Mastodawn

https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/5Qa9h1SgPABTnf9zKYnUbZ

Here’s today‘s #CrossBorderRail intro video. Damn I wasn’t really awake when filming this!

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 4/5/2026, 4:53:41 AM

PeerTube

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bus 6 of 11
X28
07:28 Xanten Bhf - Goch Bhf 08:09
Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe Ag

Bus type: Mercedes Citaro 2 axle
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ✅
🛜: ⛔️
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂

First bus on a Easter Sunday: not many passengers!

I‘m confused

I’m on the Boxteler Bahn and it’s a bus!

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 10 of 20
Goch - Cuijk, via Gennep

Distance: 26km
Est. duration: 1:45

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#13/51.705864/6.016903

No Gochness today! #CrossBorderRail

Jon Worth

The Boxteler Bahn is blocked by an Absinth company #CrossBorderRail

Jon Worth 22h ago

Nice border! The Zollbeamter can’t control me as he’s made of wood #CrossBorderRail

Jon Worth 22h ago

There‘s #CrossBorderRail

Hassum 🇩🇪 - Gennep 🇳🇱

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 53 of 111
RS11 (32233)
10:22 Cuijk - Venlo 11:01
Arriva Nederland

Train type: Stadler DMU, 2 short carriages
⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (door areas aren’t cleverly designed)
🧽: 🙂
Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

RS11 (32233)
10:22 Cuijk - Venlo 11:01

Distance: 46.7km
Average speed: 72km/h

5 stops:
Boxmeer
Vierlingsbeek
Venray
Blerick
Venlo

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#11/51.546154/6.022750

#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

So this first #CrossBorderRail of the day: Hassum 🇩🇪 - Gennep 🇳🇱

I‘d wondered if this would be an alternative to Nijmegen 🇳🇱 - Kleve 🇩🇪

It’s too long gone, and in and around Gennep too hard to reactivate

So I need to work out some other solution to the Groesbeek problem on the Nijmegen - Kleve route

Maybe a tram train is the best choice?

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 11 of 20
Around - Venlo

Distance: 11.7km
Est. duration: 1:00

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#14/51.382879/6.193242

Beyond the 🐎 is Germany. But no sign whatsoever of #CrossBorderRail Straelen 🇩🇪 - Venlo 🇳🇱

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 54 of 111
IC 3546
12:03 Venlo - Eindhoven 12:41
NS

Train type: Talbot VIRM EMU, 4 double deck carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (ramp on platform)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (weird design)
🧽: ☹️ (grimy outside, not cleaned inside)
Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

IC 3546
12:03 Venlo - Eindhoven 13:41

Distance: 51.6km
Average speed: 81km/h

5 stops:
Blerick
Horst-Sevenum
Deurne
Helmond
Eindhoven Centraal

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#12/51.420549/5.825395

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

uMap

Really who the hell designed the air conditioning units in NS‘s ICNG trains? James Dyson?

I also discovered earlier you can go on jumbo benders in Venlo

Those British stag night parties must be queuing up!

I obviously didn’t partake

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 55 of 111
IC 1144
12:43 Eindhoven - Rotterdam Centraal 13:44
NS

Train type: Alstom Konstal ICNG EMU, 8 short carriages
⚡️ (1.5kV dc, 25kV ac, 1.5kV dc)
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 🙂
🧽: 🙂
Interrail: 🙂 (accepted)

IC 1144
12:43 Eindhoven - Rotterdam Centraal 13:44

Distance: 103.8km
Average speed: 102km/h

3 stops:
Tilburg
Breda
Rotterdam Centraal

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/51.685328/4.972687

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

uMap

You can move to a different section of the ICNG where the air conditioning blasts less

But then you’re nearer the wheels / bogies. And similar to the cousins of these train - Régiolis in France - something incessantly clanks

As you might tell: I don’t really like these trains

The bender - it turns out - is not in Venlo (see earlier toot) but on this ICNG to Rotterdam

Thankfully the hen night group is not in my carriage!

Also ICNG runs more smoothly and quieter on the high speed line at 200km/h than on the old line through Tilburg at c. 130km/h

Here it doesn’t clank

To those complaining the ICNG pic wasn’t today’s train, here is today‘s at Rotterdam

Jon Worth 16h ago

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 56 of 111
EST 9358
14:58 Rotterdam Centraal - Paris Nord 17:40
Eurostar

Train type: Alstom PBA EMU, 2 power cars, 8 articulated single deck carriages (2nd set is to Marne la Vallée, splits Bruxelles)
⚡️ (1.5kV dc, 25kV ac, 3kV dc, 25kV ac)
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ✅ (lift on platform)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ✅
🧳: ☹️ (there’s not a single rack for large luggage in this carriage - on a route full of tourists!)
🧽: 🙂
Interrail: 😐 (needs compulsory reservation, costs c. €30)

Jon Worth 15h ago

EST 9358
14:58 Rotterdam Centraal - Paris Nord 17:40

Distance: 456.8km
Average speed: 169km/h

3 stops:
Antwerpen Centraal
Bruxelles Midi
Paris Nord

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#8/50.429518/3.543091

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour

uMap

Jon Worth 15h ago

Bruxelles Midi #CrossBorderRail

pglux.bsky.social 12h ago

How busy was that train?

Moritz Kleine-Sendrail 🇺🇦16h ago

@jon is this the refurbished version?

@Moritz_Kleine but I’m in 1st class. There’s a coffee machine I think they don’t use where the luggage rack should be. Priorities!

gommehammer 13h ago

@jon Have Eurostar/Thalys Interrail reservations always been this expensive? I was aware of the hefty fees on channel tunnel reservations, but thought Thalys was closer to SNCF (10 or 20€)

Jon Worth 13h ago

@gommehammer this was €35, first class. You might get €25 2nd class

pglux.bsky.social 17h ago

Maybe Talgo built that one 🤭🤣

Daniel Brotherston 17h ago

@jon I imagine it would be quieter riding on any line at less than 2/3rds the design speed.

Jan Adriaenssens 18h ago

@jon This photo is taken in Antwerp though!

@verbeeld I know. I only had 2 mins to change. Too risky to run and photograph it! 😀

Jan Adriaenssens 17h ago

@jon Otherwise Antwerp would have been a bit of a detour indeed going from Eindhoven to Rotterdam.

Although it would have made your trip cross-national-border instead of cross-provincial-border.

@verbeeld I’m going through Antwerpen on Thalys later

Raphaël V 18h ago

@jon my first reaction when looking at the picture was "wow you managed to walk to the front of the train and snap a picture on a notoriously tight 2- minute connection", but then I realised the background didn't quite look like Eindhoven Centraal.

@raphv I’ll edit it with a photo of it at Rotterdam when I get there 😀

Walter van Holst 17h ago

@jon Coffee in Rotterdam?

funz 18h ago

@jon is it loud like these hand dryers?

@funz Yes. Almost as loud.

funz 17h ago

@jon very cozy

@jon *12:41 😉

@smveerman yes. I am 30 mins ahead of schedule 😀

@jon which actually I am sad about, as I am going to take the 13:14 train in Eindhoven 🥲

@smveerman Damn. I’m now en route to Rotterdam via Tilburg! Where are you going?

@jon the same train, half an hour later.

@smveerman then I’ll see you in Rotterdam! I’m taking Thalys to Paris from there, but have an hour

@jon ok, see you there!

Daniel Brotherston 17h ago

@jon the wifi is very much hit or miss on these trains. The cleaning though, is consistently mediocre. But I’ve heard at least for the outside the train cleaning equipment struggles with the shape of the cars.

Walter van Holst 19h ago

@jon A lovely way to spend Easter. We're not expecting this line ever to be rebuilt, are we?

@whvholst no. Not a hope. And no point either I think!

Walter van Holst 18h ago

@jon It could add some much needed resilience to the Dutch network, but yes, from a passenger rail in normal operation perspective, little point.

@whvholst the interesting one is Nijmegen - Kleve. I’ll write more about that this week. I wasn’t there today, but today‘s investigations help me understand that one.

Walter van Holst 18h ago

@jon The NIMBY is strong on that one.

@whvholst Right. But I have a solution in mind now.

Walter van Holst 18h ago

@jon The bit through Groesbeek being lowered would not be *that* expensive.