La Vie du Rail: C’Est MAGNIfiquE!

I took advantage of a recent rail trip through France (where the signs are of a very good recovery for rail from the pandemic), to pick up a copy of La Vie du Rail - a monthly magazine now on its 3,389th issue. It used to be weekly, as otherwise it would have been running since the year 1740, which is improbable for a railway magazine.

It is a fantastic mix of railway culture and stuff that satisfies the trainspotters. The issue I bought (not cheap at 6.50 euros) had five pages on the best stations from which to go trout fishing (a long-established tradition, apparently), a feature on the mutton curry dish made famous on Indian railways in the early days of the 20th century, and another on the best railway videogames.

For the rail enthusiasts, there was a long feature on the history of the Interrail pass, which included coverage of a man who travelled on 473 trains in 16 countries using the pass.

Even if your French is GCSE level, you can still get a lot out of such a wonderful magazine, as the photography is amazing and much is written in an accessible style.