Jon Worth

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 12 - 11 Mar - Ljubljana - Koper - Mlini - Koper - Trieste

New borders:
Secovlje ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ - Savudrija ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท
Muggia ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น - Spodnje ล kofije ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ

Borders already crossed:
None

Itโ€™s quicker to take the bus to get to the coast of Slovenia, but thatโ€™s never my choice! So the train it is, and then two former Perenzana narrow gauge lines โ€“ one to Croatia, the other to Italy, and then to Trieste to end the day.

Today's routes mapped:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.762254/14.054260

Mar 11 at 8:47amWeb
Show threadJon WorthMar 11

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 36 of 86
IC 503
09:10 Ljubljana - Koper 11:40
Sลฝ

Train type: Stadler EMU, 3 double deck carriages
โšก๏ธ (3kV dc)
๐Ÿšฒ: โœ…
๐Ÿฆฝ: โœ… (step free if station allows)
๐Ÿ›œ: โ›” (it's installed but I can't get it to work - it's either broken or too slow to be useable)
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ: โ›”
๐Ÿงณ: ๐Ÿ™‚ (decent multi use areas, OK for large bags)๏ธ
๐Ÿงฝ: ๐Ÿ™‚
Interrail: ๐Ÿ™‚ (accepted)

Show threadJon WorthMar 11

IC 503
09:10 Ljubljana - Koper 11:40

Distance: 151.8km
Average speed: 61km/h

8 stops:
Borovnica
Logatec
Rakek
Postojna
Pivka
Divaca
Hrpelje-Kozina
Koper

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.777581/14.124298

#CrossBorderRail

#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
Show threadJon WorthMar 11

Digitisation of Slovenian railways

Chatting with a friend this morning in Ljubljana: "I think you can book online, but I never tried it"

I try it

Not the most logical interface, but it works, and it emails me a PDF with a QR code on it

I show this to the train manager, who scans it, and... prints me out a paper with the QR code on it!

What?

Why? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Via @mcSlibinas there is one of the sort of motorised draisines I have on the cover picture for today's thread - for sale. Restored. For โ‚ฌ8000! https://www.carandclassic.com/make-an-offer/1960-fiat-500-draisina-motocarrello-nr-2550-nrM9mg
1960 Fiat 500 Draisina 'Motocarrello' Nr. 25/50 | Car & C...

Make an offer on this Fiat 500 currently up for offer via Car & Classic Auctions

Car & Classic
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Just downloaded some of my photos from yesterday, these approaching and at Zidani Most
Show threadJon WorthMar 11

My timing to come to Koper this week was not bad ๐Ÿ™‚

https://www.railfreight.com/infrastructure/2026/03/03/divaca-koper-new-railway-to-open-for-tests-next-week/?gdpr=accept

I am told it might even be today the first test train runs on the new tunnel line

Although I am unlikely to be able to see anything I think...

Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Koper ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Interrail at Koper ๐Ÿ™‚
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
First: two buses to the border to Croatia
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
The buses work. But theyโ€™re annoying. I might cycle the whole way from Croatia to Trieste instead ๐Ÿ™‚
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
This one they covered in ads so you canโ€™t see out ๐Ÿ˜ก
Show threadJon WorthMar 11

Regional buses like this are the worst with lots of luggage

City bus: get on at the multi purpose area, easy

Inter city bus: bags in the hold

Here there is a hold, but driver wonโ€™t use it as trip is too short

Show threadJon WorthMar 11

Aaaaaggghhhhh

More border control *****

I asked a border guard for directions. No one else to ask. And I was not even crossing the border.

And then the piece of ๐Ÿ’ฉ demands my ID!

Iโ€™m so ridiculously tired of this

If Iโ€™d not spoken to him, heโ€™d not even have been able to ask!

Show threadJon WorthMar 11

Thanks FlixBus ๐ŸŽ‰

Border guards checking that bus didnโ€™t bother me when I had to pass the border post again (despite not having crossed the border)

At Mlini Most, Slovenian side

Show threadJon WorthMar 11
And the Slovenians have the cheek to have an EU flag flying at their border station *that shouldnโ€™t effing exist any more* because Schengen
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Anyway thatโ€™s what I needed to find: the Parenzana crossed into todayโ€™s Croatia here
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Anyway spring has started here. And Iโ€™m going cycling to clear my head from the border shit.
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Parenzana rail route now cycle route. A few works made it complex in places, but itโ€™s interesting
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Between Isola and Koper. Parenzana railway ran here
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
Koper bike roundabout! (Koper has a lot of road roundabouts too)
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
And after all the fuss at the other border, here Slovenia - Italy on the Parenzana thereโ€™s nothing. No police. No control.
Show threadChris LMar 11
@jon cool! seems like video would be fabulous.
Show threadTuukka RMar 12

@jon

Never really understood the point of bicycle roundabouts. There are some of them in Helsinki area, and they seem to bring no benefits.

Show threadGabrieleSorgeMar 11
@jon
๐Ÿ†’๐Ÿšฒ๐ŸŒฅ๏ธ
Show threadMJ RayMar 11
@jon that's a bit "we like the theory, but can't quite put it into practice fully" #Slovenia #EU #border
Show threadFab AtaqeMar 11
@jon yes, now that I read it, I realize why I like the new low floor buses on a regional line way better!
Less hassle for the passengers with large suitcases
Show threadednl ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บMar 11
@jon Don't they work like one-way mirrors? (I.e. they're semi-transparent and looking from dark interior to bright exterior kinda works.) Hopefully they do and once you're in you can still look out.
Show threadMichael KohneMar 11
@ednl @jon The ones I've seen before are a sort of mesh - when you are close to it (inside) you can see through, but from any distance, you see the image. Can't tell if that's what is going on here or not, but it's a thing that can work.
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
@ednl no! They let some light in, but you canโ€™t see out properly.
Show threadNedลพad BeusMar 11
@ednl @jon it's like looking through those pinhole glasses - if you try hard enough you can see through them, otherwise you just see the brightness and colours of the outside world.
Show threadMJ RayMar 11
@nedzad @ednl @jon Miles in Transit on YouTube frequently rants against dots covering bus windows, and rightly so! They are awful for passengers and loudly proclaim that you are in an area where mass transport users are not valued.
Show threadWrzlbrnftMar 11
@jon The view might be definitely better by bike than by (this kind of) bus.
Show threadM SchommerMar 11
@jon
I was once stranded at #Koper for 2 days on my way to Pula. Very nice town, very friendly people. Nicest unwanted stay I ever had.
Show threadๆณข้‰„ (Hatetsu)Mar 11
@jon The "for all generations" part does need emphasizing, doesn't it?
Show threadMihaMar 11
@jon Probably not, but you can see some sections, like splitting point at Divaฤa, and new railway viaduct below the highway viaduct at ฤŒrni Kal. Happy trip!
Show threadJon WorthMar 11

@olokolo And I cycled past a few of the construction sites two years ago as well, when biking from Kozina to Trieste.

Overall though, I am glad this is nearly done!

Show threadsamuele963Mar 11
@jon I believe a test train has already run today using a FLIRT DMU (overhead wires haven't been installed yet)
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
@samuele963 Right. The wires are missing both ends. Masts are up!
Show threadJacques VdMMar 11
@jon The kind of nice pictures that are becoming rare nowadays, as you can't open the window anymore !
Show threadH4Heights ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆMar 11
@jon @mcSlibinas
Imagine, never having to reverse again!
Show threadJon WorthMar 11
@H4Heights @mcSlibinas Only slight issue: you can't turn it, unless it's on tracks!
Show threadH4Heights ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆMar 11
@jon @mcSlibinas
Darn it! Too good to be true. Surely the makers of Ferrari could engineer some steering into an updated 2027 version.
Show threadjslMar 11
@jon @mcSlibinas So, Urbanloop and the other 'pod railway' pipe dreams have already been made by Fiat in the 60s?
Show threadmcSlibinasMar 11
@jsl @jon FIAT did a lot of heavy equipment, on railroads too.
Show threadJaap BurgerMar 11
@jon Droste ticketing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droste_effect
Droste effect - Wikipedia

Show thread210561 โœจ [Q]Mar 11
@jon is it the same barcode content? the Slovenians have both a ticket and a ticket pick-up barcode format for reasons beyond me (but maybe @anze knows)
Show threadCraftByteMar 11
@q @jon I think its something to do with there being no revocation list. App tickets donโ€™t do this since they can be remotely revoked (and we donโ€™t know what Zugli is), but paper do a remote lookup.
Show thread210561 โœจ [Q]Mar 11
@anze @jon we would, of course, know nothing about how badly not having a revocation list can go
Show threadDaniel BrotherstonMar 11

@jon Do they check tickets later in the train? Printing it makes sense if you have the ticket on your phone because then later you can say "well my phone is dead".

But shrugs....the NS trains handle this by saying "it's your job to make sure your phone is charged, dead phone = no ticket".d

Show threadJon WorthMar 11
@danbrotherston That might be an upside to it, yes. Although pretty much all Slovenian trains have power sockets by now, so keeping your phone charged is no issue. My impression is it's simply a half done digitisation that was ill thought through.
Show threadDaniel BrotherstonMar 11
@jon I donโ€™t typically bring a cable with me on the train so a power plug still requires planning ahead (and if you plan ahead you can also bring enough battery, although having a power socket is still convenient). Although I am typically on the train for not more than an hour so maybe that is easier then.
Show threadDaniel BrotherstonMar 11
@jon but yeah, definitely could be half baked digitization. That is very common. When I was in university (circa 2007) I worked as a contractor for a Canadian telecom where they had an internet signup form that fed into a printer in the office. A phone agent would the take the printout and enter the order as if you had phoned it in. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ certainly this kind of thing still happens today.
Show threadRoyMar 11
@jon In Estonia and Latvia they also print receipts with the grand value of 0,00 EUR when showing an Interrail-pass. It's hard to imagine it's such a strange way of keeping an administration on passenger numbers for certain trains.
Show threadAlexander KrumeichMar 11
@jon they have to stamp something, donโ€™t they?
Show threadMihaMar 11
@jon Oh, yes :) Similarly, when you buy the IC addition (1,50 EUR) for the regular ticket that I already have loaded on the contactless card of Slovenian Railways, the ticket machine actually prints out the ticket with QR code for IC addition plus another piece of paper (payment confirmation), and the conductor then scans and stamps the printed ticket... ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ
Show thread๐Ÿ” Matthias WiesmannMar 11
@jon I'm trying to think of a scenario where this second code is there to keep the train manager honest, i.e. that he actually checks people. I suppose this would allow a inspector to check if they get their paper.
Show threadsamuele963Mar 11
@jon Yeah Sลฝ wifi can be quite annoying as the online portal has expired certificates and also doesn't seem to work properly on Firefox. After getting around these issues it does tend to work fine ime, minus the occasional phone signal dropouts (quite common on the line to Jesenice)
Show threadKilgore TroutMar 11
@jon Beautiful piece of rolling stock. Is it photographed in Muggia?