#Tag
And that leaves France with ZERO international night trains. None. Aucun.
👏 Well done SNCF and the French Government
🤨
8️⃣ Is about the hardest country to use Interrail, and SNCF has now suspended selling Interrail reservations at its ticket machines
9️⃣ Is threatening the closure of lines FR-CH, and breaks of service there, despite Switzerland having financed infra investments French side of the border
And remember the rules of SNCF!
1) We don't want to run any train that goes less than 300km/h
2) We *REALLY* don't want anyone else to run them either
7️⃣ France remains the only predominantly standard gauge European country where the Siemens Vectron locomotive is still not approved to run, thereby limiting operation of both international night trains and freight
8️⃣ Is about the hardest country to use Interrail, and SNCF has now suspended selling Interrail reservations at its ticket machines
9️⃣ Is threatening the closure of lines FR-CH, and breaks of service there, despite Switzerland having financed infra investments French side of the border
5️⃣ Despite the French town Breil s/ Roya having 1 line to France and 2 lines to Italy, and all lines being operated with PSO contracts, SNCF cannot sell tickets from France to Italy there
6️⃣ As majority owner of Eurostar, SNCF has been the main driver of the sky high prices, low offer model for all Eurostar routes (inc. ex-Thalys routes)
7️⃣ France remains the only predominantly standard gauge European country where the Siemens Vectron locomotive is still not approved to run, thereby limiting operation of both international night trains and freight
5️⃣ Despite the French town Breil s/ Roya having 1 line to France and 2 lines to Italy, and all lines being operated with PSO contracts, SNCF cannot sell tickets from France to Italy there
6️⃣ As majority owner of Eurostar, SNCF has been the main driver of the sky high prices, low offer model for all Eurostar routes (inc. ex-Thalys routes)
And here follows a quick list of how France is buggering up #CrossBorderRail (these are just the ones that spring to mind)
1️⃣ Is cancelling Paris-Wien/Berlin night trains from December, leaving France without any international night trains
2️⃣ SNCF is the main barrier to fixing regional cross border traffic at the France-Germany border
3️⃣ 16 months ago SNCF stopped selling tickets to most international destinations on SNCF Connect and at ticket offices, and still hasn't resumed
4️⃣ SNCF removed French signalling systems from 6 TGV Duplex, leaving them with just 6 TGVs for France-Spain operation, meaning they can run max 3 trains a day on this route
And that leaves France with ZERO international night trains. None. Aucun.
👏 Well done SNCF and the French Government
🤨
And here follows a quick list of how France is buggering up #CrossBorderRail (these are just the ones that spring to mind)
1️⃣ Is cancelling Paris-Wien/Berlin night trains from December, leaving France without any international night trains
2️⃣ SNCF is the main barrier to fixing regional cross border traffic at the France-Germany border
And that leaves France with ZERO international night trains. None. Aucun.
👏 Well done SNCF and the French Government
🤨
Meanwhile ÖBB has confirmed the Paris-Wien/Berlin night trains are no more. "Die ÖBB bedauern, dass nach dem Rückzug der französischen Partner, die beiden Nachtzugverbindungen ab 14. Dezember 2025 nicht mehr angeboten werden können." https://presse-oebb.at/news-oebb-bedauern-die-einstellung-der-nightjet-verbindungen-wien-paris-und-berlin-paris?id=223578&menueid=27022&l=deutsch #CrossBorderRail
My analysis, in English: https://jonworth.eu/sncfs-half-hearted-effort-to-support-international-night-trains-in-danger-of-hitting-the-buffers/
And I am preparing my slides for a #CrossBorderRail at DG REGIO of the European Commission on Wednesday
"Can you cover the Balkans too?" they asked me
Sure
So in goes Bitola 🇲🇰 - Florina 🇬🇷 where the EU financed the renovation of the line, but no trains ran
(I am going to make myself popular!)
Pics from there: https://flickr.com/photos/jonworth-eu/albums/72177720319718501/with/53942117283
Meanwhile some good potential #CrossBorderRail news from Portugal: Linha da Beira is open again, allowing better connections to Spain at Vilar Formoso. The question though is what / when will there be cross border border passenger traffic? https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/item/61772-portugal-die-linha-da-beira-wird-vollstaendig-modernisiert-und-mit-neuen-strategischen-verbindungen-wiedereroeffnet.html
Autumn sun on the wind turbines of Brandenburg #CrossBorderRail
ICE 1052
07:06 Berlin Hbf - Aachen Hbf 13:11
Distance: 624.1km
Average speed: 103km/h
10 stops:
Berlin-Spandau
Hannover Hbf
Herford
Bielefeld Hbf
Hamm(Westf)Hbf
Wuppertal Hbf
Solingen Hbf
Köln Hbf
Düren
Aachen Hbf
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-conclusions-tour_1266988#8/52.022/9.838
The #CrossBorderRail line is right next to a road, about here https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ingling+69,+4784,+Austria/@48.5631921,13.4491426,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x4774587943a0a065:0x41d25a40937af30!2sPassau!3b1!8m2!3d48.5667364!4d13.4319466!16zL20vMDFoNXRk!3m5!1s0x477458b081aaf629:0x97946435feab64c1!8m2!3d48.5631921!4d13.4517229!16s%2Fg%2F11g62njk78?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
So I should be able to check if cars are being checked there out of the train window
Right. Next station is Passau. Time to check if there are any people from obvious minorities in this carriage to be able to know who the Budespolizei will pick on. #CrossBorderRail
Edit: the answer is none. So either we'll all get a cursory check, or the police will just walk through this carriage.
Here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/mNVzDq63NqnFQQU8nnzZCQ
It *ought* to be easy today - Budapest - Wien - Berlin. And so far everything has worked. But we have the Dobrindt border controls in Passau to come, but for now there's no ethnic minority person in the carriage here, so I suspect the police will just walk through
Very different but WTF travel information DB.
It's currently 13:56 and we're still (just) in Germany and haven't even done the Schengen violation at the border. Kolding is at least 20 minutes away. DB clearly knows we left late.
Yet according to DB we have arrived there already.
Is this some weird #CrossBorderRail hiccup where DSB and DB hand over control of the train?
It's fairly quiet in Hamburg central station. The little Hobbit (btw. Today is International Hobbit Day) is enjoying the moving trains and people.
We just waved at a deceased #pigeon that wasn't there some days ago. One that we did spot is now gone. Which makes me wonder if DB employs "dead pigeon catchers" in this station. Any #DB / #Bahn staff on Mastodon that can give insight?
In an hour we'll take our last train of the trip. The Eurocity back to Denmark.
Waldbahn is great. This about the best way you can use infra of questionable quality on a branch line.
#CrossBorderRail Conclusions Tour Train 14 of 75
RB 35 (83918)
09:44 Bayerisch Eisenstein - Plattling 10:54
waldbahn - Die Länderbahn GmbH DLB
Train type: Stadler RS1 railbus, 2x 1 carriage
⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if station allows)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (the best overhead racks of any train design)
🧽: 🙂
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
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