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

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

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

So that’s today’s first #CrossBorderRail border

Cieszyn 🇵🇱 - Ceský Tešín 🇨🇿

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

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)

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 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)

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 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)

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

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

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?

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.

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 🙂

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 😀

#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)

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

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 🙂

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!

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

But that’s an amazing station

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

Horná Lehota 🇸🇰