And why the hell am I going to Warszawa this way?

Because there are engineering works on the main line between Berlin and Erkner, and the EuroCity only starts in Frankfurt (Oder)

Were the Ostbahn Kostrzyn - Berlin electrified trains could divert over that #CrossBorderRail route. But that hasn’t happened and won’t happen soon…

And I’m in Warszawa to speak at #Eurotrans2024 https://eurotrans2024.sgh.waw.pl/en/agenda Luckily my panel is early afternoon, allowing me to make a day trip to Warszawa

It’s not the most interesting day in terms of the borders - I know Frankfurt (Oder) 🇩🇪 - Slubice 🇵🇱 all too well. But it’ll be interesting to see how the Faeser-trashes-Schengen controls work later on. Will they control everyone, or only minorities?

Meanwhile passing Rahnsdorf (towards Erkner)

Not to be confused with Rangsdorf (south of Schönefeld Airport)

Just as Lichterfelde is not to be confused with Lichtenrade or Lichtenberg. And Mariendorf and Marienfelde.

After all these years in Berlin I still mix them up

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days – Warszawa Conference Train 3 of 8
RE 1 (73754)
05:50 Erkner - Frankfurt (Oder) 06:31
Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH

Train type: Siemens Desiro HC EMU, 6 carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (I like the single-double deck mix)
🧽: 😐 (graffiti on some windows)

RE 1 (73754)
05:50 Erkner - Frankfurt (Oder) 06:31

Distance: 56.7km
Average speed: 83km/h

8 stops:
Fangschleuse
Fürstenwalde(Spree)
Berkenbrück
Briesen(Mark)
Jacobsdorf(Mark)
Pillgram
Frankfurt(Oder)-Rosengarten
Frankfurt(Oder)

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#11/52.3752/14.0834

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days – Warszawa Conference Train 4 of 8
EC 41
06:49 Frankfurt (Oder) - Warszawa Centralna 10:57
DB Fernverkehr AG, PKP Intercity

Train type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 6 carriages
⚡️
🚲: ⛔️ (used to, but now doesn’t 😡)
🦽: ✅ (needs lift or ramp on platform)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅
🧳: 😐 (very limited space in compartment carriages, high steps)
🧽: 🙂 (spotless)

EC 41
06:49 Frankfurt (Oder) - Warszawa Centralna 10:57

Distance: 477.9km
Average speed: 116km/h

8 stops:
Rzepin
Świebodzin
Zbąszynek
Poznań Gl.
Konin
Kutno
Warszawa Zachodnia
Warszawa Centralna

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#8/52.255/17.775

Szczaniec

No we weren’t meant to stop here…

Damn, how has PKP IC messed this up?

EC 41 is now *only* compartment carriages - not ideal in itself! - and that means no bike transport

PKP IC has these decent 2nd class open carriages with bike spaces. Why not use those here still? They used to run them

Thanks @mattfullerton for alerting me to the problem, that I can confirm

Also ALL EuroCity trains Berlin-Warszawa now are timetabled to run without bike spaces. WHY?

Trains without bike spaces I’ve encountered. But ones that used to have them and now don’t - that’s absurd!

Also all compartment carriages isn’t good either - end up with the wrong people in your compartment and that can be grim.

All you need for Berlin-Warszawa is 160km/h DE and PL approved carriages. PKP IC has loads of these with bike spaces.

There can’t be an approval problem to run the ones with bike spaces to Germany as they used to run (unless some permission were revoked, but is that really the case here?)

So on balance of probability this is just a crap management decision - to deploy the newest compartment carriages on Berlin-Warszawa, but then they forgot about cyclists.

Kutno

Typical Polish modern station. Not super charming, but functional and accessible

Oh. And I get to #Eurotrans2024 and who’s here: Bogusław Liberadzki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogus%C5%82aw_Liberadzki?wprov=sfti1#

The MEP who - as Rapporteur for the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation in 2021 - bears more political responsibility for the mess we’re in with ticketing and rights than more than anyone

We’ve got a dude called Sönke Reise presenting at #Eurotrans2024

Perfect name 🙂

Here’s my post about #RailBaltica after travelling a big part of the future route earlier this year #Eurotrans2024

https://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/rail-baltica-better-informed-but-none-the-wiser/

Being at this #Eurotrans2024 conference is weird. It’s another one of these situations where I don’t know if I’m enlightened or if I’m stupid.

I can cut through the bullshit in these speeches like a knife through butter. But the people here have roles, responsibility, income *massively* higher than I do.

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days – Warszawa Conference Train 5 of 8
EC 40
17:01 Warszawa Centralna - Frankfurt (Oder) 21:09
DB Fernverkehr AG, PKP Intercity

Train type: Siemens Taurus locomotive, 6 carriages
⚡️
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ✅
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅ (and it’s good)
🧳: ☹️ (busier than this morning, and it’s inadequate)
🧽: 🙂

EC 40
17:01 Warszawa Centralna - Frankfurt (Oder) 21:09

Distance: 477.8km
Average speed: 116km/h

8 stops:
Warszawa Zachodnia
Kutno
Konin
Poznań Gl.
Zbąszynek
Świebodzin
Rzepin
Frankfurt(Oder)

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#8/52.255/17.775

So then. Heading back to Germany first time since Faeser gave up on #Schengen. My train doesn’t run all the way to Berlin but terminates at Frankfurt (Oder). What will happen there?

(Or if you think something else will happen, reply to say what!)

I’m really melancholy here tonight.

Warszawa - Berlin on EC 40, with the sun fading over the fields of Poland is one of my very favourite trains. A genuine journey thtough the country. And Poland was always there, just an hour from Berlin, both familiar and unknown.

But from next month it’ll no longer be an hour away, but 11 hours away. I’ll miss it being so accessible.

Hey Donald Tusk!

You were swift to criticise Germany’s blatant disregard of #Schengen

So why are Polish armed police prowling around the EuroCity train between Świebodzin and Rzepin? 🤔

Didn’t check anyone in my compartment though

So the Polish police took a black guy off the train in Rzepin in handcuffs.

Whether there were any white passengers doing anything untoward we can’t know - as they didn’t get checked.

Next and final stop: Frankfurt (Oder). Germany.

My train is 12 mins late, meaning I have 3 minutes to change. Are the Faeser controls going to mean I miss the connection? 🤔

Aaaaand the majority of you were right of course

3 police. Bottom of the steps from the platform. The only person they had stopped - when I’d passed - was an East Asian looking guy

I shouted “Ihr kontrolliert nur Minderheiten” at them as I passed, but didn’t stop for an argument

https://gruene.social/@jon/113147994540223904