Jon WorthNov 28, 2023

Right then

The serious planning for #CrossBorderRail South East Europe has to start with *what rail borders* do I want to investigate

These are all now as pins in the map
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-south-east-europe_991708#7/43.619/20.660

The emphasis: ALL the places where lines exist between non-EU countries in SE Europe, external borders of the EU, and a couple of Croatian borders I am missing

Dark blue: must visit
Light blue: either have visited before and don't need re-checking, or are insignificant but could be added

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe - uMap

uMap lets you create maps with OpenStreetMap layers in a minute and embed them in your site.

Show threadJon WorthNov 28, 2023

There are 30 must-go borders:

Slavonski Šamac 🇭🇷 - Šamac 🇧🇦
Drenovci 🇭🇷 - Brčko 🇧🇦
Donja Borina 🇷🇸 - Karakaj 🇧🇦
Tovarnik 🇭🇷 - Šid 🇷🇸
Bogojevo 🇷🇸 - Erdut 🇭🇷
Apatin - Svilojevo 🇷🇸
Röszke 🇭🇺 - Horgoš 🇷🇸
Stamora Moravita 🇷🇴 - Vrsac 🇷🇸
Dragoman 🇧🇬 - Dimitrovgrad 🇷🇸
Being constructed - Kumanovo 🇲🇰 - Kriva Palanka 🇲🇰 - Gyueshovo 🇧🇬
Preševo 🇷🇸 - Tabanovce 🇲🇰
Blace 🇲🇰 - Han i Elezit 🇽🇰
Plakovo 🇷🇸 - Jarinjë 🇽🇰
Kremenica 🇲🇰 - Neos Kafkasos 🇬🇷
Gevelija 🇲🇰 - Idomeni 🇬🇷
Future Line - Lin 🇦🇱 - Radozhda 🇲🇰

Show threadJon WorthNov 28, 2023

must-go, cont.:

Former 760mm gauge - Trebinje 🇧🇦 - Niksic 🇲🇪
Metković 🇭🇷 - Čapljina 🇧🇦
Novakovici 🇭🇷 - Jarici 🇧🇦
Loksun 🇭🇷 - Bihac 🇧🇦
Volinja 🇭🇷 - Dobrljin 🇧🇦
Rakitovec 🇸🇮 - Buzet 🇭🇷
Ilirska Bistrica 🇸🇮 - Šapjane 🇭🇷
Imeno 🇸🇮 - Kumrovec 🇭🇷
Sveti Rog ob Sotli 🇸🇮 - Ðurmanec 🇭🇷
Središce ob Dravi 🇸🇮 - Cakovec 🇭🇷
Kotoriba 🇭🇷 - Murakeresztúr 🇭🇺
Beli Manastir 🇭🇷 - Magyarbóly 🇭🇺
Jimbolia 🇷🇴 - Kikinda 🇷🇸
Tuzi 🇲🇪 - Vukpalaj-Bajze 🇦🇱

Show threadJon WorthNov 28, 2023

And 7 go if possible:

Cenad 🇷🇴 - Apátfalva 🇭🇺
Rogatec 🇸🇮 - Hum na Sutli 🇭🇷
Baranjsko Petrovo Selo 🇭🇷 - Beremend 🇭🇺
Bijelo Polje 🇲🇪 - Kumanica 🇷🇸
Štrpci 🇧🇦 - Mramorje 🇷🇸
Štrpci 🇧🇦 - Jablanica 🇷🇸
760mm gauge Šarganska osmica - Vardište 🇧🇦 - Mokra Gora 🇷🇸

Show threadJon WorthNov 28, 2023

So to the questions:
- are there any borders I ought to visit, and are missing?
- other than Belgrade-Bar and Sarajevo-Mostar are there extra scenic routes I should take?
- friendly activists I should meet in any of the places en route?

My next step:
- trying to find a viable timetable through all of this! Inc. buses, and trying to avoid cycling on dangerous roads!

#CrossBorderRail 2024 - it's going to happen 🙂

Show threadMikeNov 29, 2023

@jon my sons did the overnight train from Bucharest to Chisnau this year: very retro train

How about Bulgaria (not necessarily Sofia) to Thessaloniki

Show threadJon WorthNov 29, 2023
@ks_mikey Been to all internal EU borders already, inc. BG-Greece in 2022. Chisinau I will eventually do, but probably sometime later in 2024.
Show threadMikeNov 29, 2023
@jon my younger son really liked it. It was very much a 50s style train. And thru also visited Tiraspol although the border there is interesting
Show threadJon Worth
@ks_mikey My trip report from there: https://jonworth.eu/a-day-trip-to-the-last-outpost-of-the-soviet-union-tiraspol-in-transnistria/ Note it was 2019 though 🙂
A day trip to the last outpost of the Soviet Union - Tiraspol in Transnistria - Jon Worth

So you want to go to the only place in the world that still has the hammer and sickle on its flag? A largely unrecognised state? One with a statue of Lenin in front of its Parliament? And you want to do that in 2019? And you want to do[Read More...]

Jon Worth
Nov 29, 2023 at 9:15amWeb
Show threadMikeNov 29, 2023

@jon hadn’t changed really in 2022: from what I was told

The Russian soldiers at the “border” were useful in worrying my youngest enough not to try to cross the next border