I was amazed to be able to get a train from Berlin to Copenhagen via this route about 15 years ago. To my great surprise, the ICE-TD pulled onto a ferry and we were led upstairs where I enjoyed a hotdog and a beer, before returning to the train after the crossing. I was delighted by how routine it was.
I'm Korean and took this train from Hamburg to Copenhagen in Oct, 2015. It was so amazing that the train goes into the ferry, which I've never experienced and thought of. This video reminds me of good old memories. Thank you! :)
I am Canadian, my family have been living in Denmark, I used this route many times in 2004, 2008, and 2018. I didnt know that is not going any longer by ferry route. Thanks for uploading the video!.
I've driven that route twice myself. It's sad to see it go, as it is the end of a long era of train ferries in Denmark, although the service wasn't that realiable. DSB lacked rolling stock and only a few IC3's are modified and certified for driving in Germany. Frequently the trains ran with fewer coaches and there was also a lot of issues with the IC3 trains switching between the Danish and German signalling systems, meaning that there only was one train shuttling between Puttgarden and Hamburg (on German signalling) whilst the others ran between Copenhagen and Puttgarden (on Danish signalling). This meant a change was required in Puttgarden and often extending the travel time by an hour
I have once been driving my car to that ferry while train was moving at the next lane. Very wierd feeling. 😎😬😎 They are now building tunnel between Rödby-Puttgarten so in the future trains and vehicles will just drive thru..
This video reminds me very much of 9th November 2002 when I went from Hamburg to Copenhagen, and back on the 11th. On Saturday 9th November 2002, I took the afternoon IC3 from Hamburg Hbf to Copenhagen H via Lübeck and Puttgarten on Fehmarn, and on the ferry until Rødby. The train fit perfectly on the rails in the ferry. I think it was about 4 PM when the train arrived in Denmark and it was dark when I arrived in Copenhagen. I returned Monday the 11th November to Hamburg Hbf to catch a night train to Zürich. The ferry ride took 45 minutes per direction. I even remember on the 9th November calling the youth hostel in Denmark to let them know I would be arriving about 7 PM that evening, as I had missed the earlier train by just five minutes and had to buy a new reservation.
The Swedish class X31 (think it is called ET in Denmark) which has the same type of front is called elephant-asses by some train enthusiasts here in Sweden!
@@axelhejnebo9142 Oh, I see, yeah, that's both funny and makes a lot of sense. Tbh I think front ends like that are way more interesting as opposed to, idk, something that could just as well be on a bus. But that might just be me. I'm not even that much into trains specifically to begin with.
I've been to Hamburg station and I was in fascination when I looked a the enormous canopy inside. I also took this ferry and at the terminal it was crazy the number of Swedish coming and buying beer because their was like a shop with a floor with only alcohol
Just discovered your videos David! Back around 1990 I was a (US) student in Copenhagen and some friends and I took the train ferry south to Berlin, Prague, Budapest via Gedser and Warnemunde. I think they probably stopped running that years ago. It was my first time experiencing this, and it was bizarre to us that the trains would just drive onto the ships. The ferry was of the DDR era, and it definitely showed.
I travelled this route in the 1970’s and ended up at the Tuborg brewery in Copenhagen where my travel companions had to carry me out after my oversampling of 🍺
From Ringsted You ride on the high speed line that was recently built To Copenhagen and is allowed to drive to 250km But the train we have can only go 180km to 200 PS hey From Denmark
I took this lovely train (standard class felt like first class) in the year 2000 via Interrail. It had blue seat covers then, if I remember right. Hopefully cutting the ferry link isn’t vandalism and the new link works out well.
Very nice video when I first heard about a train going on a ferry on around the world by train Tony Robinson programme I thought it was rather bizarre partcialury as Germany has a land border to Denmark
Sure, there's a land border between Denmark and Germany, but It's badly served by Railways and it's located in such a way that it's quite a de-tour for trains going to/from Copenhagen. There used to be other 2 train ferries between Denmark and Germany, Gedser-Großenbrode (later replaced by Rødby-Puttgarden) for trains between Copenhagen and Hamburg/Western Europe, and Gedser-Warnemünde for trains going between Copenhagen and Berlin/Eastern Europe. Until 1998 it was by far the fastest way between Copenhagen and the Continent as there also was a train ferry operating across the Great Belt (between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen), in 1998 the Great Belt link opened. Today trains between Copenhagen and Hamburg actually use the land border (and Great Belt link) however the travel time has increased by 20 minutes despite the train having fewer stops (4 v. 9) and a higher top speed on the line via the land border, simply because of the geography.
@@DavidFrankal I forgot to add that the 20 minute increase is compared to the shortest ever journey time via Rødby-Puttgarden. You are also right. The current travel time from Hamburg to Copenhagen is 20 minutes shorter than before the timetable change in 2019, from Copenhagen to Hamburg the journey time is the same as before the change.
Nice video! Wish I could have done it before it closed :( I'll probably get to that part of the world before the Fixed Link opens though so the land route is nice. Is graffiti common on European trains? In the U.S. there is some graffiti but only really on freight trains since they often sit in gigantic freight yards for many hours, sometimes days, at a time. There is some security but it's difficult to patrol such large areas, especially at night. Intercity, commuter, and subway operators all remove graffiti if there is any, but I don't think it's very common at all.
In Singapore graffiti on trains would spark a full-blown criminal investigation, including into any possible loopholes in train depot security (in 2010 the artists managed to access a train while in a depot by cutting thru the perimeter fence), with concern over whether other parts of the train e.g. brakes could possibly be tampered with
I was told this one was going to end so took the train from Sicily to Rome in November so i could go on a rail ferry before they all go Have the built a tunnel or something? Hate seeing those European trains full of graffiti
They ended the “ferry services” due to a massive amount of engineering works, south of Ringsted. DSB decided to do the trip via Funen and Jutland, which also cuts the journey time by 17. The Engineering works are happeing, to upgrade the line before the Fermarn belt fixed link opens.
@@DavidFrankal Yes that is true, no plans for a tunnel that i know of (when i said this one was going to end, i was referring to the one you took, sorry for how i worded it lol!)
