Mastodawn

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/q43wxMi1MiPck4MhZM2qZT

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 3/3/2026, 5:14:08 AM

PeerTube

Also here's a bit of reading material for you this morning, with plenty of #CrossBorderRail themes in it: my extra newsletter, sent out yesterday https://jonworth.eu/tgv-les-laumes-alesia-asterix-is-having-a-laugh/

Stories from France, Czechia, Germany and Denmark!

TGV Les Laumes-Alésia? Astérix is having a laugh

In the Extra Newsletter this week Analysis: Astérix has a view on TGV stations Gadgetbahn of the week: Urbanloop Good week: This RegioJet is going straight to hell Bad week: Berlin's new trams are too heavy Very bad week: Fehmarn disputes Photo of the week: Postcards to the Transport Commissioner

Jon Worth

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 13 of 80
TER 17750
06:21 Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy 08:38
SNCF for TER Mobigo

Train type: Alstom Régiolis EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free if station allows, Nuits doesn’t, Bercy does)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 😐 (grimy windows)
Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

TER 17750
06:21 Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy 08:38

Distance: 224.5km
Average speed: 98km/h (reduced average as it uses the slow line Montereau-Melun)

6 stops:
Tonnerre
St-Florentin-Vergigny
Laroche-Migennes
Joigny
Sens
Paris-Bercy

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#9/48.287249/3.297270

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

Tours in Spring 2026. 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

And why am I heading towards Netherlands (other than to visit more #CrossBorderRail borders, obviously!)

Tomorrow I am speaking at RailTech Europe in Utrecht (about my #CrossChannelRail work) and then meeting the other founders of @erpu (@redjives @patrick @partim) in Utrecht - public meeting, others very welcome!

Musing about bumpy ride quality on trains this morning

As ever I am on a Régiolis EMU to Paris this morning - an Alstom design, now owned by CAF

These trains have a rather jerky, bumpy sort of ride, and the suspension makes clanking noises all the time (not just today)

Are the jabobs bogies between carriages poorly designed?

Wdyt @hopla @wrzlbrnft ?

Waving metaphorically to @ffeth at Sens

Made it across Paris in one piece

The city might have solid bike infrastructure, but damn many cyclists here are annoying, or have death wishes, or both

And while Paris Nord is often associated with nasty train boarding experiences, it is an amazing station if you have time and calm to appreciate it

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 14 of 80
TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18
SNCF Voyageurs

Train type: Alstom TGV Duplex, 8 short double deck carriages, 2 power cars
⚡️ (25kV ac)
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ✅ (step free, then lift down inside)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️ (there is a dining car but it’s not open)
🧳: 😐 (it’s empty today, so it’s passable)
🧽: 🙂
Interrail: 😐 (needs compulsory reservation, costs at least €10)

TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18

Distance: 225.2km
Average speed: 205km/h

1 stops:
Lille Flandres

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#8/50.097679/2.449951

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

uMap

I meanwhile wondered if SNCF Connect has finally put their problem of their lack of international booking right... so I tried Paris - Mainz

Type Mainz into DB and it gives you Mainz Hbf as the first option in the search

SNCF Connect calls Mainz Hbf "Mayence (Mainz)" but drops Hbf. Put Hbf and it gives you Hbf (Ersatzverkehr). What? 😳

And if you put Mainz and choose "Ville" from the list, not "Gare", it gives you routes to Mainz Römisches Theater, changing at Bad Munster am Stein

Obviously 🤷‍♂️

I presume because Römisches Theater is closest to the geographical centre of Mainz?

But weirdly it does give prices... and even sort of Sparpreis. But with €15 price difference.

Why?

How?

Oh and this is an interesting one

SNCF Connect *will* give me a 13 min connection in Mannheim, off the France-Germany ICE

DB will NOT give me that connection, I presume because they know that Dobrindt's illegal non- #Schengen compliant border controls will almost certainly mean the connection is missed in Mannheim. DB puts you on a later ICE in Frankfurt instead

Also the other day I found a Germany-France case where SNCF would not give me a tight connection in Strasbourg, but DB would

Now here is a case where SNCF will give me a tight connection in Mannheim, and DB will not

Vive la coopération !
Es lebe die Zusammenarbeit!

Jon Worth

But back to what I was *trying* to work out, before SNCF Connect's weird takes on German stations confused me...

SNCF *CAN* sell a bunch of connections in Germany again

But it *CANNOT* sell a Paris - Brugge 🇧🇪 or Marseille - Genova 🇮🇹. There it tries to sell me half the journey

I also really appreciate that - although it cannot sell me a ticket for it - SNCF *can* show me the Bruxelles - Brugge train, but does not know what type of train it is, so just puts EMPTY in the result

Like DB has been able to do this correctly in a web search since I did I first Interrail trip in 2001 (and yes that is not a typo)

SNCF Connect cannot do what DB search has been doing for at least 25 years

Right then

Calm and on time TGV to Lille Flandres

Finally getting close to today's target: the border north of Orchies 🇫🇷

There’s a sort of Takt here

And the Ma Gare SNCF App - about the only SNCF app with a passable UX - tells me my next train is on Platform 6

And passengers can share electric plugs 🔌

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 15 of 80
TER 41911
12:05 Lille Flandres - Orchies 12:20
SNCF for TER Hauts de France

Train type: Alstom 2N NG EMU, 3 double deck carriages
⚡️ (25kV ac)
🚲: ✅ (well designed space)
🦽: ✅ (step free)
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂 (ok for a commuter service)
🧽: 🙂 (bit worn, but orderly)
Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

TER 41911
12:05 Lille Flandres - Orchies 12:20

Distance: 22km
Average speed: 88km/h

1 stops:
Orchies

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#12/50.556961/3.159943

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

uMap

This is the type of #CrossBorderRail that’s great. I’ve never been to Orchies. I’ll likely never go again. But I’m sure I’ll stumble on some interesting things between there and Tournai 🇧🇪

Nord - Pas de Calais lives! #CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 6 of 15
Orchies - Tournai

Distance: 26km
Est. duration: 2:00

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#12/50.552816/3.310318

Bachy

La Gare

No trains

But there is covoiturage. Just as SNCF likes it! 🤪

The #CrossBorderRail line used to run where this house is located. This one isn’t returning.

Mouchin Douane #CrossBorderRail

Gotta get your priorities right! #CrossBorderRail

Same story Belgian side. House where the line used to run. #CrossBorderRail

Hello! #CrossBorderRail

Whoosh #CrossBorderRail

(This was the boring option I didn’t take!)

And I got to Tournai. Nice cycling. Hopeless for #CrossBorderRail

No hope for

Bachy 🇫🇷 - Tournai 🇧🇪

Too long gone

And I can reveal the exclusive #CrossChannelRail mission to... errrrr... Tournai

Ah great. Stuck in Leuze, just one stop beyond Tournai, due to some problems with a level crossing. Connection in Bruxelles missed… This‘ll be a long #CrossChannelRail trip to Almere this afternoon.

Now moving.

And there’s a… Siemens Velaro for Egypt parked up beside the HSL between Ath and Silly.

AnneH Mar 3

@jon Not raining at least

Some time, there will be trains (Cambrai) Valenciennes - Ghent (Terneuzen) via Leuze.🙏🛐🕯️

jsl Mar 3

@jon F - I - CH. Just needs approval for Spain and it will read FICHES :-)

@jsl I think it could logically do with B as I was in Tournai 🙂

Nikkileah 🎮🚄🏳️‍⚧️🇬🇧Mar 3

@jon Oooh, TGV-M in the wild... Are they any good?

@Nikkileah this was only testing. There were not even seats in it!

The design looks... a bit messy up close somehow, especially the bogies. But the power cars make much less noise than existing TGVs, so that is progress.

Hopefully delivered on time 😊. So, 4-voltage TGV M sets of SNCF will be numbered 14xx. 2-voltage ones will be numbered 10xx.

Dr. Sobek Mar 3

@jon 1400 series, this is the numbering scheme for the smaller series of international, ori-current sets, right ?

NICE, TORINO, MILANO !

@Sobex I assume, yes

Catenary replacement is due soon, too.

Christian Lawson-Perfect Mar 3

@jon I want to see it eating the car!

Titia Schuurman Mar 3

@christianp @jon thanks for the Blondie earworm

Should a 🇧🇪 version of Amityville Horror be shot there?😬😬😬

Guus der Kinderen Mar 3

@jon You're doing a real-life https://uglybelgianhouses.tumblr.com/ ?

UGLY BELGIAN HOUSES

Better to be ugly than to be boring. By @hannescoudenys We run a creative agency in Brussels: @hurae.be

@guusdk I wondered if that one is in the famous ones list?

Bruno Peeters Mar 3

@jon Is this house in Belgium? In Belgium there is a guy who maintains a site "Ugly Belgian houses", see https://uglybelgianhouses.tumblr.com/

UGLY BELGIAN HOUSES

Better to be ugly than to be boring. By @hannescoudenys We run a creative agency in Brussels: @hurae.be

@bvlg yes. Just into Belgium. And I know that site. I wondered if the house I photographed was in it?

Debbie Goldsmith 🏳️‍⚧️♾️🇺🇦Mar 3

@jon @notjustbikes

@dgoldsmith @notjustbikes brilliant!

@jon @dgoldsmith @notjustbikes #Pareidolia

Dave Rahardja Mar 3

Heliograph Mar 6

@jon also #Fensterfreitag 😅👋

Rev Peter W Nimmo Mar 3

I find these Resistance memorials terribly moving

MJ Ray Mar 3

@jon fair enough. It's not like houses are ever demolished for road projects(!) 🤔 /s

Cycling on Rails Mar 3

@jon No train station in la Gare, inconsistent cycling lanes, far-right graffiti, "citizen protection" (euphemism for private militia?): seems to check out all the prejudice about rural Northern France unfortunately... 😬

Adam Mar 3

@jon From the point of view of a web user, saying "NO DETAILS AVAILABLE" would be far better than "EMPTY" since the latter would suggest to me "has no passengers on it".

Adam Mar 3

@jon …obv a second thought would be "Why are you saying that a train's empty if you're selling tickets for it?" but even as a sometime database person, I wouldn't interpret EMPTY as I'm supposed to here; I'd expect NULL which to me means "someone's not very good at building UIs that talk to not-always-populated databases".

ETA: ah, EMPTY is "it does have a value but it evaluates to a string with no content". (plus the "not very good at building &c. &c.")

Der Dings Mar 3

@jon Well, it‘s difficult, they just moved from Minitel to www in France!

Rens Mar 3

@jon So in the SNCF planner there are fully booked trains, and there are empty trains. Makes sense