London-Dakha (Bangladesh)

http://www.railpage.com.au/f-p1086506.htm

Will it become possible?

I certanly hope it does , George . However it will be far from been one of the worlds most luxurious rail trips .

David Benton wrote:I certanly hope it does , George . However it will be far from been one of the worlds most luxurious rail trips .

It depends on there not being a war with Iran - an insane idea that all too many Americans seem to be itching for.

Also, of course there is a break of gauge somewhere between Iran and Pakistan. Probably there should be standard gauge as far east as possible, but perhaps they will settle on the frontier as the place. Surely, this line would not be the ideal freight route between Europe and China.

I suspect that if the Broad gauge is extended to Wien that will still be the best route.

It depends on there not being a war with Iran - an insane idea that all too many Americans seem to be itching for.

I don't how many of you who live outside of the US have seen "Bush countdown clocks"--novelty clocks that are timed to hit 00:00:00 at the exact moment the next POTUS will be sworn into office. They are supposedly a funny gift that people can give to their liberal friends, but I was reading a few months ago that military officers at the Pentagon have been buying them and keeping them on their desks as a reminder of how long they have to get their "mission accomplished".

Hopefully the London - Dhaka rail line will be inaugurated as a means of strengthening the ties between nations and open to all the people of the world, even those of us carrying the dreaded US passport.

I was lucky , Vincent , in my travelling days , that New Zealand was a small insignificant country with regard to getting visas . ( save France over the rainbow warrior bombing affair , but the getting visa hassle was overshadowed by the frierndliness of the Border guards and people in general ). but i failed to obtain a visa for Iran ,on the grounds that my passport was too old and too full of visas . they told me this in a most polite and apologetic way after a week of waiting in Anakara . So i can imagine the frustration of having a US Passport , and wanting to travel in some countries . Lets hope that it becomes easier for all to travel in these regions , and indeed anywhere in the world . as nothing like travelling in another country opens your mind to the people and customs of that country . I should add I also recieved a very civil reception at US immigration entry points , and met many friendly people in my travels there .

David Benton wrote:I was lucky , Vincent , in my travelling days , that New Zealand was a small insignificant country with regard to getting visas . ( save France over the rainbow warrior bombing affair , but the getting visa hassle was overshadowed by the frierndliness of the Border guards and people in general ). but i failed to obtain a visa for Iran ,on the grounds that my passport was too old and too full of visas . they told me this in a most polite and apologetic way after a week of waiting in Anakara . So i can imagine the frustration of having a US Passport , and wanting to travel in some countries . Lets hope that it becomes easier for all to travel in these regions , and indeed anywhere in the world . as nothing like travelling in another country opens your mind to the people and customs of that country . I should add I also recieved a very civil reception at US immigration entry points , and met many friendly people in my travels there .

In the days of the Shah Paul Theroux passed through Iran and had an interesting journey. Iran had modern trains then - but so did Iraq when I took the train from Basra to Baghdad.

He was even able to cross Afghanistan by bus, something that hasn't been possible for decades.

Vincent wrote:

It depends on there not being a war with Iran - an insane idea that all too many Americans seem to be itching for.

I don't how many of you who live outside of the US have seen "Bush countdown clocks"--novelty clocks that are timed to hit 00:00:00 at the exact moment the next POTUS will be sworn into office. They are supposedly a funny gift that people can give to their liberal friends, but I was reading a few months ago that military officers at the Pentagon have been buying them and keeping them on their desks as a reminder of how long they have to get their "mission accomplished".

Hopefully the London - Dhaka rail line will be inaugurated as a means of strengthening the ties between nations and open to all the people of the world, even those of us carrying the dreaded US passport.

I hope there will be more connections across frontiers. When I was posted to Iraq for a short time - some 20 years ago - I briefly considered trying to get there by train, but I don't think it was possible. Theroux was able to travel from Istanbul to Tehran.

The gauge break is the main problem - though gauge changing these days is not a big problem. (I was on a sleeper from Madrid to Paris and didn't even wake up on the frontier)