Jon WorthJun 14, 2025

Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 7 - 14 June - Rzeszów - Berlin - Köln - Bruxelles

Today's new borders:
None

Borders map, inc. borders re-crossed:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#12/52.3268/14.5754

Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#7/51.307/13.173

Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
A long way in a day - from Rzeszów in south eastern Poland, crossing Germany, to Bruxelles in Belgium. No new borders, but it will no doubt be an interesting day, not least to observe improvements to the rail infrastructure in southern Poland.
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track

Deutsche Bahn
Wise Guys

Not the greatest work of music, but it makes you laugh! And I no doubt will face some of the problems later!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXjhszy2f9w

Wise Guys - Deutsche Bahn

Unser neues Album "Läuft bei Euch" ist ab sofort bei uns im Shop: http://www.wiseguys-shop.de, auf Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MDvpCj, iTunes: http://www.umgt.de...

YouTube
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
And here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video, filmed earlier in Rzeszów before boarding https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/kJ34epfrogPwsqvh3xcwFk
#CrossBorderRail live stream - 6/14/2025, 3:54:33 AM

PeerTube
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 33 of 152
EC 56
06:10 Rzeszów Główny - Berlin Gesundbrunnen 15:13
PKP IC

Train type: Siemens EU44 Taurus locomotive, 8 carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc, 15kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (lift or ramp on board, not step free)
🛜: ⛔️ (installed but broken)
🍽️: ✅
🧳: 😐 (narrow doors and corridors, OK once inside)
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 😐 (needs compulsory reservation for cross border section, costs €3 from ÖBB)

Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025

EC 56
06:10 Rzeszów Główny - Berlin Gesundbrunnen 15:13

Distance: 743.9km
Average speed: 82km/h

19 stops:
Dębica
Tarnów
Bochnia
Kraków Płaszów
Kraków Główny
Katowice
Zabrze
Gliwice
Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Opole Główne
Wrocław Główny
Legnica
Lubin
Głogów
Zielona Góra Główna
Rzepin
Frankfurt/Oder
Berlin Lichtenberg
Berlin Gesundbrunnen

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#8/51.179/18.273

Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025

Agggh, someone in the compartment is typing on their phone and with the tap-tap keyboard noise on, something I do not understand the purpose of.

Is is socially acceptable to ask the guy to set his phone to silent?

Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
Also it's weird how irritating the tap-tap sound from a phone is, presumably because - unlike a physical keyboard where every sound is a fraction different, because it's physically generated - the sound of the phone "tap" noise is precisely identical each time.
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
When he got loads of notifications that then pinged very loudly, that was the moment to intervene 😀 Now all silent here, apart from light tapping on my MacBook Air physical keyboard!
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
Legnica - Zielona Góra - Rzepin is now the weak part of the Kraków - Berlin route. vMax just 120km/h, and infra obviously poorer quality. But given ongoing investment across Poland’s network this too will no doubt be improved soon.
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
🎉 I’ve not even got to Germany and DB has messed it up! German staff were delayed meaning we depart Rzepin (last Polish station) 15 mins late. And we’ve got the mess of Dobrindt’s illegal border controls to come…
Show threadJon WorthJun 14, 2025
Ah. No ethnic minority person in my compartment, so no passport check. Police just look. But - like in Kehl last week - the train waits in Frankfurt (Oder) while they do the illegal controls, so we accumulate more delay…
Show threadOliver Blanthorn

@jon i am sure you saw this https://www.ft.com/content/6f719dcd-1df0-4b45-af3b-b08ff548537c (£)

totally bizarre that they think 1) spending billions to reduce delays on trains will keep out the far right and 2) spending tens/hundreds of millions to induce delays on trains will keep out the far right

maybe think is too strong a word

Germany puts rail first in €500bn investment spree

State-owned Deutsche Bahn expected to receive €10.5bn this year from newly established infrastructure fund

Financial Times
Jun 14, 2025 at 1:03pmWeb
Show threadAnneHJun 14, 2025
@bovine3dom @jon Do far-right people use trains? I had them down as weakly liberal to Tory in UK anyway. With the exception of the odd football match.
Show threadOliver BlanthornJun 14, 2025

@annehargreaves i don't want to describe them as "far-right people" but people who vote for the far-right in Germany definitely take trains. In parts of the ex-GDR 40% of votes went to AfD https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-results-explained-in-graphics/a-71724186

@jon

Show threadAnneHJun 14, 2025
@bovine3dom @jon Thanks. I wonder if the extremely expensive fares in UK makes a difference. Might exclude rank-and-file Reform supporters. I think the likes of Liz Truss hire a jet or have someone drive them.😉
Show threadOliver BlanthornJun 14, 2025

@annehargreaves i don't have any data on it but my hunch would be that reform supporters are predominantly in the north and in the north of the UK trains are more of a theoretical construct than a useful form of public transport

the high fares are there to reduce overcrowding, fwiw, so they're more of a symptom of underinvestment and dysfunction than something that can be changed directly without causing other problems