Jon WorthSep 29

Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Conclusions Tour Day 11 - Berlin - Aachen - Maastricht - Liège - Bruxelles

Today's re-visited borders:
Herzogenrath 🇩🇪 - Eygelshoven Markt 🇳🇱
Visé 🇧🇪 - Eijsden 🇳🇱

Borders map, inc. borders re-visited:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#14/50.8805/6.0867

Today's trains on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-conclusions-tour_1266988?scaleControl=false&miniMap=false&scrollWheelZoom=true&zoomControl=true&editMode=disabled&moreControl=true&searchControl=null&tilelayersControl=null&embedControl=null&datalayersControl=true&onLoadPanel=datalayers&captionBar=false&captionMenus=true&datalayers=ed7a897b-d17f-4a2e-b947-8775ba20c83a#8/51.621/8.866

Show threadJon WorthSep 29
To Maastricht to give a speech at the university, and taking the dreaded Drielandentrein across the border – a nice idea, but an unreliable service. And the day ends in Bruxelles where I then have 2 days of political meetings. #CrossBorderRail
Show threadJon WorthSep 29

#CrossBorderRail Conclusions Tour Train 34 of 74
ICE 1052
07:06 Berlin Hbf - Aachen Hbf 13:11
DB Fernverkehr

Train type: Siemens ICE 4, 7 carriages (short version)
⚡️ (15kV ac)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (lift on platform, backup lift on board)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅ (somehow the coffee machine was fixed after Hannover!)
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂

🎫 Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

(now gets a top score, as the coffee machine got fixed!)

Show threadJon WorthSep 29

ICE 1052
07:06 Berlin Hbf - Aachen Hbf 13:11

Distance: 624.1km
Average speed: 103km/h

10 stops:
Berlin-Spandau
Hannover Hbf
Herford
Bielefeld Hbf
Hamm(Westf)Hbf
Wuppertal Hbf
Solingen Hbf
Köln Hbf
Düren
Aachen Hbf

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-conclusions-tour_1266988#8/52.022/9.838

#CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail 2025 Conclusions Tour

The #CrossBorderRail 2025 conclusions tour - mainly to go to events, but adding a few new borders too. 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. All lines on the map are TRAINS, unless otherwise shown with icons along the lines - 🚲 for bike, 🚌 for bus, 🚗 for car, ⛴️ for ferry. Click each line to get basic information what it is.

uMap
Show threadJon WorthSep 29
Autumn sun on the wind turbines of Brandenburg #CrossBorderRail
Show threadJon WorthSep 29
Meanwhile some good potential #CrossBorderRail news from Portugal: Linha da Beira is open again, allowing better connections to Spain at Vilar Formoso. The question though is what / when will there be cross border border passenger traffic? https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/item/61772-portugal-die-linha-da-beira-wird-vollstaendig-modernisiert-und-mit-neuen-strategischen-verbindungen-wiedereroeffnet.html
LOK Report - Portugal: Die Linha da Beira wird vollständig modernisiert und mit neuen strategischen Verbindungen wiedereröffnet

Mit dem 28. September wurde der Zugverkehr auf der gesamten Strecke der Linha da Beira wieder aufgenommen, mit der Wiedereröffnung des Abschnitts zwischen Pampilhosa und Vilar Formoso. Diese Investition entlang einer 190 Kilometer langen Eisenbahnstrecke garantiert schnellere, sicherere und komforta...

Show threadJon WorthSep 29

And I am preparing my slides for a #CrossBorderRail at DG REGIO of the European Commission on Wednesday

"Can you cover the Balkans too?" they asked me

Sure

So in goes Bitola 🇲🇰 - Florina 🇬🇷 where the EU financed the renovation of the line, but no trains ran

(I am going to make myself popular!)

Pics from there: https://flickr.com/photos/jonworth-eu/albums/72177720319718501/with/53942117283

#CrossBorderRail South East Europe Day 24 25 Jun 2024 - Skopje - Bitola - Bilisht - Struga

Uploaded from Mac "Pictures/Flickr - Railways/Projects/2024 South East Europe Project/#CrossBorderRail South East Europe Day 24 25 Jun 2024 - Skopje - Bitola - Bilisht - Struga" on JW MacBook Pro 2017

Flickr
Show threadJon WorthSep 29

Meanwhile ÖBB has confirmed the Paris-Wien/Berlin night trains are no more. "Die ÖBB bedauern, dass nach dem Rückzug der französischen Partner, die beiden Nachtzugverbindungen ab 14. Dezember 2025 nicht mehr angeboten werden können." https://presse-oebb.at/news-oebb-bedauern-die-einstellung-der-nightjet-verbindungen-wien-paris-und-berlin-paris?id=223578&menueid=27022&l=deutsch #CrossBorderRail

My analysis, in English: https://jonworth.eu/sncfs-half-hearted-effort-to-support-international-night-trains-in-danger-of-hitting-the-buffers/

ÖBB bedauern die Einstellung der Nightjet Verbindungen Wien - ÖBB

NJ Wien – Paris nur noch bis Mitte Dezember NJ Wien – Brüssel wird weiter angeboten ÖBB bleiben größter Anbieter von Nachtzügen in Europa

Newsroom der ÖBB
Show threadJon WorthSep 29

And that leaves France with ZERO international night trains. None. Aucun.

👏 Well done SNCF and the French Government

🤨

#CrossBorderRail

Show threadChristof Damian 💙💛Sep 29
@jon It is silly that there is no night train from Barcelona to Paris.
I basically have to get over the border first and then have a lie down.
Show threadJon WorthSep 29
@cdamian Yeah, but those are the two worst firms to collaborate with! No one manages cooperations with either Renfe or SNCF.
Show threadChristof Damian 💙💛Sep 29
@jon And if I recall correctly, there are no other night trains in Spain any more.
Show threadJon WorthSep 29
@cdamian Correct. Spain has no night train at all.
Show threadDr. SobekSep 29
@jon @cdamian Which seems ridiculous. Portugal - Spain, and North Spain - South Spain would make sense, right?
Show threadChristof Damian 💙💛
@Sobex @jon I once took a train from Barcelona to Cadiz (stopping in Madrid). We only had reclining seats. I don't know if this was still in the trenhotel times.
Sep 29 at 10:53amWeb