Jon WorthWelcome to #CrossBorderRail Day 13
Here’s today’s intro video - I’m off to Weißwasser and Horka
PeerTube
Rail passengers are a bit dim sometimes
My RE 2 Berlin - Cottbus goes through the touristy Spreewald. But today starts at Ostbahnhof, not Hbf, due to engineering works. It stops at Ostkreuz on the way out of Berlin
What do *masses* of passengers do, inc many with bikes?
Rather than get on at Ostbahnhof (train stands 20 mins, large station) they all try to get on at Ostkreuz (smaller platforms, much shorter dwell time) - and many get left behind 🤦♂️
I appreciate the bi-lingual signs in the RE 2 to Chóśebuz gł.dw. but Brand Tropical Islands is rather disappointing 😉 Shouldn’t it be Ogień tropikalne wyspy? (DeepL doesn’t translate hornjoserbšćina so Polish will have to do!)
Some morning reading for you - in Dutch 😉
After my Dutch TV debut yesterday on NPO2 there’s now a long follow up piece in De Groene Amsterdammer - it goes into more depth: https://www.groene.nl/artikel/de-treinrenaissance
Cottbus - Zittau train full of bikes. But it’s a Siemens Desiro DMU - these have the best overhead racks. So up goes the folded Birdy
#CrossBorderRail Train 56
RE 2 (95034)
08:35 Berlin Ostbahnhof - Cottbus Hbf 09:54
DB Regio AG Nordost
Average speed 89 km/h
Distance 117 km
Train type: Taurus locomotive, 5 double deck carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (just about step free)
🛜: ✅
🧳: 🙂 (double deck but many multi use spaces)
🧽: 🙂
#CrossBorderRail Train 57
RB 65 (68813)
10:04 Cottbus Hbf - Weißwasser(Oberlausitz) 10:35
Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH
Average speed 82 km/h
Distance 42 km
Train type: Siemens Desiro DMU, 2 carriages (not enough!)
⛽️
🚲: ✅ (and many on board!)
🦽: ✅ (step free)
🛜: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (the best designed DMUs for luggage space)
🧽: 🙂
Fürst Pückler Park and Schloss, Bad Muskau. Eccentric, but really nice. And the little town isn’t bad either.
Palm trees! Lions! Eccentric castle. Massive park. And you can just wander around the grounds, you don’t have to pay. Bad Muskau is worth a visit!
And if it weren’t cool enough, the 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 border bisects the park
This bench is right on the border line on the bridge
This place is a LOT of fun!
And on the Polish side there’s a Polenmarkt. And you can buy yourself a lion. And some petrol. Of all the borders I’ve been too this one is all the good and bad rolled into one!
Cabbages! Cigarettes! Dodgy looking pottery! Gherkins! Hair metamorphosis (whatever that is)!
The old rail bridge Muskau 🇩🇪 - Łęknica 🇵🇱, today a bike path
And the road bridge, further downstream. The metal roofs to the right are the Polenmarkt
Next former #CrossBorderRail line. As you can see from the map I’m right near it. But I can’t get to the edge of the Neiße due to a 🐗 wild boar fence. And from the drone there’s nothing to be seen - not even any bridge remnants.
Late stage capitalism
Am I the weird one, but I tend to not have dreams about the perfect roof tiles
Germany CAN electrify #CrossBorderRail lines* to Poland across the Neiße
* - only for freight though
Anyone looking for an investment opportunity?
Station building at Kodersdorf for sale. Hourly trains to Görlitz/Zittau and Cottbus. Every other hour to Hoyerswerda.
Nice old brick building.
79km on the Birdy today. 4 #CrossBorderRail lines investigated. Impeccable bike infra along the Neiße. This project is so much fun. And I’ve lots to ponder while on the way home (via Hoyerswerda, Senftenberg).
#CrossBorderRail Train 58
RB 64 (68864)
18:43 Koderdorf - Hoyerswerda 19:25
Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH
Average speed 80 km/h
Distance 56 km
Train type: Stadler RS1 railbus, 1 carriage (these are good - even for longer distances)
⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if platform allows)
🛜: ✅
🧳: 🙂 (good overhead racks, spacious door areas)
🧽: 🙂 (seats a little worn - but it’s clean)
The Niesky - Hoyerswerda section of the Hoyerswerda - Węgliniec line is *impeccable*. It’s even OKed for 160km/h running, and 120km/h on the border section. But the few Görlitz - Hoyerswerda Regionalbahn trains are the only passenger services. Would cross border psssenger traffic - even long distance - make sense?
Oh and why not upgrade Dresden - Görlitz - Zgorzelec like this? 🤔
#CrossBorderRail Train 59
RE 15 (18295)
19:33 Hoyerswerda - Ruhland 19:55
DB Regio AG Nordost
Average speed 70 km/h
Distance 26 km
Train type: Talent 2 EMU 🐹, 3 carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if platform allows)
🛜: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂
Martin Hoffmann@jon I forgot how dreadful these are until I took the RB20 from Oranienburg to Potsdam on Monday.
@partim Really uninspiring. Not quiet. Not smooth. Not cleverly designed. But at least - by Bombardier standards - they at least seem to work!
@jon The DB interior is particularly bad. I’m still hurting from the armrest poking into my side.
I think both the Abellio and National Express ones are kind of okay seat-wise.