Trenitalia announced this week what has been rumoured for months - it's building a maintenance facility on the edge of Paris.

Good news for Lyon and Marseille, less clear what it means for London - as I explain here:
https://jonworth.eu/quick-notes-on-trenitalias-new-maintenance-facility-at-maisons-alfort-pompadour/

#CrossChannelRail

I am in a second preparatory call for a webinar next week about the future of #CrossChannelRail

I have devoted more than 3 hours, for free, for this so far

And I have more precision in what I am saying than the three other panellists, who are all paid a *lot* by their respective employers to do what they do

I can tell you - with solid precision - how to re-build 60+ stations, and I am criticised for not thinking aspirationally or radically enough 🤷‍♂️

Last leg of my current #Interrail pass today, day four of four... Amsterdam to London.

There are queues for security and passport control at the UK terminal. Well-managed, though, and the whole thing is done in about ten minutes.

The departure lounge, half-built the last time I was here, is full. Not oppressively so... some people are standing but with a squeeze everyone would probably have a seat.

For me, Lille is the best Eurostar node on the #CrossChannelRail routes right now with Amsterdam doing well and London and Brussels decent enough these days. Gare du Nord is the outlier, an utter gong show.

I regret to inform you that I have once again got preoccupied with an idea and written six thousand words about it.

What could a Channel Tunnel service going to destinations beyond London look like, using lines present today without building the HS1–HS2 link?

https://tachibanakana.day/2026/03/05/beyond-london.html

(Reminder that I’m an idiot with some crayons, not a railway engineer)

#crosschannelrail

On the rails again… #Interrail #CrossBorderRail #CrossChannelRail

Today it’s a lively jaunt on a Eurostar e320 from St Pancras to Rotterdam, and from there to Utrecht for the @erpu social meetup. Joining me today are Wendy the DBJUNGLESKOG and @seabass.

I got my Eurostar Plus reservation long before @seabass got their standard class reservation, and neither the Eurostar app nor the help desk were able to help me demote myself to standard so that we can sit together. I am going to appeal to the train manager once we are underway, but I suspect it’s going to be a lost cause :/

Today’s itinerary: https://moof.space/trip/2026-03-04