What am I doing today?

An early morning start from Trstená on a dismantled railway line, now cycle path, to Nowy Targ (PL). Then a slow InterCity train across Poland, avoiding Warszawa, to Gdańsk. And maybe an evening trip to Hel as well.

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track

[This Train Is] Going Straight to Hell
HeadCat

I might make a trip to Hel today if I have time. If not at least there is the song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FAFYgBh-U0

#CrossBorderRail Finale Bike 5 of 39
Trstená - Nowy Targ

Distance: 37.5km
Est. duration: 2:30

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#12/49.3896/19.7998

This was an impeccable cycle path - smooth, good condition. Only downside: the scenery was a bit bland for large parts of it. A kind of flat high plateau...

And that means today's only new #CrossBorderRail border - Podczerwone 🇵🇱 - Suchá Hora 🇸🇰 - is now behind me

BORDER 2️⃣9️⃣9️⃣ of the project 🎉

But this one has no hope

The track Kraľovany - Trstená 🇸🇰 and Nowy Targ - Kraków 🇵🇱 are both slow and winding, Trstená - Nowy Targ is now an impeccable cycle path, and so it will stay

If we are to really get into the details of it, there are no buildings blocking the former railway's route anywhere

Two small bridges were removed, would need to be re-built

The main bridges are all intact, and there are no tunnels

But the real problem is here: https://openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=49.44453787281973&lon=19.933576583862305&zoom=15 - the village has sort of developed around where the railway was. You'd get massive backlash trying to re-open it there

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 18 of 145
IC 3560
07:27 Nowy Targ - Gdańsk Główny 16:40
PKP IC

Train type: Stadler ED160 EMU, 8 short carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (needs a ramp, but this is on board)
🛜: ⛔ (installed, but not working - annoying for a 9 hour trip!)️
🍽️: ✅ (coffee is good I can confirm)
🧳: 🙂 (good design inside)
🧽: 🙂 (spotless)

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted, although reserving makes sense - just 3 Zloty / €0.70 from PKP)

IC 3560
07:27 Nowy Targ - Gdańsk Główny 16:40

Distance: 779km
Average speed: 85km/h

28 stops:
Chabowka Stadion
Sucha Beskidzka Zamek
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona
Krakow Główny
Miechow
Wloszczowa Polnoc
Opoczno Poludnie
Tomaszow Mazowiecki
Łódź Widzew
Łódź Chojny
Łódź Kaliska
Łódź Zabieniec
Zgierz
Ozorkow
Leczyca
Kutno
Wloclawek
Aleksandrow Kujawski
Torun Główny
Solec Kujawski
Bydgoszcz Wschod
Bydgoszcz Lesna
Bydgoszcz Główna
[...]

[...] Laskowice Pomorskie
Smetowo
Tczew
Pruszcz Gdanski
Gdansk Główny

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#7/51.981/19.147

And you're going to have to make do without an intro video today

I tried at 04:30 in the hotel in Trstená but it didn't work, and WiFi here on the IC is broken

So text only today! 😀

There's a dude in this Polish train with 1312 tattooed on his neck

"What the hell happened in Poland in 1312?" I wondered.

The 1312 division of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) by the sons of Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau - would anyone have a tattoo for that? 🤔

Ah no 😀 I forgot the (international) obvious one! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACAB

Ah

Journalist I really trust is on holiday, person filling in for them emails me for a quote about something breaking I had no idea was happening

😱 Hang on, have I missed something because PKP IC's WiFi does not work here?

I go for honesty in response - I don't know what this is about, I'm in the middle of nowhere, you have to give me more context!

😅 Turns out it was embargoed and my cluelessness was understandable

Oh and I could give a good quote!

Thread has been a bit quiet... I have been doing some non-#CrossBorderRail work and enjoying this trip across the middle of Poland

The transformation of rail in Poland in the past decade is really something

Faster, cleaner, more regular, better trains, better service. Great to see