All Roads Lead to the Train Station: Geolocation Write-up
Hi friends welcome to another OSINT write-up, today I am taking on a geolocation challenge my friend sent me, please find the details below:
This picture was taken at the beginning of 2024 near an European train station.
My friend challenged me to:
a) find the country in which this was taken
b) where he was standing when he took the picture
In which country was this picture taken?
Image breakdown:
After conducting close analysis of the image, here were the things that made geolocating this picture possible:
1) Square beige and white building on the far left corner.
2) Older building with traditional architecture in the background.
3) Tall building with reflective windows.
4) Building with what looks to be a saucer or a UFO on top of it.
5) Building with ‘IK’ lettering, possibly a neon sign that is currently off.
6) Blue, white and yellow train carts parked at the train station.
7) A bus station in front of the train station with a bus containing a white and green top.
8) The fact that the picture was taken in a location that is elevated from the train station and the bus stop.
To find the country I went with trying to track down where the transportation vehicles could be from. Often countries have different and highly personalized designs for their public transportation vehicles. As the train carts have distinctive colors, googling “blue, white and yellow European train” returned the following alamy stock image result:
The coloring and shape of the train match with the source image. According to the image description this is a train that rides along the Dutch railways. To confirm that this is indeed the Netherlands we can triangulate our findings by looking at the bus in the source image. When googling “Dutch bus” this image was retrieved:
The coloring pattern at the top of the bus matches the bus in the source image, with the white top and two different shades of green and the “arriva” logo and graphic. When googling “Arriva bus netherlands” the exact bus model with the same design can be found which includes the white lettering overlaying the green paint, the large circle on the back side of the bus’ window and the bus top.
Overall it can be confirmed that this train station is located in the Netherlands based on the public transportation. However, since public transportation moves all around the country it is difficult to pin-point the exact region in the Netherlands this station is located just based on the public transportation design.
Based on the results the first question can be answered:
The country in which this picture was taken is the Netherlands 🇳🇱.
Where was my friend standing?
I followed three different threads to find the approximate location and city this train station is located in. The three different approaches I took were: the overpass, the UFO building and the “IK” building.
Overpass Approach
Zooming into the overpass more details about its properties can be seen. It has a traingular base, a pedestrian can be seen which suggests that this overpass is for people not vehicles, and some small trees can be seen adorning the bridge as well.
When googling “Overpass in Dutch train station” the following result that matches the appearance of the overpass in the source image was retrieved:
The picture of this overpass that was shared in Frans Blok’s photography blog contains similar features as the overpass in the source image. Coupled with the fact that it is also located in a Dutch train station. According to the image description this overpass is located in ‘Utrecht Central Station.’ Utrecht being a city in the Netherlands.
When looking at “Utrecht Centraal” in Google Maps, we can see that the overpass is called “Moreelsebrug Bridge”.
UFO Approach 👽
When looking at the properties with the building that looks like it has a flying saucer attached to it, it can also be seen that there is a flag planted on the building as well. The building has a distinct shape with a smaller tower that goes higher than the others.
When googling “UFO building Netherlands” the following result was retrieved:
According to Wikimedia, this building with a UFO attached to it is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The building shape matches with the higher tower in the middle and the flag located next to the UFO is present as well.
The “IK” Building Approach
The top of this building has a sign containing the letters “I” and “K”, upon closer inspection of the sign, it can be assumed that this is a neon sign. Mainly due to it’s framing and outline. When googling “"IK" neon sign on top of building Netherlands”, you can find this website. After scrolling down the main page, an exact match of the building can be found.
Not only can the UFO building also be seen, but it is also revealed that this building is called office building “Park Nieuweroord” and it is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Pin-pointing the location
Now that it has been confirmed that my friend was near Utrecht Centraal, we can go on Google Earth and try to find his approximate location.
Once Utrecht Centraal is pin-pointed on the satellite imaging, the other land marks seen in the source image can be detected. Based on the fact that in the picture the overpass was on the right side, it can be concluded that my friend was likely standing between the overpass and train station. In the source image it can also be seen that he was standing in a location that was slightly elevated from the train station and bus stop.
When turning the map around it can be seen that the walkway next to the bus stop is elevated at the same level as the overpass. Thus, confirming that my friend was standing in this walkway to take the picture.
Through Google Street View, another perspective can be seen which contains all of the elements that the picture my friend took had, such as the UFO, the “IK” building and the overpass. The only difference, is that to also get a better view of the train station and bus stop, my friend was standing closer to the ledge.
It can then be estimated that my friend was standing at the elevated walkway next to Utrecht Centraal in Utrecht, the Netherlands. At the approximate location of 52.087793569248696, 5.109112815546954, near the walkway’s ledge.
Thus, answering the final question.
I hope you enjoyed this write-up. Until next time!
