The civil servant said, by happy coincidence, the journey also took place on the anniversary of the youth rail pass, which many backpackers and European travellers have used to get about the continent over the past five decades.
"It was the 50th birthday of the Interrail pass, which I have many happy memories of using in my youth, so it was fun to get one again," he said.
However the trip wasn't quite as spontaneous as it might appear. As a self-confessed locomotive enthusiast, he said he had been studying the possible routes for months.
Departing London, he said he had a good idea of where his journey could take him.
"What is the furthest point I can get from St Pancras in 24 hours? I think I know on paper, but there's some tight connections ahead," he tweeted.
Originally thinking East might be the best bet, his plans took another direction following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. After setting off, Kibble said that he decided on the journey that he should pledge 20p ($0.38) for every km he travelled to humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees via the Disasters Emergency Committee.
"I had to do a lot of spreadsheets, timetable wrangling and map measuring to come up with the eventual answer. And some back-up plans if the trains played up!"
Posting video clips from lowly commuter rail connections to Swiss dining carriages with linen table serving truffle oil ravioli - the journey was full of locomotive oddities. Having thoroughly researched the route Kibble shared plenty of rail-side trivia, passing "Europe's largest casino" in Lago di Como and glimpses of rhinos in the rail overpass at Basel Zoo. Overall the rail journey went off without a hitch. Kibble said that beyond face masks and distancing, he encountered little or no cross-border travel restrictions, which had mostly been lifted since the pandemic. "First bit of Covid bureaucracy of journey [was] a scan of the vaccination pass and an uninterested look at the passenger locator form (now used by just 3 EU countries)."
Changing trains, languages, and cultures several times he said the journey was invigorating. A highlight was catching Switzerland's new 'Giruno' trains from Rhaetian to Milan, which have been launched to cope with the renewed interest in rail travel on the continent.
Instead of ending up on the border of Belarus, Kibble travelled 1,960km south to enjoy the spring sun of Bovo Marina, in Sicily. He also raised the sum of £392 ($742) for the DEC's Ukraine relief mission.
When asked what was next after his 24-hour rail and bus journey, he told the Independent that there was no immediate plan for a follow up. “I really haven’t thought about it,” he said. “I’m not sure what comes after trains and buses, but I expect social media will give me some ideas…”
