Jon WorthWhat a mess. SNCF isn’t content with ticket barriers at CDG exiting the RER, so station a bunch of staff for a *further control* which makes exiting the escalators dangerous. Well done! FFS. 😡 #CrossChannelRail
Whether you could run #CrossChannelRail from here I don’t know. What I do know is you shouldn’t try. This station - to board two TGVs - is already hell.
Extra credit to this SNCF employee. She’s scanning tickets only for some other TGV, so happily sends passengers to the back of the long OUIGO queue instead. She could instead you know *help* and just scan them? It’s all SNCF Voyageurs!
Oh and we had some passenger profiling from Sureté Ferroviaire, happy to single out a young black guy for a bag check
This person covering their head, I presume asleep, has the right idea. Shield yourself from this mess - I get you!
And off OUIGO to Marne La Vallée Chessy
Thank goodness I’m not going all the way to Toulon on this!
If I’ve counted it right they have 17 staff to check inOui and OUIGO tickets before passengers get to the platforms here at Marne La Vallée Chessy. Strikes me as… rather a lot!
You can see how Marne La Vallée Chessy worked for #CrossChannelRail
Pic 1: the terminal
Pic 2: escalators secured with kind of fences, as in Lille
Pic 3: glass divider on the platform
And here’s SNCF inviting harassment of passengers by telling them to display sensitive information
No, legally you DO NOT need to put a mobile number on your luggage!
How dare SNCF exceed what’s legally necessary in this publicity?
So my little tour of the eastern edges of Paris is done
RER back into the city now!
Arriving at Paris Gare de Lyon - the station for high speed trains to France‘s second and third cities Marseille and Lyon… and there are 4 trains in the next hour.
FOUR
That’s it.
The chronically under utilised capacity on French rail, off peak, makes me annoyed.
And 2 of the 4 trains this hour at Paris Gare de Lyon are regional ones
So just 2 high speed departures
Compare that to Milano Centrale with 8 departures, or Frankfurt (Main) Hbf with a dozen
(Oh and DB doesn’t show Italo. So the Milano total will be higher still)
And when SNCF goes whining to the Italian competition authority it can’t get the paths it wants in Italy, pause a moment: Italian high speed lines and stations are quite full, all day
By contrast SNCF Réseau can‘t refuse Trenitalia an off peak path in France when nothing else is going
So you can board a full Frecciarossa in 11 minutes, from a terminus gate at Gare de Lyon, with staff checking tickets instead of using ticket barriers
However Frecciarossa seats are designed for short people. I’m 1m 83 tall, and the seat comes only to the base of my skull. Seat is comfortable until there though! 🙂
There are some design choices made by Trenitalia for the interior that make little sense
Worst: luggage space. Most carriages have no rack for large bags at all! What were they thinking?
They don’t sell 2 seats per carriage as a temporary solution for this
Thankfully the overhead racks are generous. Not quite as good as Talgo, but still very good.
The noise level on board is fine. The air quality good. Toilets and vestibules well designed. Gangways between carriages wide.
Put some luggage racks in, and replace linoleum floors with carpet and you’d have an excellent train.
France tangent: Bourgogne Franche Comté reduction cards have not been working on SNCF for a week or so, despite SNCF issuing them AFAIK
Now all holders have received an email telling them to… 🥁… use another SNCF website to book instead
Well done everyone!
Now on the final train home, Dijon to Nuits-sous-Ravières
It’s packed
But there *are seats* - but passengers put bags on them
I don’t know what’s more stupid: doing that to deny passengers a seat, or passengers refusing to ask passengers move bags?
I asked, got a grumpy 🤷♂️ but the passenger complied and I have a seat
Spent the past couple of hours working on the data, as so many of my #CrossBorderRail plans changed in the past couple of days
The map I travelled is now more or less right: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#6/48.973/2.845
But all the train assessments will follow sometime, tomorrow if I have the energy!
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
And just one more station of #CrossBorderRail to go... Montbard now, 10 mins to Nuits-sous-Ravières and then 2km bike home
And then this monster will no doubt be sat on my knee within 2 minutes of my arrival!
Thanks for following all of this crazy project this past three weeks. I need a bit of a rest, but there will be a lot more soon!
SNCF: bags without a label are a big danger! Announce! Fine! Act!
Also SNCF: passenger blocking doors (an escape route) with 4 bags. 🤷♂️
OK, the missing assessments!
#CrossChannelRail Train 66 of 72
RER D
09:31 Paris Gare de Lyon - Paris Nord 09:41
SNCF for Île-de-France Mobilités
Train type: ANF, CIMT, GEC Alsthom Z 20500 EMU, 2x 5 double deck carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅ (off peak)
🦽: ✅ (ramp on platform)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (difficult design - hard to move with larger bags in double deck carriages)️
🧽: 🙂
RER D
09:31 Paris Gare de Lyon - Paris Nord 09:41
Distance: 5.3km
Average speed: 32km/h
2 stops:
Chatelet les Halles
Paris Gare du Nord
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#14/48.8620/2.3599
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 67 of 72
RER B
09:57 Paris Nord - Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 10:26
RATP & SNCF for Île-de-France Mobilités
Train type: Alsthom, Société Franco-Belge MI 79 EMU, 2x 4 carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc, then 25kV ac)
🚲: ✅ (off peak)
🦽: ✅ (ramp on platform)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (not handy with large bags)️
🧽: 🙂
RER B
09:57 Paris Nord - Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 10:26
Distance: 28.4km
Average speed: 59km/h
4 stops:
La Plaine - Stade de France
Aulnay sous Bois
Parc des Expositions
Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#13/48.9454/2.4612
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 68 of 72
OGV 7897
11:00 Charles de Gaulle - Marne-la-Vallée Chessy 11:27
SNCF Voyageurs
Train type: Alstom TGV Duplex, 2x 8 short double deck carriages
⚡️ (25kV ac)
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ✅
🛜: ✅ (free with some tickets, others have to pay)
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: ☹️ (Duplex, poor design)
🧽: 😐 (grimy and worn)
OGV 7897
11:00 Charles de Gaulle - Marne-la-Vallée Chessy 11:27
Distance: 23.9km
Average speed: 53km/h
1 stops:
Marne-la-Vallée Chessy
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#12/48.9363/2.6645
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 69 of 72
RER A
11:43 Marne-la-Vallée Chessy - Paris Gare de Lyon 12:20
RATP & SNCF for Île-de-France Mobilités
Train type: Alstom Bombardier Mi09 XTrapolis EMU, 2x 5 double deck carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅ (off peak)
🦽: ✅ (ramp on platform)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (three door double deck design is OK)️
🧽: 🙂
RER A
11:43 Marne-la-Vallée Chessy - Paris Gare de Lyon 12:20
Distance: 33.9km
Average speed: 55km/h
12 stops:
Val d'Europe
Bussy-Saint-Georges
Torcy
Lognes
Noisiel
Noisy Champs
Noisy-le-Grand Mont d'Est
Bry-sur-Marne train station
Neuilly-Plaisance
Val de Fontenay
Vincennes
Nation
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#12/48.8812/2.5560
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 70 of 72
FR 6651
14:14 Paris Gare de Lyon - Lyon Part Dieu 16:09
Trenitalia
Train type: Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000 EMU, 8 carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc, then 25kV ac, then 1.5kV dc)
🚲: ⛔️ (only disassembled or folded bikes allowed)
🦽: ✅ (lift on platform)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅
🧳: ☹️ (ridiculous - only two racks for larger bags in 5 carriages! And some seats used as luggage racks. Overhead racks are good however)
🧽: 🙂
FR 6651
14:14 Paris Gare de Lyon - Lyon Part Dieu 16:09
Distance: 429.4km
Average speed: 224km/h
1 stops:
Lyon Part Dieu
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#8/47.325/3.633
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 71 of 72
TER 17812
16:16 Lyon Part Dieu - Dijon Ville 18:17
SNCF for TER AURA
Train type: GEC-Alstom BB22200 locomotive, 7 Corail carriages, driving control car
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (ramp on platform)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (narrow and high doors)️
🧽: 😐 (grimy outside)
TER 17812
16:16 Lyon Part Dieu - Dijon Ville 18:17
Distance: 193.3km
Average speed: 96km/h
9 stops:
St-Germain-au-Mont-dOr
Villefranche-s-Saone
Belleville-sur-Saone
Mâcon Ville
Tournus
Chalon sur Saône
Chagny
Beaune
Dijon Ville
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#9/46.5474/4.8729
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
#CrossChannelRail Train 72 of 72
TER 91358
18:33 Dijon Ville - Nuits-sous-Ravières 19:19
SNCF for TER Mobigo Bourgogne Franche Comté
Train type: Bombardier AGC bi-mode MU 4 short carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂️
🧽: 😐 (grimy, especially the roof panels inside)️
TER 91358
18:33 Dijon Ville - Nuits-sous-Ravières 19:19
Distance: 89.3km
Average speed: 116km/h
3 stops:
Les Laumes-Alesia
Montbard
Nuits-sous-Ravieres
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#11/47.5255/4.6191
#CrossChannelRail 2025
Draft route for Jon Worth's #CrossChannelRail project in spring 2025. Dates for each leg of the trip are shown on each layer. Route colours alternate each day - yellows one day, purples the next, each train with a slightly different shade. Pins in the map show the locations to be visited.
Knud JahnkeSo, what was your overall distance and average speed? Was the latter 80-100 km/h?
@knud Not totalled those in the table yet. Will do shortly!
@knud 7668km at an average speed of 104km/h. I had a LOT of high speed trains in this project!
Yes, with substantial HSR you can crack the 100km/h. But only then. And this was without waiting for transfers, right?
@knud This takes no account of transfers. Trying to account for that would be too much! (by contrast: my first #CrossBorderRail in 2022 had 74km/h average)
How many days have you been travelling for this project? 19?
That's then still an average 16.8 km/h, or a 2:30h marathon speed - for 456 hours straight :-)
@knud 20 travel days 🙂