Travelling by train

In internet we found different sites regarding train voyages. Surely the greatest interest is focused on 'Interrail (to whom, due to the importance, we have dedicated a whole page!) and the Trans-Siberian. We have then found a great deal on train travel in Europe for non Europeans, and an Australian version of Interrail...

Trans-Siberian

The Trans-Siberian: it is the mythic railway route that crosses from west to east the whole of Asian Continent. Soon we will dedicate to it a thematic page, but, for the time being, here are some useful links

Trans-Siberian Railroad Page, by Herbert Groot Jebbink. A great deal of information, selected links, travel journals ad a particularly active forum, make of this site a landmark for all those who wish to travel along this railway.
http://herbert.groot.jebbink.nl/
Trans-Siberian Railway, by John Pannell. FAQ, itinerary, photographs and information regarding the trip on this famous railway.
http://www.trans-siberia.com/
Overland to Hong Kong - The Trans-Siberian Railway, by Neil Burling. Site dedicated to the Trans-Siberian Railway with a lot of information regarding the Countries it encounters.
http://members.aol.com/h2oskineil/travel/page1.htm

Europe for non-Europeans

I must admit I am quite ignorant on this regard, but, for what I know, the most practical solution could be the Eurail-pass, a ticket very similar to the Interrail but envisioned for non European travellers that wish to visit Europe.

Guide to Europe on a Budget. After 7 months and 17 countries in Europe, I have created this site to help others plan their own Euro adventure.
http://www.guideforeurope.com
Europrail International - North America's source for European Rail Passes. From the Eurail Pass, Europass, Britrail Pass or individual country pass.
http://www.europrail.net/
Site dedicated to information regarding Eurail, different possibilities of discounted trips.
http://www.eurail.on.ca/welcome.html
Europe on a Eurorail Pass and a Prayer, by Rich Geib, Description of a trip with an Eurail pass.
http://www.rjgeib.com/biography/europe/europe-vacation.html

In Australia

All touristic guides affirm that, in Australia, due to the costs of train travel, one must travel either by plane or by bus. In truth it is not so: there are some passes, envisioned for foreign tourists, that are quite similar to Interrail and that make this mean of transport definitively economic!!
In truth it is far from easy to obtain exhaustive information for the resources are few and often fragmentary, also due to the great number of Australian railway companies. What we know for sure is:

The ticket may not be purchased in Australia, but must be bought here before leaving.
There are two passes which are valid in the whole Country. These are:Australia Flexipass and Austrailpass.
Australia Flexipass enables you to do 8 or 15 day trips (or even 22 or 29 if sufficiently crazy), in an overall period of 6 months. But be careful: the 8 day one does not allow you to go to Alice Springs nor Perth!!
Austrailpass: very similar to our Interrail and it enables you to travel for 14, 21 or 30 days on the Australian railways.
Each railway company then has its own regional pass (this one may be bought in place). Therefore, if your journey will be limited to a single Australian region we recommend you make further inquiries in this sense.
Students may benefit of truly spectacular reductions.

All this will be discussed in further detail in the Short Guide of Australia that will soon be on-line.

Useful Links

RailPage Australia - crucial site with a great amount of resources, the railway maps and links to all the companies. It is slightly chaotic, but fundamental...
http://www.railpage.org.au/
These are two pages of the site of a specialized tour operator. The prices are not up-to-date but one may nonetheless find some useful information.
Description of the tickets - Notes, prices and details

Other sites on train travel

All Aboard - USA by Rail. All you need to know about train travel in the US and Canada.
http://www.USA-by-Rail.com
Canada by Train by Dawn R. Banks. Description of a month in train throughout Canada.
http://www.drbanks.com/Canada/introduction.html

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