Jon WorthJul 16

Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 30 - 16 July - Suceava - Gura Putnei - Gălănești - Dornești - Suceava

Today's new borders:
Ulma 🇷🇴 - Ruska 🇺🇦
Vicsani 🇷🇴 - Vadul Siret 🇺🇦

Borders map, inc. borders re-crossed:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#11/47.8915/25.5957

Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/47.8219/25.7674

Show threadJon WorthJul 16
Trains have not crossed at Ruska for more than a century. Siret still has an active railway, also with passenger trains until recently, but no longer. And from memory from 2019 the infrastructure is in a poor state. The aim: establish if passenger trains would work there!
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track

Es fährt ein Zug nach Nirgendwo
Christian Anders

Wrong language here, but the title is perfect for this day of the project!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGxpkDdJ-CU

Christian Anders - Es fährt ein Zug nach Nirgendwo (2010)

YouTube
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 133 of 166
R 5625
08:15 Suceava - Gura Putnei 10:05
CFR Călători

Train type: Siemens Desiro DMU, 2 short carriages
⛽️
🚲: ✅ (somehow, there are some)
🦽: ⛔️ (theoretically step free, but doors broken)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: ☹️ (broken windows, air conditioning leaking water, broken doors)

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

Show threadJon WorthJul 16

R 5625
08:15 Suceava - Gura Putnei 10:05

Distance: 65.8km
Average speed: 36km/h

14 stops:
Suceava Nord
Dărmănești
Milișăuți
Țibeni hc
Dornești
Rădăuți Gara Mică h
Rădăuți
Horodnic hc
Gălănești
Vicov Motel
Vicovu de Jos hc
Vicovu de Sus hc
Bivolăria hc
Gura Putnei

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#12/47.7933/25.9451

#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
Show threadJon WorthJul 16
Fascinating conversation with a Ukrainian cycle tourist here on the train from Suceava. She’s cycling from Dornești along what looks like a hellish road via Siret back to Romania.
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

This is a typical CFR we don’t give a **** service

Water is leaking out of the air conditioning somewhere - there’s a puddle on one of the overhead racks, and if the train shakes passengers get a shower

Staff could mop it up but don’t

Window panes are cracked. Doors broken.

Show threadJon WorthJul 16
I’m going to get wet. Again. 😡
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Here’s today‘s intro video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/1hfrSYR8jaywp5qWb7Dmgb

Because of impending thunderstorms I might have to alter the schedule a bit though

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 7/14/2025, 4:50:54 AM

PeerTube
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Aaagggh

Too rainy and muddy to cycle

Too rainy for the drone

And the only place I could walk… there are half a dozen stray dogs

Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Managed to get the drone up in a gap in the rain

Here’s the former rail bridge just past Gura Putnei on the former line to Ruska (today‘s Ukraine)

Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)

@jon Obligatory reminder of the fun time we had in January finding out the border was two borders XD

https://mastodon.com.pl/@HaTetsu/113817052885581381
https://gruene.social/@jon/113817196488088750

波鉄 (Hatetsu) (@HaTetsu@mastodon.com.pl)

@jon@gruene.social Hmmm, apparently it was even a bit longer than that (also for everyone's reference): https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahnstrecke_Brodina%E2%80%93Izvoarele_Sucevei (And, well, perhaps it's more accurate to say it's a would-have-been #CrossBorderRail line)

Mastodon Poland
Jul 16 at 7:47amWeb
×
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Went to check for @wrzlbrnft

The broken glass situation is if anything worse in the half of the train covered in stickers - it’s knackered

Show threadJon WorthJul 16
The train manager - who’s the same as on my two trains this morning and who tried and failed twice to scan my Interrail earlier - just looked at me and moved on this time 😀
Show threadJon WorthJul 16
Dărmănești station - pic for @HaTetsu who has helped me so much understand why there’s a junction here, and how it relates to the one time border between Austria and Romania
Show threadJon WorthJul 16

Photos from Vicsani 🇷🇴 - Vadul Siret 🇺🇦

The broad gauge lines go as far as Dornești and almost into Rădăuți, 30 or so km from the border. No passenger trains, but some trans-shipment of freight - notably wood, steel, grain

Would passenger trains work here? Maybe, but it's hard to say. You'd have to change at Vadul Siret

Show threadJon WorthJul 16

And some photos from Suceava

Today's Suceava station (the main one, formerly Burdujeni) is the pre-1919 Romanian border station. It was renovated in 2006, and while the platforms are still old style, it's in a good condition (pics 1 and 2)

Today's Suceava Nord (secondary, formerly Ițcani) has been given a lick of paint, but the building is inaccessible and is in a bad state up close - it's the pre 1919 Austrian border station

Show threadJon WorthJul 16

And here's this evening's summary video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/9Kptet7rnKUctV1eFgbaQN

Tomorrow is the sketchiest of the entire project, so I am going to try to get a good night of sleep before heading towards northern Moldova!

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 7/16/2025, 8:04:38 PM

PeerTube
Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Jul 16

@jon And a bunch of greenery does for this station building what years of expensive "reconstruction", "renovation" or "modernization" could never accomplish :)

Also, nice STRAIL there /s

Show threadJocelynJul 16

@jon

Playing #Droopy on him?

Show threadSøren HaveJul 16
@jon “The infamous Jon Worth!”
Show threadWrzlbrnftJul 16
@jon It's a massive problem for years. Already when I did my first Romania journey in 2009. I can't understand that this is still an issue there. 🙄
Show threadJon WorthJul 16
@wrzlbrnft I think the slightly curved panes of the Desiro DMUs are especially hard (or expensive?) to replace? Problem is much worse with these than with any other train.