Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 4 - 11 June - Gdańsk – Lublin - Chełm - Dorohusk – Hrubieszów

Today's new borders:
Dorohusk 🇵🇱 - Yahodyn 🇺🇦
Hrubieszów 🇵🇱 - Izov 🇺🇦

Borders map, inc. borders re-crossed:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#10/51.0151/23.9859

Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#8/52.611/21.297

Back south from Gdańsk, towards the Ukraine-Poland border, and Dorohusk where I was thrown off a train by a nasty guard in 2000 on an Interrail trip! Two PL-Ukraine border lines to examine, but from the Polish side.

Here's today's intro video: https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/mZw88w3netfe88U4YPquJB

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 6/11/2025, 4:11:21 AM

PeerTube

Bit of a gangster for today's #CrossBorderRail music track

Warszawa Centralna
Kaz Bałagane

I am not changing in Centralna, but this is close enough! And musically this one is a little strange.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HLreRp2jc

Kaz Bałagane - Warszawa Centralna

YouTube

Not #CrossBorderRail directly, but I've written an opinion piece for The Guardian about the stalling development of night trains in Europe, and why Nox - a new Berlin startup - has some interesting ideas how to solve some of the issues

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/11/europe-was-promised-a-new-golden-age-of-the-night-train-why-are-we-still-waiting

Europe was promised a new golden age of the night train. Why are we still waiting?

Romance, excitement and sustainability – continent-crossing sleeper trains should be a hit. It’s time for the EU to catch on, says writer and campaigner Jon Worth

The Guardian

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 23 of 149
EIP 5302
06:44 Gdańsk Wrzeszcz - Warszawa Wschodnia 09:22
PKP IC

Train type: Alstom ED250 EMU, 7 carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (not step free - lift on board)
🛜: ✅ (bit annoying - either needs a login, or refresh every 15 min)
🍽️: ✅
🧳: 🙂 (racks well placed by the doors)
🧽: 🙂 (spotless - PKP IC really looks after its trains)

🎫 Interrail: 😐 (needs compulsory reservation, costs €10,80 - from PKP IC website)

EIP 5302
06:44 Gdańsk Wrzeszcz - Warszawa Wschodnia 09:22

Distance: 326.5km
Average speed: 124km/h

2 stops:
Gdańsk Główny
Warszawa Wschodnia

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#8/53.317/19.849

#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

A couple of points from #velocity2025 in Gdańsk yesterday

I was a speaker on the panel about bikes on trains, and now ECF's report on this is online - PDF here: https://ecf.com/media/ecf%20at%20velo-city/CLT/Cyclists%20Love%20Trains%202025%20Report.pdf?_t=1749109981

SBB 🇨🇭, SNCB 🇧🇪, MÁV 🇭🇺 get the top scores, which is fair enough

Also how badly high speed rail scores is shocking, but I suppose not a surprise

And as I head away from #velocity2025, a big thanks to three followers of mine here in the Fediverse who I learned a lot from this week: @btel @HaTetsu @LachAnonym Do follow them for public transport and cycling posts and analysis!

And it’s still ☔️ ☔️ ☔️

I’ve generally had excellent luck with the weather on my #CrossBorderRail trips but this week my luck ran out

Fingers crossed it’s dry by the time I get to Chełm at lunchtime

A few observations about this PKP EIP/EIC train. It’s PKP IC‘s premium service, first time I’m on one

1) It’s generally excellent, and staff also excellent

2) PKP maintains its trains very well - other trains with this design have things falling apart in the interiors. Not here - good work!

3) The route is a bit slow in places - feels like some parts needed a bigger upgrade! And these trains have no air suspension so a little bumpy

Lublin has an amazing new station*

* - bus station

😱

I assume this isn’t geo-fenced to brick at some point 🤔

If you don’t know what I’m on about, here’s the background on the Newag trains bricking story https://jonworth.eu/newags-digital-sabotage-of-dolny-slasks-trains-what-were-they-thinking/

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 25 of 149
R 22309
12:15 Lublin Główny - Chełm 13:22
Polregio

Train type: Newag EN98A EMU, 2 short carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if platform allows)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (not very clever - multi use space is only at one end)
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted, but guard was confused, couldn’t scan the QR)

R 22309
12:15 Lublin Główny - Chełm 13:22

Distance: 73.3km
Average speed: 66km/h

16 stops:
Lublin Północny
Świdnik Miasto
Świdnik Wschód
Minkowice
Podzamcze
Dominów
Jaszczów
Biskupice
Trawniki
Wólka Kańska
Kanie
Zalesie Krasieńskie
Rejowiec
Zawadówka
Chełm Miasto
Chełm

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/51.1805/23.0315

#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
The horn works well however! 😀
Poland is building these standardised small stations all over the place. This is how you get renovations done well and cheaply!

#CrossBorderRail Finale Bike 6 of 39
Chełm - Dorohusk - Chełm

Distance: 60.1km
Est. duration: 5:00

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#12/51.1426/23.6426

Stations at the end of the world #CrossBorderRail

And there we have it! Border 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ #CrossBorderRail 🎉

Dorohusk 🇵🇱 - Yahodyn 🇺🇦

Not much going on at Dorohusk. A couple of freight trains being shunted. The station has only 1 train a day (the Warszawa-Kyiv night train) #CrossBorderRail
War memorial Dorohusk. Can we please have more bikes and fewer weapons? I can hope… #CrossBorderRail
Edit: it hit me 300m before destination 😀 #CrossBorderRail
@jon welcome to the Polish tornado valley :)
@jon yes. more bikes and more nice places to ride them
@jon I've taken that train, must've passed through there. I remember lots of clanking in the middle of the night as they adjusted the wheels.

@jon Congratulations! Have a nice party :-)

Very impressive indeed!

@jon Jeez, Wólka Okopska looks like a fun location, doesn't it? Party central!
@jon every rural station in eastern europe looks exactly like this
@jon
Looks like a BR 1970's Station
@jon the name Newag will always be linked to that story. It's one of the most popular ones in the hacking community (the good guys, not the bad ones). This year they had another talk about the legal consequences of their research
@jon good Lord - thanks for sharing
@jon Lublin is a fantastic city. Don't forget to see the medieval citycenter. At the Rinek you'll find Mandragora for a nice dinner.
@doede_sijtsma on the next train. No tourism, I need to get to some borders! Sadly.
@jon That aside, it's wild how messy things are getting on the type naming front with some EMUs still getting EN designations, while others only have the newer WE ones, with no rhyme or reason I've been able to discern (or maybe it's there on some rail nerd forum thread I haven't found, or worse - a Facebook group xd)
@jon Nice. A popular design aesthetic for bus stations..? Similar one in Utrecht, screenshot from https://maps.app.goo.gl/mtovekNqwYTZ4huM8
@ednl @jon immediately reminded me of the new ZOB in Bremen https://maps.apple/la/HcWq6gtbLXFa2f
@salocin @jon Amazing. I see they kept it a bit more rectangular than the one in Utrecht.
@jon that looked dry enough for a quick spin down to the park. Hopefully the weather holds for later.
@jon That is good to see, I remember the old Lublin bus station was one of the grimmest in Poland – and that was a pretty competitive field.
@jon I love the PKP EIP trains 🥰 ! Looking forwards to take them next month on my way back from Ukraine to the baltic sea together with my daughter !
@jon small tip - check out seats 71-99 in car number 2
@jon this is the EIP service - P stands for Pendolino/Premium. It has some specific rules regarding boarding and it's the only type of service that guarantees the passenger that no-one will be standing over you in the corridors (reservation is compulsory, no "standing reservations", fine for boarding without ticket is 750PLN(!))
EIC has similar speeds, but is run with regular (but very comfortable) coaches. Price is similar and very high.
Podróż w najwygodniejszych przedziałach PKP Intercity bez dopłaty

Z informacji, które uzyskał „Rynek Kolejowy” wynika, że w przedziałach menedżerskich, które znajdują się w niektórych wagonach pociągów EIC, nie pobiera się opłaty serwisowej. Podróż na najwygodniejszych miejscach w ekspresach możliwa jest więc na podstawie zwykłych biletów pierwszej klasy.

@jon It's fast as far as our current standards go! They rebuilt it some 15 years ago during PKP's most painful period (the long reconstruction contributed to it being PKP's most painful period, but we know the main causes were elsewhere, ofc), then it took, like, 6 years for them to get ETCS L2 going so we could run 200 km/h on the sections that allow it - honestly I'm just glad they're done with it (not that I actually use it much, admittedly).
The next stage is to build a dedicated LGV via Płock and Grudziądz (or at least closely passing those) sometime in the next 20 years, I want to see that :)

@jon Lublin is a lovely city. Visited 3 times (surprising the border guards each time!). I wonder if the new bus station beside the main train station is fully up and running.

If you have a bit of time in Lublin, but not enough to get to the city centre, I recommend a quick trip to Park Ludowy. It's a lovely park a bit over 500m from the entrance of the main train station.

@DToher I’ve got an hour. Let’s see, weather still awful
@jon it does have a lot of trees as shelter (and good water fountains), but if the weather is bad, you could get soaked even 2 mins on a bike - which isn't ideal when you have an onward journey.

@jon

Good to see the article on night trains.

@jon @HaTetsu @LachAnonym

Thanks Jon ! It was great to meet you in person and fun to talk to you. Good luck with exploring the Ukraine train crossings.

@jon
Is it because HS trains want to be planes flying really low, and everyone else wants them to be trains that happen to go fast?
@jon funnily enough, in MERITS it's a EIC train, but in fact it's category is EIP (same as previous, but premium, because Pendolino)
@LachAnonym Hmm, I wondered about that. I just put in what DB told me :-)
@jon especially ÖBB has gone crazy last time and most Mazovian trains are shown as Fernzüge, including the SKM!
@jon that's an EIP 5302
@filiplachert then please tell PKP to put the right data in UIC Merits!
@jon is that the same model as the Frecciarossa 1000?
@Fabis_flying_fotos No. This is an Alstom Design. Frecciarossa 1000 is Hitachi
@jon thanks :)
Interesting from the pictures they look very similar
@Fabis_flying_fotos @jon It's this thing, they run in Italy as Frecciargento (or is it 'ran'? Wasn't Trenitalia getting rid of Frecciargento and Frecciabianca?): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Pendolino
New Pendolino - Wikipedia

@HaTetsu @Fabis_flying_fotos yes. That brand is being removed, but Trenitalia will keep its trains of the type
@jon I think train 5302 is an EIP, not EIC. Hence the 43 zloty reservation fee. EIC/IC usually 3 zlt to reserve.