@jon@gruene.social
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jon

@jon@gruene.social

A mix of German politics, European politics and railways #CrossBorderRail. In English and German.

Eine Mischung aus deutscher Politik, europäischer Politik und Eisenbahnen. Auf englisch und auf deutsch.

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jon, to random
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Welcome to today's thread - South East Europe Day -02 26 May 2024 - Ravières - Montbard - Paris - Köln - Hamburg - Travemünde, onto night ferry Crossing these borders: Lille 🇫🇷 - Bruxelles 🇧🇪 HSL Aachen 🇩🇪 - Welkenraedt 🇧🇪 These borders on the borders map: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#8/50.766/4.263 Today's routes on the routes map: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#8/50.766/4.263

jon, to random
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Right

The Birdy is ready for Le Grand Départ tomorrow

Everything cleaned and checked for 5 weeks of adventures ahead!

jon, to random
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Eurostar has sent me their “you’re travelling tomorrow” email.

My train is Paris - Köln.

No security controls like London services.

Yet they’re telling me to arrive at the station 30 mins ahead. That’s not happening as I’m arriving Gare de Lyon 47 mins before departing Nord 🙂 #CrossBorderRail

jon, (edited ) to random
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Useful to know, but 😡

Means I might miss my train in Malmö C

How does Finnlines in Malmö disembark? Gangway (fast) or bus (slow)? Do you know @nordkommission or @sebwilken ?

EDIT: thankfully I secured one of the last seats on the X2000 to Stockholm an hour later. Phew. At least SJ's rebooking system is neat.

jon, to random
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Doing the travel claim for my Nuits-sous-Ravières - Dijon - Strasbourg - Offenburg - Berlin - Büchen - Lübeck - Hamburg- Köln - Paris - Nuits-sous-Ravières trip earlier this month

The good news: it cost €214,30 which is quite fair

The problem?

I had 8 tickets!
Nuits-sous-Ravières - Dijon €11,90
Dijon - Strasbourg €29,00
Strasbourg - Kehl €4,20
Kehl - Berlin €35,15
Berlin - Lübeck - Hamburg €18,65
Hamburg - Köln €23,80
Köln - Paris €65,00
Paris - Nuits-sous-Ravières €26,60

jon, to random
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There was some fog from the Armançon this morning so I quickly put up the drone

Chateau in Nuits peeks out of fog
Canal de Bourgogne cuts into the fog

jon, to random
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Schlimmer geht immer – rumours about the transport portfolio in the next European Commission

https://jonworth.eu/schlimmer-geht-immer-rumours-about-the-transport-portfolio-in-the-next-european-commission/

What could be worse for railway policy than the poor current incumbent Commissioner? Sure! Someone with no knowledge of railways, from a country with no railways and a strong shipping lobby! 🎉

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

For the first time since 1992 (when I was 12) I’m completely disinterested by the UK General Election.

Sunak and the Tories will lose, Labour in uninspiring, the Lib Dems weedy, Greens weak and SNP weakened, and Reform simply grim. And Brexit is the elephant none of them will touch.

As I’m still a UK citizen I will vote, but it’s with less determination than ever before.

jon, to random
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starts Sunday 26 May - 5 weeks investigating international railways, predominantly in South East Europe

Here's how to follow the project:
https://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/crossborderrail-south-east-europe-starts-26-may-how-to-follow-the-project/

And for the non-rail people among my followers: there are going to be a lot of railway posts from me (more than usual - really!) - so maybe you mute the tag 🙂

jon, to austria
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Article from Politico Europe on future European Commission nominees

https://www.politico.eu/article/frontrunners-next-european-commission-eu-election-2024/#austria

The only mention of transport? Cyprus 🇨🇾

Please no. Not one of only 2 countries in Europe that doesn’t have a railway. And not Stella Kyriakides again please…

jon, to random
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🥵

starts Sunday

And today I have checked all the timetables a final time, and have done all the stats for the 66 🚆, 3 ⛴️, 19 🚌, 2 🚗, 35 🚲 stages to come

And toots for each of these have been pre-prepared, and live blogs for every day are ready to go live automatically each day

Tedious work, but necessary for good digital comms for the project!

Tomorrow: the slides for the presentations I will give en route

jon, to random
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Mastodon usually has a knack of finding the right people, so let's try this... 🙂

Due to a last-minute drop out, my flat in Berlin Neukölln is available to sub-let 26th May - 28th July. Shorter periods negotiable too

85m2, new building, furnished, lots of light, near the edge of Tempelhofer Feld, high speed internet, all utilities and bikes included in the rent. €1650/month, all included

Do send anyone interested my way!

Bedroom. Double bed with a red cover. Window to the right. Chest of drawers to the left.
Living - dining room. Table to the left. Book shelves to the right. Office desk and windows to the middle at the end. Armchairs to the right.
Floor plan of the flat

jon, to random
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Ah great

SNCF stops selling most international rail tickets
https://jonworth.eu/sncf-is-stopping-sales-of-most-international-tickets-a-decision-rooted-in-incompetence-and-communicated-with-malevolence/

Who does the Bundestag invite to talk about a golden era of international rail? Alain Krakovitch, boss of SNCF Voyageurs - responsible for this ticket mess 😡

jon, to random
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Shock! 😮

Ah no. Not a shock

Ticketing for one of y the most over-hyped services is a mess - you can’t use a Dutch OV-Chipkaart on the Belgian part of the route, and Belgian passes can’t get you beyond Visé

Belgian minister Gilkinet got his photo op at the launch… and they forgot to do the nitty gritty https://zug.network/@smveerman/112481058508351646

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Damn I hate the non-collaboration between HŽPP and SŽ

Both now have online ticketing

But only to the last station in their respective territories

So neither of them can sell Ilirkska Bistrica - Šapjane (line Pivka-Rijeka) or Rakitovec - Buzet (line Divača-Pula) - in both cases just a few km at the border 😡

Simple solution: include the first station in the neighbouring country in the national ticketing system…

SŽ can sell me a ticket only to Ilistrika Bistrica

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Oh! Hellenic train has a new booking site! 🎉

And trains seem to be running to Florina again! 🎉

But hang on... all the arrival and departure times are mixed up 😡

EDIT: ah no, still buses Edessa-Florina. It doesn't show you that in the booking screen... FFS.

jon, to random
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Ah ha! Željeznice FBiH has online booking (I thought)

Do it and pay…

... and then find you have to go to the ticket office in Sarajevo to collect a paper ticket! 🙂

And there was I thinking I could avoid a queue. Well, if there are even enough people wanting the once a day train to Maglaj, which according to Vagonweb runs with only 2 ancient carriages

jon, to random
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Mark my words

Even when (if?) DB and DSB’s 230km/h Talgo trains run, they are going to be fraught with problems

The ride is going to be bumpy, the carriages cramped, and whether the Talgo Class 105 locomotives ever get approved… we’ll see

https://www.eurailpress.de/nachrichten/fahrzeuge-komponenten/detail/news/exklusiv-einsatz-der-ice-l-erst-ab-mitte-2025-geplant.html

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Ah ha!

Finally the NEWAG train sabotage story has hit the mainstream - in WSJ

Link via @jeffjarvis
https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/hackers-trains-disabled-poland-1b1f501a?st=nqsmoey6ktrsg14&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Only 6 months late, but I am nevertheless glad! https://jonworth.eu/newags-digital-sabotage-of-dolny-slasks-trains-what-were-they-thinking/

jon, to random
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😡

I’ve messed up

Riga - Vilnius train 2nd June (so a fortnight from now) is sold out!

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Blog post summing up my investigations this week into SNCF's decision to stop selling most international train tickets

“SNCF is stopping sales of most international tickets – a decision rooted in incompetence, and communicated with malevolence”
https://jonworth.eu/sncf-is-stopping-sales-of-most-international-tickets-a-decision-rooted-in-incompetence-and-communicated-with-malevolence/

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Ok. planning done for now

Today is fete du pain in Ravières - the once a year they fire up the communal oven

The baker attends to the oven
The plaque confirming the renovation of the oven

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

SNCF Connect “Train Full”

The train… not even half full 🤦‍♂️

And ok, there are stops between Paris and Nuits-sous-Ravières but normally more get off than get on at Sens, Joigny etc.

And yes I just booked on a later one and took the 13:35 earlier one

Empty seats
Even more empty seats
And yet more empty seats

jon, to random
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While walking around the 18ème in Paris this morning… there’s a car someone wiped out in the night. Petrol still dripping, indicators still flashing.

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Ok, nice try my clients in Paris. But this isn’t 3D enough to go into my list 🙂

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