Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 16 - 2 July - Praha - České Budějovice - Linz Hbf - St Anton am Arlberg
Today's new borders:
Summerau 🇦🇹 - Horní Dvorište 🇨🇿
Borders map, inc. borders re-crossed:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#13/48.5888/14.4260
Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#8/48.621/12.501
Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track
Funkasin street band
České Budějovice Buskers fest
This is just suitably funny, and you can see the crowd is having a laugh in the video!
However... Ding-ding-dong-dinnnng!
As Praha Hlavní nádraží is right next to where I am staying 😀
Here's where I am going later https://openrailwaymap.org/?style=maxspeed&lat=48.432389796908886&lon=14.522552490234375&zoom=10
Look at the low speeds! But you cannot do much better given how curvy the line is!
And here's today's intro video
I am off to give a speech. More later on the thread!
Agh 😡
Listening to a presentation from the public transport National Access Point of Slovenia here in Prague
https://simo.si is a nice tool, but trains that *start in Slovenia* and cross the border... cannot be found
FFS
I ask the speaker why I cannot find Spielfeld Strass in his tool (the first station in Austria served by Slovenian trains)
We cannot get the data on that from SŽ Potniški promet he says 😡
It's a state enterprise not giving data to a state National Access Point
This is *maddening*
The contrast between European Cyclists' Federation event in Gdanśk and this event in Praha is so stark
To perhaps a too extreme extent, the ECF people *are* cyclists, and work on cycling - they're users, they're intrinsically motivated
None of these people from ministries or running National Access Points seem intrinsically motivated, there is no spark, no energy at all here
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 65 of 158
IC 535
12:20 Praha hl. n. - České Budějovice 13:59
ČD
Train type: Škoda 380 locomotive, 5 carriages
⚡️ (3kV dc, 25kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (lift on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅
🧳: 🙂 (large racks)
🧽: 🙂
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
It gets a top score!
IC 535
12:20 Praha hl. n. - České Budějovice 13:59
Distance: 164.2km
Average speed: 100km/h
2 stops:
Tabor
České Budějovice
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#9/49.5145/14.5940
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.
Ah and it wasn't enough
Arrived in České Budějovice +10, and the connecting train to Linz did not wait 5 minutes (which it would have been allowed to do, as per the rules)
So I am stuck for 2 hours
Again 😡
Ah, well, when rail messes up, make the best of it!
At 15:05 there's a train to Rybnik, the border station, arriving 15:58
And I would need to depart at 16:50 from Rybnik to Linz, or 17:07 from Summerau (first Austrian station)
I could even cycle across the border, although in these temperatures... 🤔 We'll see
And this Škoda EMU will take me to the border
No idea about the data, this wasn’t planned! 😀
Just had to get the train manager (!) to turn down music blaring out of her mobile (she’s sat in the same part of the train as me)
Come on! Shouldn’t train staff at least set an example on this?
🤯
I don’t know when I’ll be at Summerau 🇦🇹 - Horní Dvorište 🇨🇿 again. So let’s make the best of it
Sun cream applied. Light coloured t-shirt on. I’ll bike across the border and get the train again in Summerau
That’s a little thing to tie onto a kid’s pram to stop it rolling off the platform!
And the station is called Beetle Market (roughly)
České Budějovice - Linz is great and annoying in equal measure
Great because it’s scenic out of the window, and given it’s single track the service is pretty good, inc cross border
Annoying because it’s damned slow and winding, not yet upgraded, while new roads have been built here
Weird
I booked a seat on this Railjet roughly 2 hours ago when I knew I’d miss the other one
And a lady is sat in my seat
She has a paper reservation for that seat, and I have a digital one. All the rest of the data on train, date etc identical
How did that happen that 2 people were assigned the same seat? 🤔
There’s space elsewhere, she was friendly, so all good. But still a bit odd!
Serious rail live running data issue: as my RJX 760 is taking the "Deutsches Eck" line - Salzburg to Kufstein, through Germany - how do I know if it's on time?
Is there proper data exchange into ÖBB's systems? Or is it "Echzeitdaten im Ausland" 🤷♂️
Ok, everything re-mapped and re-planned... time for some assessments!
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 66 of 160
S3 (Os 18808)
15:05 České Budějovice - Rybník 15:58
ČD
Train type: Škoda RegioPanter EMU, 2 carriages
⚡️ (25kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (hefty ramp on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔
🧳: 🙂️
🧽: 🙂 (spotless)️
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
S3 (Os 18808)
15:05 České Budějovice - Rybník 15:58
Distance: 49.9km
Average speed: 56km/h
13 stops:
České Budějovice již.z.
Včelná
Kamenný Újezd u Č.Bud.
Chlumec u Č.Budějovic
Holkov
Velešín město
Velešín
Výheň
Kaplice
Omlenice
Bujanov
Pšenice
Rybník
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/48.8123/14.4568
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.
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 67 of 160
S3 (Os 18841)
16:01 Rybník - Horní Dvořiště 16:09
ČD
Train type: Škoda RegioPanter EMU, 2 carriages
⚡️ (25kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (hefty ramp on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔
🧳: 🙂️
🧽: 🙂 (spotless)️
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
S3 (Os 18841)
16:01 Rybník - Horní Dvořiště 16:09
Distance: 7.3km
Average speed: 55km/h
1 stops:
Horní Dvořiště
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#13/48.6257/14.4243
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.
#CrossBorderRail Finale Bike 11 of 43
Horní Dvořiště - Summerau
Distance: 9.6km
Est. duration: 0:45
This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#13/48.5767/14.4296
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 68 of 160
EC 335
17:08 Summerau - Linz Hbf 18:06
ČD, ÖBB
Train type: Škoda 380 locomotive, 5 carriages
⚡️ (15kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (ramp on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅ (and it had cold alcohol free beer)
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂️
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
And it gets a top score (again - same as the train I took earlier!)
EC 335
17:08 Summerau - Linz Hbf 18:06
Distance: 62.4km
Average speed: 65km/h
4 stops:
Freistadt
Kefermarkt
Pregarten
Linz Hbf
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/48.4082/14.4200
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.
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 69 of 160
RJX 760
18:45 Linz Hbf - St Anton am Arlberg 22:58
ÖBB
Train type: Siemens Taurus 1116 locomotive, 7 carriage RailJet fixed set (a further RailJet only as far as Salzburg)
⚡️ (15kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (lift on board)
🛜: ✅ (and it is pretty fast)
🍽️: ✅
🧳: 🙂️
🧽: 🙂 (spotless, especially outside it shines)️
🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)
And another top score! Three trains in a day with top scores - I must be in Central Europe! 😀
RJX 760
18:45 Linz Hbf - St Anton am Arlberg 22:58
Distance: 415.4km
Average speed: 99km/h
7 stops:
Salzburg Hbf
Kufstein
Wörgl Hbf
Innsbruck Hbf
Ötztal
Landeck-Zams
St. Anton am Arlberg
This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#9/47.7042/12.2731
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.
Soooo, err, before I am done with this tour... I have bought another Interrail pass!
There's a sale on - for passes to use after 1 Sept https://www.interrail.eu/en/ni/discover-offseason-europe
And I have a bunch of speeches about #CrossBorderRail to give in different places, so let's do it that way 😀
And I might get to Novi Sad - Subotica as well, if it has opened by then!
Soooo... Summerau 🇦🇹 - Horní Dvorište 🇨🇿 #CrossBorderRail
Delays earlier meant I had time to explore this one semi-properly, and even fly the drone Czech side - I am glad I did
Pics 1 (looking south towards Austria) and 2 (looking north west towards Horní Dvorište station) show the situation there: an orderly station, regional train waiting and some freight. Pic 3 shows a freight train on the cross border section. Pic 4 is Summerau station, Austrian side
There is pretty much no more you can do with the whole České Budějovice - Rybník - Horní Dvořiště - Summerau - Linz section
Yes it's electrified, but it's single track, and there are few passing places, and it's really winding and slow
The only option: straighten it out, and build some new sections of line, as they did between Praha and České Budějovice
Oh and they are building a new bypass road near Summerau (pics 1 and 2), so surely they can do the rail equivalent? 🤔
And I’d forgotten: tomorrow’s novelty (as well as 4 borders!) is: two types of train I’ve never taken before 😀
Yes after all these trips there are still some!
@jon there's ongoing joint SŽ and ÖBB Infrastruktur study for České Budějovice-Linz according to this presser: https://www.spravazeleznic.cz/documents/50004227/171568037/tiskov%C3%A1+zpr%C3%A1va+ke+sta%C5%BEen%C3%AD/9c30f343-0cfd-48e2-a65a-a0c0355ca98e
because the previous studies focused just on either side didn't pencil out. ÖBB plans this in "beyond 2040" horizon.
BTW the Czech side of the ČB-Linz line is essentially at the alignment opened 198 years ago, making this line one of the oldest in Continental Europe: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pferdeeisenbahn_Budweis%E2%80%93Linz%E2%80%93Gmunden
@jon Just occurred to me that you're going to end up (if you haven't already reached the point) like Tony Judt who was said to have a truly encyclopediac knowledge of European railways - among much else of course.
Kudos for your dedication. I'm sure that it won't be wasted. 👏
@jon I think the important thing is to continue developing a high profile as someone uniquely knowledgeable on the subject. Sooner or later it will be tapped.
Possible suggestion FWIW: Use the journeys to also write something humorous or colourful. I enjoyed reading of your interactions w other passengers. Reminded me in a small way of columns by Maeve Binchy, an Irish Times journalist who wrote engagingly about interactions and things overhead on buses and on the tube.
Send the cat postcards
Jon Worth
Ainsley Lowbeer
David Jaša
gregor herrmann
Timo Hetzel
SamuelJohnson
Andi Barth
Rich