Washington in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Swedish part looked like Midwest to me. And once you got into Norway and started to look a little like the Pacific Northwest.
It wasn't just New York and Washington, either. Many of the immigrants who populated the Midwest were Scandinavian. My family on both sides has heavy German and Scandinavian ancestry, especially my mom's side.
4:06 That is the new refurbished X2000 which is very cool. It was launched in 2021.
4:16 that X2000 was actually renovated with a new interior
Frequency isn't the main issue, it's the bloody ticket price. It costs a ludicrous amount of money to take the train. In Norway the price is based on exactly how much it costs to go there by car!
I didn't realize these trains had active tilt! Kind of a cool alternative to the more conventional X2000 configuration though it seems designed for somewhat lighter density routes. As a tilt EMU, this must use a similar setup to the Pendolinos where the Pantograph remains fixed and the carbody tilts around it.
The pantograph has its own tilting mechanism that tilts the opposite way of the carbody to cancel it out and stay flat.
Will you be taking the train from Oslo to Bergen afterwards? IIRC that's supposed to be one of the most beautiful routes in the world
The x2000 You show in the beginning is one of the First rebuilt! They are very nice to ride!
Nice trip report from my country! I agree with the seats, I don't think they're good enough for longer journeys, and it's also a shame they don't offer better on journeys as far as Trondheim (7 hours) and Stavanger (8 hours). There are a few loco hauled trains on these routes though, and some of the carriages are now fitted with new reclining seats, which is probably the best I've ever experienced on a train. And the Oslo-Gothenburg route will get the new class 74 (Stadler FLIRT) from December, but sadly the seats aren't any better there. Another interesting thing is that I think the day you took this train, I was also travelling on the Østfold line and just made the train that went one hour earlier from Sarpsborg. So if I wouldn't have catched that train, I would be on the same train as you ;)
I'd recommend a trip from Bodo up in the north (the farthest train station in Norway excluding Narvik which is connected to the Swedish railway) to Trondheim by night train during the summer months of June or July when the Sun doesn't hide behind the horizon.
The train crosses the Polar Circle, and the views during the whole trip are excellent.
The X2000 you saw in Gothenburg has a totally new interior, hence the different look of it. You have to test it, it’s top class!
This is propably my favourite trainset in whole of europe. The seats were replaced once, the ones before were comfier imo. It was also one of the first trainsets in europe to offer free wifi.
About the connection: it is very common to take the bus between these two cities, also way before flixbus was a thing.
It's always the older seats that are more comfortable... :(
@@walterclements7968 Haha that's true. They were also in a dark red which made the whole train much comfier.
Oh yeah those seats were of the same design as those still used in 2nd class on Øresundståg and their quite similar X31 EMU's between Denmark and Southern Sweden
@@drdewott9154 are you sure? Because i used to take the train from Copenhagen to Oslo and always found Øresundståg to be highly uncomfortable compared to this train:'D
@@walterclements7968 not true for SJ’s new X 2000s though :)
A fun fact about that part of the station is that from 1856 to 1923 it served as a train shed for trains to Gothenburg. You can google if you want images. Another cool aspect is that if you look at the end of the roof beams in the hall, you will see small faces sculptured in the wood. It is said that the sculptures show old politicians from Gothenburg.
We love our coffee here in the nordic countries thats all. 😁 And you are correct the seats are bad they mite get better in couople decades of use lol. Some older trains like from 80's in Sweden have alot better seats. I gues they just need to be ''sat in'' for some years or something.
You flipping off the hand dryer was better than the $800 check I received today 😂😂😂
I prefer paper towels... Hair dryers are very noisy...
greatly anticipated this video. great job!
As always another great video !!
Super video! Nice train ride! Good work! Thumbs Up
All the best from Romania
Andrew
6:16 apart from having decent passenger rail and public transport via buses ;D
I hope we'll see more videos from Norway, soon
Ah, finally! Welcome to Norway, a country with one of the railway systems in the world... ;) The Type 73 is one of my favourites (Mainly due to its cool design and interior), but this is a 73B, which is more like a regional train than a long distance train. The ones driving on our long distance sections are generally nicer with a proper café and everything. The main reason for the poor frequency (and speed) is because of the antiquated Østfold line, which hasn't changed since the late 1800s, but hopefully we will get a higher speed line over the border in the future.
BTW: An "easter egg" on the Type 73: It has the signature of its designer, Terje Meyer, cast in the nose cover! Meyer also designed the funky octagonal WLAB2 sleeper cars, as well as many other trains running on the Norwegian network.
Norgebanan är verkligen föråldrad, men Vänerbanan Göteborg-Öxnered är nybyggd och även delar av Östfoldbanan byggs om, så det finns hopp för ökad turtäthet och kortad restid i framtiden :)
enig
12:02 hey man child down it's just an dryer
Great trip report
Great video! Just drove a train up that line to the border with Norway today! Very scenic route! From the cab it is even more beautiful! It can shift between top speed over 160 to 75 in a mere kilometer after the town of Brålanda!😅 Depending om the date of recording, i may have been the one to switch that train into the siding in Ed😁 FYI the VY train has always caused delays for me when I drive, it feels like they are systematically always late😅
Pity that you can't experience the old, comfortable NSB coaches with their bank of seats that you could turn to face your friends or direction of travel. Kick down on a pedal at the side and the whole 2 seat base used to turn 180 degrees.
On a more modern NSB coach I had a person behind me constantly tapping that footrest which went right through my seat. Rarely if ever lose my temper and say anything but I asked them to stop.
Not all the seats on Class 73A (those who used to be blue) can be changed. Only the once in BFR and BFM. In class 73B (on this video) you cannot turn any seats.
@@PanAmKim I'm talking about the old loco hauled coaches Kim not multiple units.
Well done Simply Railway and for the Class 73 EMU NSB max speed is 210 kmh 130 mph if running on the Oslo Gardermoen Airport Railway line. Voltage is 15kv 16 2/3 hz 1.8 m pantographs
Oh I lol'd at your response to the dryer!!! Great vid.
Flipping the bird twice at the broken hand dryer cracked me up.
Awesome video like always! When i was in Norway they explained me that coffee and tea on trains is not only cause it's part of their "cozy" life attitude to make everthing comfortable but also cause with extrem cold it's important to drink more . I was surprised about this healthy reason but i found same on finnish trains.
True. On Swedish trains you have to go to the bistro, but then you get free refills if you purchase coffee once. In 1st class there’s a self-serve snack station and on the national Scandinavian airline SAS only hot drinks like coffee are complementary on short flights.
This summer, there were trains, but replaced by bus between Rygge and Oslo due to construction work in Norway. A couple of days in August, the line was shut due to construction work at several locations.
Extreme cold? Do you have any idea of how big and long this country is? On the west coast they hardly have any snow at all. The distance from the north to Oslo is about the same as Oslo-Rome. So, we fly a lot more (4 times more than the average european). So, the climate zones differ a lot. So, hope this was another «surprise» for you.
The answer was for Rosy Rose
@@frodehagen8690 I had the blessing to work in your country for 6 years in Oslo and in our free time we choosed to travel and discover the country in train. So yes i think to have a little idea how diffrent your country is and for sure every single part has it's own beauty. I think it's a waste that mass turism adresses people only in some parts of it. About my comment i wrote what locals explained me.
Well, in regards to frequency, Oslo and Gothenburg in the grand scheme of things are two rather small metropolitan areas. The model I have, calibrated to the current frequency of routes such as Paris to Lyon, only shows demand for 2 round trips a day between them.
But osla is Norway's biggest, and Gothenburg Sweden's second largest. If you just compare Oslo-Gothenburg to Stockholm-Gothenburg, you'd realize there's a massive difference, not just explained by population difference.
@@thehoogard Nonsense. Please don't make comparisons of large cities with metro population of over 5 million with those with less than 1.5 million. Neither Norway or Sweden have a national population equal to Paris or London. Austin is not Dallas or Houston. Pensacola is not Miami. Peoria is not Chicago. Rochester is not New York City. Fresno is not Los Angeles. Oslo is not London or Paris.Gothenburg is not Berlin or Frankfurt. Large metros can have large airports and train stations with much more frequent services than smaller cities with small airports and train stations with considerably far less services... And oh, by the way, I keep hearing how fast trains are in Europe, yet, this train not running to either Paris or Frankfurt is not true HSR...
that's a real funny looking train. reminds me of the funky ones in the Netherlands almost with its oversized head/face
It looks more like the original 90s versions of the italian ETR500, with only 3kv
Nice video! I am in Gothenburg right now. I've been to the Central Station and caught the train to Oslo leaving. 🙂
It seems like they have now been replaced on this route by class 74 FLIRT units, originally built for local routes with 2+3 seating but meanwhile rebuilt with more comfortable seats and used on intercity routes.
Nice video! Beautiful scenery! Seats looked stiff and uncomfortable.
Thanks Thibault😀😀💚
These coffee machine across the train remind me of the vending machines on Danish trains and the complementary coffee/tea/still water/fruit area in first class on SJ trains. Damn are Scandinavian trains designed for the thirsty and the peckish.
Very interesting once again with such incredible backdrop and amazing scenery 😍
Heh, Västergötland being flat is why it was so prosperous once upon a time. It’s even flatter NE of Gothenburg towards Skara. In that area there’s also a famous abbey where a bunch of very early Swedish kings are buried, which kinda shows how important that area was.
Interesting that you can go by train again on this line... when I wanted to this summer between these two cities, there weren't ANY trains, only busses... I've been told that they're doing construction works on the line every summer, so there might be a higher frequency and maybe also better service once they are done with that! I'm really glad I now got to see how my ride would have been if the trains would have been operating!
I mean it doesn't matter much anyway. Heck VY operates both trains and buses between Oslo and Gothenburg (with buses going all the way to Copenhagen directly as well) and the buses are actually faster than the trains on this route! Simply because the Norwegian government has been neglecting its railways, and especially cross border connections for a long time. Its all a matter of politics. Like you hear about how Norway has a ton of electric cars all the time but that has come from political will at the expense of the railways.
👍🏻🏴 Thank you for your video.
Would love to go to Norway.On my bucket list.
I like the videos, like the other ones (they all are quite good in fact!), but the gestures that you make in 11:58, they really does not fit with you: you are silent (you don't talk), curious (you always search or ask for explainations), open-minded (you like to visit places and cultures)... You are, simply, elegant. Ne te baisse pas à ce niveau là, I think that this kind of little detail makes the difference describing the person that you are. But that's only my opinion, in the end. Great work, and thanks for making us travel again!
The tricky table, norwegian pricing, non-working french debit card and finally the non-working hand-dryer…it was just too much😂 It’s human. Great video, though!
Ah, this takes me back. I took that same train trip from Göteborg (Gothenburg) to Oslo (pronounced: oosh’-loo) when I once lived just outside of Göteborg. That last stop in Ed, Sweden was one of the most stunning views I had ever seen. ‘Fika’ (coffee break) is an important part of Swedish culture. And the coffee they serve is a thousand times better than the pigswill we get here in the US.
all the new train in norway has a vending machine. I remembered I was soaking wet after waiting for the train home after work and went to buy hot chocolate.. the conductor on the train used his money and gave me one for free :)
And if you choose the reserved seat the comfort are way much better.. Always do that on long train ride =)
2:30 nice video, thing is Norway is unfortunatelly stuck in railway building (like even major project which was Intercity trains) is being so delayed and cutted out, but maybe Oslo and Halden (border with sweden) will be connected with high speed train by 2034 + Sweden is not intrested really to build higher speed train towards Oslo from Gøteborg (Gothenburg), mostly because Norway doesn't want to fix main connection line Lillestrøm - Kongsvinger - Border against Sweden towards Stockholm (Too low local traffic). Norway and building new railways isn't working well together.
About trains, there are new trains on the way (from 2025 or 26 i think), especially for longer trips and that train towards Gøteborg (which is not counted as a long distance one - but only as a regiontrain).
Less than four hours is not a long distance train. Long distance trains go a day or more, not a few hours...
Nice trip report. This route stops in my hometown Fredrikstad.
Nice video
The reason for the coffe machines are partly cultural (people drink a lot of coffee in the Nordic countries) but also economical: As the cost of labour in Norway is high, the company can save a lot of money on serving coffee from a machine instead of in an staffed bistro.
I really lucked out when I rode train from Göteborg to Oslo in 2012. I was disappointed there was no longer a through X2000 between Copenhagen and Oslo but I got a chance to "chew the fat" and talk shop with train crews who allowed me to ride on the head-end with the train driver on the Copenhagen-Göteborg connecting train, thanks to the sweet Swedish conductress.
The train leaving Copenhagen in the early morning hours was packed with students so we compared life in Sweden and USA and took pictures together. The nice Conductress on the Oslo train upgraded me to Business Class as soon as I told her I was an Amtrak Conductor and showed her my picture in uniform. Well, that's how we roll on the railroad. The train also had a stunning cafe car I wish I could post here.
Yes whatever happened to the high speed train Oslo - Copenhagen?
@@macjonte It was cancelled apparently due to low ridership.
Great trip, the train design looks unique. And the windshield of the train remind me about Airbus A350.
The rolling stock on that route is called Type 73. BM73 is the carriage at the front, seen at 2:30.
I'm half Swedish half Norwegian, thank you for this. Hope you enjoyed both sides of the border! 🙂
Thanks for the ride !!! 🇺🇾
Live in Sweden, Swedish and Norwegian drink very much coffee. At work there is always free coffe, and at restaurants coffee is included in your lunch .
I like The Norwegian 'toptrain'...very good Comfort 1 class...I miss Norway, I worked there, six years...🇸🇪🇧🇻
You´ve managed to catch the very recentl updated and renovated X2000. Looking forward to try her!
Who wants to sit on a board hard seat for hours? A comfortable seat is literally the most important feature for most of us travelling. Come on people!
Hand dryer ❌ 🖕🏻 I just died laughing 😂
NICE TRAIN
Thank you for showing a train from norway finaly
I actually think the seats are pretty good for being so slim. Sadly these trains will be replaced on this line in 2023 with the Bm74. A Regional Stadler flirt, the same as MTRX uses… No tilt and even worse seats.
Why is it that new seats are a always literal downgrade from their predecessors? It just doesn't make any sense to me
Been there, done that. Great trip 😎
refurbished in haarlem the netherlands.. as a proud haarlemmer i can say.. looks nice!
Crazy your train trip between countries is a shorter distance than between the the city I live in and the provincial capital.
Flipping off the hairdryer. A top travel video moment.
It’s relatable
wow nice place and beautiful trip
Indian here Really a great experience such a smooth video , somehow I love Nordic countries more, and I like Benelux region too.
Super wycieczka też bym tak chciał muszę to spróbować chyba inspiracja super super
Today these - or their sister 73A - take an hour longer to travel between Trondheim and Oslo than they did on their introduction. They were always meant as a rather simple but fast replacment for hauled trains with proper comfort. Something they failed to achieve. To me they are a symbol of what is wrong with the current state of our railways in Norway.
That is a problem with the infrastructure, and not the train itself. Single track line gives you those kind of issues. If there was double track between all the big cities in Norway, travel times would be far shorter.
... and the passengers have stopped puking because of train sickness ;-)
The seats would discourage me. Really like the availability of the coffee but I would bring my own snacks!
Great video- there are three versions of this train- the Class 71 (Flytoget high density airport express- three cars upgraded to four), Class 73a series (InterCity four car, with restaurant and child play area) and Class 73b (Regional four car with no restaurant, but coffee machines every two paces). You can guess what you had. The 73a were originally all 1st class luxury trains- I went on one in this original format on the Bergen line and it blew me away. The Signature service was not a success though. I have gone done the Dovre line on a 73a and didn't find the seats too bad, and the space is still all first class style- they have a really relaxing ambiance. The wood panelling is really classy and there are even hypoallergenic floor areas (believe it or not). Did you spot that there is only one set of doors per coach, but that there is a space for a second door? This has been turned into a little panorama section, with seats towards an enlarged window. I think it looked like the 73b series had them too. It is weird that the service isn't used very much, though I think the line between Norway and Sweden has been closed alot for rebuilding and that may have put people off?
10:08 - It amazes me that so many people get confused by Adtranz/ABB "open door" buttons. They use an IR sensor that is pointed from the ceiling towards the black oval on the door. If you reach for the oval with your hand, it will open before you touch the door. No need to wave you hand towards the sensor in the ceiling. 🤣 Same "button" is found on the Swedish/Danish Öresundstog X31K trainset too.
That is the theory anyways. More than once reaching for the black oval does "nothing". Thus you have to raise your hand towards the ceiling sensor until it opens.
Having done that so many times over hundreds of train rides - I go straight for the ceiling, every time.
How good that the Swedish and Norwegian still have their crowns. In a few months or even weeks it'll be cheeper for all € citizens to move to Sweden or Norway.
The rude gesture of giving the hand dryer the finger multiple times seemed oddly out of character from the usual family-friendly remainder of your videos. But thank you for the content.
Trollhatten! The makers of Saabs used to be referred to as the "trolls from Trollhatten".
Muito lindo trem gostei simply
You didn’t take the train from Narvik to Stockholm? A 20 hour long ride that is beautiful, at least the first part:)
Norwegian here, its many years since type 73b were a flagship, the most common type nowadays for region travel is type 74 with 75 being local successor.
The seats are not great on any of norske tog’s trains, they are too firm, and lack basic ergonomics, and start to hurt after long enough rides!
The trains and tracks are also not that reliable, and up til 05.09.2024, the trains have been on time all day for a totalt of 57 days!
Yeah, imma replace my commute with my own car soon!
Semuanya stasiun terminus , tapi itu perjalanan, pemandangan, kereta yang bagus
This is actually one of my all time favorite trains around the world. The rolling stock is simple, clean, tough enough to endure winter, low to the ground for easy boarding at outlying Stations, and the smooth ride quality is outstanding even on substantially older track and roadbed than what is typical of EU standards.
I heard they withdrew these units from the Bergen line and replaced them by locomotive hauled trains because there can be snowslides/snowdrifts and it's better to drive a heavy locomotive with a big snowplow into those.
@@uncinarynin Correct- I think there was a worry that the snow could get under the plough and lift up the front wheels. I did go on a 73a when it was running a Signature service on the Bergen line when new. I only went Bergen to Mydal though.
Favourite 🌹
Great to see dear 🌹
Love n respect from Pakistan railway
Bonjour, merci très bien fait. Its not very quick nearly 4 hours for such a short distance and the seats look like ironing boards. The TGV est does a much greater distance in 55 mins, just as well the scenery’s nice.
Unfortunately neither Norway or Sweden have a national population as large as Paris' metro... I wonder, do all of the HSR TGV trains in France serve Paris? Is there one HSR TGV train that doesn't serve Paris?
I miss the TH-cam cab videos on the lines out of Oslo. VY put a ban on cab videos a while back. It was nice seeing the works in progress on the new lines being built. Sigh.
The front of the train reminds me of a Capybara lol.
It has a kind of Shinkansen vibe to me. Something with the "shoulder lines".
Type 71 does have four carriages now.
I take it that you'll be trying the Flåm line then from Myrdal off the Bergen line? More routes for stunning scenery. 😊
Vy is the National rail carrer for Norway now I don’t has an answer so ye and the paintwork is simple and cooler
also the flytoget uses a modified Version of this train to the airport
Thank you for this. I lived in Oslo and Göteborg for ten years a while back. Very happy memories of those lovely cities.
Nice visuals, but a lack of explanation due to the over-lapping onscreen captions.
Fun fact: that is actually Swedens/Norways fastest train at 210 kmh (i think)
00:58 Götenborg? Never seen that spelling before :)
A minor typo it happens.
Nice Video
Honestly, it looks like I am on the Southwest Chief somewhere in the heartland of the US.
hai nice video ❤️💚 i am from india🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
Always hate vending machines. This is a premier service you need hot food.
Do you understand how expensive it is to employ people in basic service jobs in Sweden and Norway? That’s why you see self-service everywhere here.
Looked like a good but not spectacular service. But the scenery was fantastic. Interesting point about rural Sweden and the US being similar, which is not surprising given the high number of Swedish and German immigrants to the US.
Excelente trabalho
parabéns
Nice video!
The train is ran by NSB, Norske Stats Baner. Okey, renamed to VY....
Let me tell a story about them. Going in the other direction, waiting for my Swedish Rail, SJ, at the station Öxnered, the loudspeakers told about trains being late or cancelled. Highly worrying.
The first train stopping there was the NSB train. I gambled and entered the train knowing that my ticket was not at all valid. Soon I got hold of the conductor on board, told my ticket is not valid and asked if I could go with them anyway. By that time the train was already moving and the next scheduled stop was in Gothenburg, my goal for the travel... So they cold throw me off there..... The conductor friendly answered my question like this: "We have not exactly a lot of passengers so You can go with us." Norwegian friendliness at a time it was really appreciated.
Commenting the video.... Don't remember that the some 2007 year Norwegian train was tilting. Likely not.
You missed the bridges near Trollhättan! One is a lift bridge, quite new.
You paid A LOT.... Surprise? Know that Norway struck oil ages ago!..... You need to be an oil baron!
Hand dryers usually start after a second or two, sensing the IR radion from Your hand, at some little distance.....
There was a terrible lot of empty seats.... Can it be profitable to drive those trains?
Took this route several times this summer (and some other NSB BM73s elsewhere in Norway) and have to say I really like these trains, the tilting really sets them apart from other trains because it adds so much comfort on the curvy lines. I'm gonna have to disagree about the seats, they aren't as good as the ICE seats but they are far from hard. The main point I find uncomfortable is the arm rests.
Well are you sure its the same? There are 2 types of BM73's. And the one he was on was a 73B, which is primarily intended for regional services, not long distance ones. Which is also the reason why it has only a vending machine instead of a full cafe. Heck the entire route to Gothenburg is only considered a regional service, and not an Intercity one.
@@drdewott9154 I have been on this line quite frequently for the past 35+ years.
Back in the 90s there was always a proper cafe car - with a counter and staff serving you.
There was also a trolly cart service - a "cafe lady" would walk through the train with a cart serving coffee, tea, snacks, etc.
All of this "disappeared" sometime in the early 2000s (if I remember correctly) and was replaced with these soulless vending machines.
Then again - at that time the toilets...when you flushed them you opened up a metal flap directly down on the tracks... (you could see the tracks rushing by down the toilet when you flushed it).