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Trains

On transportation in Sicily

Before my wife, Ging, and I visited Sicily in July 2015, friends of ours who had visited told us the following regarding transportation there: 

• Local, internal airlines often operate on “Italian time,” meaning late, very late and domani (tomorrow).

• The main rail route seems to generally follow the coast, though there are many side spurs heading inland.

• As for how fast people drive on the highways, you could swear (and you often do) that you have entered the Monaco Grand Prix track.

Train crash in Iran

An Iranian passenger train traveling northeast from the capital, Tehran, to the city of Mashhad broke down on Nov. 25 due to extreme cold and, while immobile, was struck by another train. At least 35 people were killed and more than 70, injured.

Cameroon train wreck

A passenger train traveling from Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, to the port city of Douala derailed on Oct. 21, killing at least 80 people and injuring more than 600. An investigation found that the train was going at an “unusually high speed” at the time of the derailment.

“QUÉBEC CITY, NOVA SCOTIA & PEI”

10-day, 9-night rail tour through northeastern CANADA; departures May-October 2017. Highlights: In Québec City, Plains of Abraham, Place-Royale/overnight aboard VIA Rail’s Ocean train to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to visit a seaside town/drive to Cape Breton for Alexander Graham Park in Baddeck/ferry to Prince Edward Island for Province House. $1,680-$2,112 (per dates) ppdo. Single supp., $450. Vacations By Rail (Chicago, IL; 877/929-7245, www.vacationsby rail.com).

“LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN”

12-day, 11-night rail trip, June 15-26, 2017. Highlights: In Moscow, RUSSIA, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Kremlin’s Armoury Chamber/Golden Eagle train into Arctic Circle/open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture/in Murmansk, nuclear icebreaker ship museum/Kirkenes, NORWAY. Silver Class, $11, 995 ppdo or $16,995 single. Gold Class, $13,995 ppdo or $19,995 single. Imperial Suite, $22,295 ppdo.

Train crash in Portugal

On Sept. 9, a Portuguese train traveling from Vigo, Spain, south to Oporto (Porto), Portugal, began to sway and then hit the side of a bridge, derailing and killing four people, including one American. Forty-seven people were injured. 

The train derailed just before reaching the station at the city of O Porriño, Spain. Investigations of the train’s black box recorder show that excessive speed may have led to the crash.

Peruvian luxury train

Starting service in May 2017, the luxury train Belmond Andean Explorer will travel between the Peruvian cities of Cusco and Arequipa, making frequent stops on three itineraries: 3-day, 2-night Cusco-Arequipa; 2-day, 2-night Arequipa-Cusco, and one-day, one-night Cusco-Puno. The 2-night journeys take passengers across the high plains of the Andes, stopping by Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon for local touring opportunities. 

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