What high-speed intercity trains allow passengers to sit in the front cabin?
Calling "Shotgun" might be the wrong word, since the driver's cab would be on top of the train, or absent altogether.
What are some examples of high-speed long-distance intercity trains that have passenger seats in the front of the train?
If available, the following information would also be useful.
- Is the driver cab sitting on top of the first carriage, or fully automated?
- Can the ticket be purchased only if the front passenger seat is available, and then subsequently blocked in the ticket holder's name?
- Does the train go above 100 mph?
- Is the scenery beautiful, or does the train go mostly in tunnels?
- Can we paste a photo from the front passenger seat in the answer?
End of question.
(Bad) example:
Although London's Docklands Light Railway does not meet the criteria of a high-speed intercity train, let's use it just for the sake of a (bad) example:
London's Docklands Light Railway
- The DLR is fully automated. Although a driver's console is concealed inside a locked panel just in case, as shown in the photo, all four front seats are almost always used by passengers.
- No, but you can easily get the front seat from a terminal station on weekends.
- No, around 50 mph.
- The view isn't great (see photo), and there is a fair amount of tunnel.
- Photo from the front passenger seat, courtesy Wikimedia.
There are several cities with automated metro trains like the DLR - But this question would only be for the truly high-speed long-distance intercity trains.
Best Answer
Does not tick the first point, but here goes...
ICE T, ICE 3 and ICE 3M from Germany
(ICE T, Germany, Wikimedia)
(View from behind the driver in an ICE T, Germany, Wikimedia)
- Is the driver cab sitting on top of the first carriage, or fully automated? Neither. The driver sits in front, with a transparent partition. The driver has a switch to make the glass panel opaque.
- Can the ticket be purchased only if the front passenger seat is available, and then subsequently blocked in the ticket holder's name? Tickets can always be purchased and do not come with an automatic seat reservation. Any ticket valid for the train entitles you to check if the seats are free. As per 2015, DB lets you choose your desired seat from a seat map of the cars by mouse click (provided the seat is free). Reservation costs an additional €4.50 (for the 2015/2016 timetable year). Note that each EMU/DMU comes with two such compartments: One is always first class, the other always second class.
- Does the train go above 100 mph? Yes.
- Is the scenery beautiful, or does the train go mostly in tunnels? European pastures - beautiful.
- Can we paste a photo from the front passenger seat in the answer? Done.
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What are trains that carry passengers called?
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self propelled passenger trains are known as multiple units or railcars.What happened to the tilting train?
It's still in service and is due to be replaced only from 2017. However, 1984 wasn't the last time the APT carried passengers, as BR kept the stock in use as a relief train - filling in when others were unavailable - until the winter of 1985-86.Where is the Advanced Passenger Train?
Designed to be used on the West Coast Mainline between London Euston and Glasgow Central the APT-P still remains the most powerful passenger train to have operated in Britain, the APT-P was the second member of the family of tilting trains following successful trial of the APT-E (Advanced Passenger Train Experimental).Does Germany have a bullet train?
The ICE (InterCity Express) is a high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany. With speeds up to 300km/h, this is one of the fastest ways to travel between cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.FIXED: Cities:Skylines Intercity Trains Not Spawning (Tutorial)
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Answer 2
This one definitely does not tick all the boxes, but as asked by the OP, here comes an historic example:
The SNCF X3800 "Picasso" (more details in french) was used from 1950 to 1988 in France.
However, it definitely does not qualify for "high-speed" (top speed 120 km/h). It is still in use on a few heritage railway lines (see french Wikipedia page linked above for details), some of which probably have quite picturesque views.
The driver is in a small elevated and off-centered cabin above the main cabin:
Source: Wikimedia
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Images: Maria Orlova, Natã Romualdo, Monstera, Genine Alyssa Pedreno-Andrada