Mastodawn

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 2 - 8 June - Ceský Tešín - Cieszyn - Čadca - Zwardoń - Skalité - Kraľovany - Trstená

Today's new borders:
Cieszyn 🇵🇱 - Ceský Tešín 🇨🇿
Zwardon 🇵🇱 - Skalité-Serafínov 🇸🇰
Mosty u Jablunkova zastávka 🇨🇿 - Svrcinovec zastávka 🇸🇰
🚋 Former Tramway Cieszyn 🇵🇱 - Ceský Tešín 🇨🇿

Borders map, inc. borders re-crossed:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#11/49.6492/18.7873

Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/49.4281/19.1189

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Ceský Tešín and Cieszyn, a town divided by the PL-CZ border, but there is a railway line. Today I aim to work out if there's potential to improve it. Then onwards to the borders north of Čadca (SK) - the best SK-PL border crossing, mostly because all the others are terrible! #CrossBorderRail

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track

Drinking Song
Adam Makowicz

The singer born in today's Czechia in Hnojník near Ceský Tešín, is Polish, lives in Canada - that's a good story!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vMdDkhydvI

Adam Makowicz - Drinking Song

YouTube

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video, explaining the four borders I will examine today

https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/vpRzdFeEEtKzCivQSQPEmd

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 6/8/2025, 6:00:51 AM

PeerTube

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

So that’s today’s first #CrossBorderRail border

Cieszyn 🇵🇱 - Ceský Tešín 🇨🇿

Police car was parked there, so couldn’t get nearer to photograph

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Čadca station hall 😍 #CrossBorderRail

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

OK, all re-planned and re-timetabled. Time for some #CrossBorderRail assessments 🙂

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 14 of 145
R 345
10:26 Ceský Tešín - Čadca 11:00
ČD, ZSSK

Train type: Škoda 362 locomotive, 4 carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (ramp on board, not step free)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ❓ (says there's a trolley, but I didn't see it)
🧳: 😐 (narrow and high steps, especially disembarking at Čadca)
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

R 345
10:26 Ceský Tešín - Čadca 11:00

Distance: 39.4km
Average speed: 70km/h

3 stops:
Třinec centrum (Trzyniec centrum)
Návsí (Nawsie)
Čadca

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/49.5945/18.7042

#CrossBorderRail 2025 Finale

The final big #CrossBorderRail tour - to the eastern borders of the EU, and missing intra-EU borders. In June-July 2025. Each day of the project is a Layer in the map - these should be displayed by default, or if not click the three layered diamonds icon "Open browser" to the left side of the map. The icons are all for borders, roughly coloured to differentiate the borders. A cross through a track means NO TRAINS CAN RUN. A cross through trains but not track means TRAINS CAN RUN BUT NO PASSENGER TRAINS. And TRAIN AND TRACK (no crosses) means there is a passenger service.

uMap

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 15 of 145
Os 3916, changes to 4414
11:08 Čadca - Zwardoń 11:48
ZSSK

Train type: Škoda 660 EMU, 4 carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if station allows, otherwise ramp on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔
🧳: 🙂 (solid design, lots of different spaces for bags)️
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted, although Interrail app says it isn't)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Os 3916, changes to 4414
11:08 Čadca - Zwardoń 11:48

Distance: 20.4km
Average speed: 31km/h

10 stops:
Svrčinovec
Čierne pri Čadci
Čierne pri Čadci z.
Čierne-Polesie
Skalité zast.
Skalité
Skalité p.Poľanou
Skalité-Kudlov
Skalité-Serafínov
Zwardon

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#13/49.4785/18.8792

#CrossBorderRail 2025 Finale

The final big #CrossBorderRail tour - to the eastern borders of the EU, and missing intra-EU borders. In June-July 2025. Each day of the project is a Layer in the map - these should be displayed by default, or if not click the three layered diamonds icon "Open browser" to the left side of the map. The icons are all for borders, roughly coloured to differentiate the borders. A cross through a track means NO TRAINS CAN RUN. A cross through trains but not track means TRAINS CAN RUN BUT NO PASSENGER TRAINS. And TRAIN AND TRACK (no crosses) means there is a passenger service.

uMap

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 16 of 145
Os 4417, changes to 3421
12:16 Zwardoń - Kraľovany 14:30
ZSSK

Train type: Škoda 660 EMU, 4 carriages
(literally the same unit as the previous train, so same rating)
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if station allows, otherwise ramp on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔
🧳: 🙂 (solid design, lots of different spaces for bags)️
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted, although Interrail app says it isn't)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Os 4417, changes to 3421
12:16 Zwardoń - Kraľovany 14:30

Distance: 89.6km
Average speed: 40km/h

29 stops:
Skalité-Serafínov
Skalité-Kudlov
Skalité p.Poľanou
Skalité
Skalité zast.
Čierne-Polesie
Čierne pri Čadci z.
Čierne pri Čadci
Čierne pri Čadci
Svrčinovec
Čadca
Čadca mesto
Oščadnica
Krásno n.Kysucou
Dunajov
Ochodnica
Kysucké Nové Mesto
Rudina
Brodno
Žilina
Varín
Nezbudská Lúčka-Strečno
Vrútky
Vrútky nákl.st.
Sučany
Turany
Krpeľany
Šútovo-Ratkovo
Kraľovany

Mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/49.3073/18.9321

#CrossBorderRail 2025 Finale

The final big #CrossBorderRail tour - to the eastern borders of the EU, and missing intra-EU borders. In June-July 2025. Each day of the project is a Layer in the map - these should be displayed by default, or if not click the three layered diamonds icon "Open browser" to the left side of the map. The icons are all for borders, roughly coloured to differentiate the borders. A cross through a track means NO TRAINS CAN RUN. A cross through trains but not track means TRAINS CAN RUN BUT NO PASSENGER TRAINS. And TRAIN AND TRACK (no crosses) means there is a passenger service.

uMap

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Re. the "Interrail is not valid but it is", a proper reply to @HaTetsu 's point

Strictly speaking as the train is KŚ (Koleje Śląskie) on the Polish side, Interrail is not valid between Skalité-Serafínov and Zwardon

But that is
1 km trip
2 mins timetabled
It's a ZSSK train
With a ZSSK train manager
Who has a ZSSK hand held scan device (that'll scan Interrail)

Chances you get a problem?

VERY VERY LOW!

https://signal.eu.org/osm/#locs=49.501510,18.964077;49.504255,18.977144

Railway Routing

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

So back to the borders...

🚋 Former Tramway Cieszyn 🇵🇱 - Ceský Tešín 🇨🇿

They are very proud there used to be a tram. There are signs of it everywhere, there's an old tram parked by the river, and they even used old train tracks for drainage. But there is no tram, and this is not coming back.

Mosty u Jablunkova zastávka 🇨🇿 - Svrcinovec zastávka 🇸🇰

This is the Ostrava - Žilina main line, also used for trains further into both Czechia and Slovakia. A fast R train every 2 hours, and various EC trains too. The only missing thing: extending the Ostrava S-Bahn service from Mosty u Jablunkova as far as Čadca - possible once current upgrade works done?

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Zwardon 🇵🇱 - Skalité-Serafínov 🇸🇰

A charming line up to the border from Čadca, but damn it's slow. And on the cross border section I was the only passenger, perhaps in part because of a rail replacement bus north of Zwardon. Regional trains every 2 hours connect at the border - which is about as good as you're going to get.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And the plan now?

Get myself to Kraľovany as fast as I can, then I have to wait there 90 minutes, then head into the mountains to end today at Trstená

Today has been ☔️ ☔️ ☔️ - fingers crossed somewhere it'll stop 🙂

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And given I examined 5 borders yesterday, and 4 today, and will go to Podczerwone 🇵🇱 - Suchá Hora 🇸🇰 tomorrow... and I was on 289 borders before... then means I am going to hit 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ on Wednesday

That's a lot of #CrossBorderRail 😀

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And as Polish #beerontrains isn’t allowed on Polish trains (only beer bought in the dining car is allowed there) then a Polish beer on a Slovak train is ok? 😀 (I think this is allowed)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Pics from a very wet and windy Kraľovany

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 17 of 145
Os 7925
16:28 Kraľovany - Nižná 17:57
ZSSK

Train type: Vagonka Studenka 813 Railbus, 2 short carriages
⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ❓(there’s a ramp but doors narrow, could you get a chair in?)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (hard to get in, ok once in)
🧽: 🙂/😐/☹️

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Os 7925
16:28 Kraľovany - Nižná 17:57

Distance: 47km
Average speed: 32km/h

17 stops:
Kraľovany zast.
Parnica
Istebne
Velicna
Dolny Kubin zast.
Dolny Kubin
Mokrad
Bziny
Medzibrodie nad Orav
Oravsky Podzamok
Oravsky Podzamok zastavka
Horna Lehota
Sedliacka Dubova
Dlha nad Oravou
Kriva
Podbiel
Nizna

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#12/49.2570/19.3729

#CrossBorderRail 2025 Finale

The final big #CrossBorderRail tour - to the eastern borders of the EU, and missing intra-EU borders. In June-July 2025. Each day of the project is a Layer in the map - these should be displayed by default, or if not click the three layered diamonds icon "Open browser" to the left side of the map. The icons are all for borders, roughly coloured to differentiate the borders. A cross through a track means NO TRAINS CAN RUN. A cross through trains but not track means TRAINS CAN RUN BUT NO PASSENGER TRAINS. And TRAIN AND TRACK (no crosses) means there is a passenger service.

uMap

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And yes this is the place where there’s a niche bike vs. train race

The cyclists have to beat the train to Trstená 😀

https://fasterthanatrain.sk/

But not me on the Birdy. I’m taking the train 🙂

Faster Than a Train I Trúfneš si predbehnúť vlak?

Podarí sa cyklistom na trati s prevýšením 400 metrov, ktorá vedie celou Oravou predbehnúť vlak?

Faster Than a Train - Trúfneš si predbehnúť vlak?

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

This train must speed up later? Because on this first section even I’d be faster on the Birdy

Speaking of birds we did overtake a 🦆 swimming in the river

But every 🚗 has overtaken us!

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

The shoddy state of this line is annoying

The train is used. There’s enough population to sustain better (Dolný Kubín in particular)

But track works haven’t been done in years

Do a Polish style upgrade here. Close everything a year, replace everything with a basic kit like solution, up speed to 80-100km/h

It’d not be expensive. And it’d WORK

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

But that’s an amazing station

A tiny hut with its own pedestrian suspension bridge to the village!

Horná Lehota 🇸🇰

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

Ah great

2 mins before Nižná train manager comes through the train saying “Autobus!”

So off we all get

Now on the bus - at least it was efficient.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

I’m not sure what happened here

There was no prior indication there would be a bus. Other passengers were also surprised

But the bus was there waiting and even had a printed sign about the replacement service

Anyway it’s not permanent I think

Here’s Trstená station

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

#CrossBorderRail Finale Bus 3 of 23
Replacement for 7925
18:00 Nižná - Trstená 18:17
ZSSK

Bus type: Iveco Crossway
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ⛔ (high floor, no obvious lift)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔
🧳: 🙂 (reasonable multi use area)️
🧽: 🙂

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And here’s today‘s #CrossBorderRail summary

I now have a clearer idea what to do about Poland - Slovakia routes, so that’s useful

https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/poMc88aBNMBYoKvUALBChS

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 6/8/2025, 6:05:49 PM

PeerTube

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

And as my alarm is set for 04:30 tomorrow, videos and threads will only start once (if?) I get to Nowy Targ on time 😀

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, huh, it’s a SAD Zvolen bus?! All the way from there?

Lach Anonym's PT Jun 8, 2025

@jon indeed, nothing on ZSSK website...

Once I believed too much in the regular timetable and I caught the replacement bus in the last second (thank you, good multimodal planning!)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@LachAnonym tracks still shiny at Trstená too. Must be something semi temporary - one DMU short perhaps?

Graeme Hilton Jun 8, 2025

@jon @LachAnonym it's Sunday? Good day for maintenance which requires a line closure. Just a suggestion.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@fishter_uk @LachAnonym I wondered that. No obvious sign of it though. Unless it was somehow unplanned? Anyway no way to know now, it shall remain a mystery.

🌺 Cat Pöñíçkøvā Jun 8, 2025

@jon @fishter_uk @LachAnonym they are very short on staff, probably wouldn't be able to replace a driver on a short notice, especially this remote

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, wow, train replacement buses!

Jozef Jun 8, 2025

@jon The line was closed due to safety reasons (loose rocks) from May 21st to 29th, maybe there's still something to fix, especially in this weather. I suspect they kept the buses ready just in case.
https://www.zsr.sk/pre-media/vyjadrenie-media/2025/maj/doprava-useku-kralovany-trstena-je-obnovena.html

Doprava v úseku Kraľovany – Trstená je obnovená | ŽSR

www.zsr.sk

Jon Worth Jun 9, 2025

@overlander hmm. The cliffs aren’t on that part though. But re the bus, yes perhaps.

Szescstopni Jun 8, 2025

@jon Can't see it from the satellite now – just storm clouds :)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@Szescstopni yeah it’s still pouring. I hope the worst is gone by tomorrow as I need to cycle to Nowy Targ!

Szescstopni Jun 8, 2025

@jon Oh my god. Nowy Targ. Be careful :)

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@Szescstopni what’s wrong with Nowy Targ? 🤔

Szescstopni Jun 8, 2025

@jon Just ancient local animosities between Kraków and Nowy Targ, this won't affect you :) Where are you biking from to Nowy Targ? Slovakia? That's a long way.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@Szescstopni Trstená. 30km along a former rail line. It’s fine. If it doesn’t rain 😀

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@Szescstopni, Trstená to Nowy Targ is not too bad, I’ve done that before.
Czarny Dunajec is weird, with a petrol station right in the middle of the main town square!

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@andrew_shadura @Szescstopni Ha. Perfect for modern Poland. Fuel next to the church! 😀

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@Szescstopni (I’m just cycling there to get a train)

Lach Anonym's PT Jun 8, 2025

@jon new halt in Nosice is also amazing

Mark Jun 8, 2025

@jon like the emblem on it next to the station name.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, no, it won’t 😃

The locals call it the Orava Bullet, because of how fast it is. It’s a typical TPV: train à petit vitesse 😃

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@andrew_shadura there was a temporary speed restriction. We subsequently did 40km/h 😀

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, by the way, I lived in this house in Trstená, so I could hear each night as the last train from Kraľovany came in, terribly delayed as it waited for the last fast trains from and to Bratislava.

There’s apparently a sign close to this part of the track that means "blow the horn", as the trains would do that every time as they passed this point. And, slightly to the west, there’s an uncontrolled crossing, so the train driver uses a *different* horn there.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@andrew_shadura everything at Kralovany was on time, pretty much. Meant we left on time.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, there was a time when everything was delayed, especially so it winter. These days, it seems major works are mostly complete on this mainline, so trains aren’t delayed as much anymore.

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@andrew_shadura Žilina station is still a massive building site. That might still cause some delays?

Filip Lachert he/him Jun 8, 2025

@jon I think delays at Zilina are foreseen in the scheduled that was my impression recently @andrew_shadura

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@filiplachert @jon, yeah, I think Žilina despite being a building site, has the delays factored into the timetable.

Back in 2012 when I lived in Orava, the last Trstená train was almost never on time.

Lach Anonym's PT Jun 8, 2025

@filiplachert @jon @andrew_shadura I can agree, every time I arrived to Žilina from Martin side I was surprised the delay always decreased

Filip Lachert he/him Jun 8, 2025

@LachAnonym @jon @andrew_shadura The last time I was in Zilina was in February. And the station transformation concept seemed absurd to me. ZSKK has a policy of announcing departure platforms 10 minutes before departure. This information is available on screens inside the station building or at the entry to the underground walkway.
1/2

Filip Lachert he/him Jun 8, 2025

@LachAnonym @jon @andrew_shadura
The entrance to the passageway is located at the end of the very long platforms. So if you are a transfer passenger you have to walk down the platform and wait for the connecting train platform announcement. Once yoyu know the platform you have to run back with a big crowd. If you travel with luggage it's really difficult, especially that the staircases are very narrow.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@filiplachert, I don’t think it’s a ZSSK policy, more like a Žilina station policy.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, I may be mistaken, but I think the temporary speed restriction’s been there at least ten years 🙂

acb Jun 8, 2025

@jon Do Poles pronounce IPA as “eepa”, as Swedes do?

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@acb Ha. No idea. Am back in Poland tomorrow, can check 😀

Lach Anonym's PT Jun 8, 2025

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, I used to live in Trstená. I often cycled to shop at Tesco Tvrdošín 🙂

Jon Worth Jun 8, 2025

@andrew_shadura as a Brit I have to overcome my aversion to Tesco in Central Europe 😀

🌺 Cat Pöñíçkøvā Jun 8, 2025

@jon @andrew_shadura nah you can keep it, it's now really the worst run store out of the selection here too, last resort option

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@pony, definitely not in Slovakia.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@jon, well, when it's the only shop open after 8 pm in the 60 km radius 🙂
Also, they have a good selection of products, and the prices are okay. Used to have a British section back in the day, too.

Twobiscuits🚴‍♂️

@jon @andrew_shadura I went for a stroll around one in Hungary recently. It wasn't a Tesco like I used to know in the UK. Just an average scruffy central European supermarket on the inside.

Andrej Shadura Jun 8, 2025

@twobiscuits, I’m not sure what you mean tbh. I’ve been to Tescos in the UK, in Poland, in Czechia and in Slovakia. And unless things have changed drastically in the last year or so, I’ve never had the feeling the non-UK Tescos are that much different in spirit, apart from not having British products.

Twobiscuits🚴‍♂️

@andrew_shadura @jon The one I was in, in Szigetvar, a month or so ago, was old and scruffy. The Tescos I knew when I lived in the UK (early 90s) were shinier and posher then than this one was now.