@jon@gruene.social
@jon@gruene.social avatar

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

jon, to random
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Does passenger behaviour on platforms vary between countries I wonder?

The TER Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy is peculiar

At all interim stations the platform entrances are at the back of the train. But at Bercy the exit is at the front

I walk to the front at Nuits so I’m near the exit at Paris, but pretty much no others do, despite SNCF Connect indicating it’s a long train

I’m pretty sure in UK or Germany more would do as I do

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

A railway people

@ummels who’s posting pictures from great routes in Czechia

@wrzlbrnft who’s posting pictures of odd lines from Hungary

@lewd who’s great and funny on all things railways, esp France-Germany

@maartje for IT and rail topics

jon, to random
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Deutsche Bahn is introducing transparent noise protection walls

https://www.deutschebahn.com/de/presse/pressestart_zentrales_uebersicht/Mehr-Durchblick-weniger-Laerm-DB-entwickelt-innovative-transparente-Schallschutzwaende-12861336?trk=feed_main-feed-card_feed-article-content

But what’s missing?

Graffiti

It covers every sound protection wall everywhere in Germany. Perhaps these transparent walls are a little easier to clean? We can hope..?

jon, to random
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    • unless you want to travel internationally because we won’t sell you those tickets any more
jon, to random
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Really, this stopping selling loads of international tickets thing is all the SNCF problems in one

It’s international, and they think national

They’re incompetent as to how to handle legacy IT systems that are outdated

They’re inflexible in that they can’t make contingency plans

And finally they’re malevolent, because staff are then told to blame everyone else, instead of SNCF - and the mess was 💯 SNCF’s fault

jon, to random
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All right. Now we have the answer.

Austerlitz

Me: Why can I not book a ticket for Berlin on SNCF Connect?

SNCF employee: It’s not possible

Me: But why?

SNCF: “C’est la faute de l’Europe!” (It’s Europe’s fault)

Me: But why can DB sell me a SNCF ticket? SBB a Trenitalia ticket? The only one stopping is SNCF.

SNCF: You have to buy it on the site of DB then or Trainline

(My jaw dropped at that!)

Me: It’s not because SNCF is closing Résarail?

SNCF: It’s because of international agreements!

jon, to random
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I’m often critical of French rural timetables not being joined up

But this one works perfectly

The bakery in Nuits opens at 06:00, so there’s time to get a croissant 🥐 on the way from home to the railway station for the first train to Paris at 06:21 🙂

jon, to random
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So I just tried asking at Bercy if they could sell me a ticket to Berlin in June

The guy was friendly but couldn’t get a price (because we know he can’t get prices). But he was genuinely confused, and had no idea SNCF has suspended these sales

I’m going to try once more at Austerlitz and see what they tell me there

jon, to random
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“When I see people say Eurostar is shrinking it drives me crazy, because it’s really not true,” says CEO Cazenave to the FT

https://www.ft.com/content/97f7a39b-0536-40e2-bbdd-e1d755418804

Yeah, because you merged with Thalys - so, surprise surprise, you transported more people

Passenger numbers London - Paris/Bruxelles are still down on the last pre-pandemic year, not least because Eurostar now no longer serves Ebbsfleet and Ashford

jon, to random French
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I am in Paris tomorrow and Saturday, and am planning my routes

8.7 of 9.9km on cycle lanes

Ahhhhh 😍

My planning in Paris is no longer “will it be OK to cycle?” which it was a few years ago, to “sure it will, just what's the best route?”

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Ah

We’ve got another example of that legendary cooperation between state railways today in Köln

Where the Eurostar* stops at the platform is NOT shown on the screens (while for RE and ICE trains it is shown)

So Eurostar employs a person on the platform to tell passengers where to stand 🤦‍♂️

    • Eurostar is 55% SNCF, 18% SNCB
jon, to random French
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Ok, les passionnés de trains parisiens, j'ai besoin de ton aide.

Comme la file d'attente pour les billets des Grandes Lignes était trop longue à la Gare du Nord aujourd'hui, je vais devoir essayer une autre gare vendredi.

Bercy ou la gare de Lyon seraient les plus faciles d'accès, mais j'irai par vélo ailleurs si les files d'attente sont moins longues.

Quel est le terminal parisien où les files d'attente seront les plus courtes ?

jon, to random
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DB ICE 731 Hamburg - Köln

A slowish route because all the infra is old. And it’s a ICE 1 from the 1980s, renovated more than a decade ago

But the ambience on board, the comfort of the seats, are still excellent. It’s like someone actually thought “what would passengers actually appreciate in a train interior?”

It doesn’t feel like packing as many people in as possible was the priority. And that’s so nice 😊

jon, (edited ) to random
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OK, so when I go to the SNCF Grandes Lignes ticket office shortly at Paris Nord and ask why I cannot buy a ticket to Berlin any more online, and can they help me, what are they going to tell me why it can't be done?

(Answer 4 is the correct answer - but will I get that? Answer 1 is what I received Monday in Strasbourg, Answer 2 is what I got in response to another ticketing data issue in Breil sur Roya last week)

jon, to random
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Well that signup form got what it deserved!

🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲 🚲

jon, to random
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The reason we don’t have a “Skyscanner for rail” is mostly NOT for technical reasons

It’s because rail firms don’t want to share data with each other

Example: Trenitalia doesn’t want to sell SNCF’s Milano-Paris tickets because it doesn’t want to, not because it can’t

UIC’s Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM) is a technical standard. At the margin helpful but rail firms can and almost certainly will still refuse to share data with each other

jon, to random
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I’m seeing the claim banded about that Liège 🇧🇪 - Maastricht 🇳🇱 - Aachen 🇩🇪 is “the world’s first three country regional train”

This is WRONG

These have long existed
Nice 🇫🇷 - Monaco 🇲🇨 - Ventimiglia 🇮🇹

Lindau 🇩🇪 - Bregenz 🇦🇹 - St Margreten 🇨🇭

Feldkirch 🇦🇹 - Schaan-Vaduz 🇱🇮 - Buchs 🇨🇭

There is also
Seifhennersdorf 🇩🇪 - Varnsdorf 🇨🇿 - Zittau 🇩🇪 - transits 🇵🇱 - Liberec 🇨🇿

And those are just the ones that spring to mind. There might be others.

This new train is welcome, but it’s no world first.

jon, to random
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Tut mir leid, aber nein. Das ist nicht das, was OSDM ist.

https://www.welt.de/reise/nah/article251491844/Reisen-mit-der-Bahn-ins-Ausland-Endlich-kommt-das-europaweite-Ticket.html

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Ok

This was a good find by the @tubraunschweig students I was teaching today (with @ehrba)

Simbach (Inn) 🇩🇪 - Braunau (Inn) 🇦🇹

2.2km
3 min trip

DB price: €24,00
Or €10,90 per km

ÖBB price: €2,60

DB price is absurd

Map of Simbach to Braunau
ÖBB site showing €2,60

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

FDP poster in Hamburg - to end the residents’ parking system (explained here: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/Bewohnerparkzonen-Hamburg-Alles-ueber-Anwohnerparken,bewohnerparken122.html )

This is a system to make it easier for residents to park in the neighbourhood where they live

They may as well put “Wählt uns für eine chaotische Schlacht um den Parkplatz!” (Vote for us for a chaotic battle to park!)

jon, to random
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Fuck off really.

In the train to Hamburg. A dude starts playing music on his phone loudly. I ask him to use earphones. He says he has none. And he gets aggressive towards me and asks me to move. And then accuses me of being aggressive because I got annoyed. 😡

But at least he stops playing the music.

jon, to random
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Today isn’t a investigation day, but I’m happy to use a new emoji

In my assessments of more than 600 trains it’s always been ⚡️ or ⛽️ and even once 🔥

Today - finally! - it’s 🔋

I’m taking one of the battery electric EMUs Stadler built for Schleswig Holstein between Büchen and Lübeck

Elektrisch ohne Oberleitung - electric without overhead wire on the sticker on the train

jon, to random
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Tip - as ever - for journalists who know nothing about rail but have to write about rail

TALK TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T WORK FOR A RAIL FIRM

It’ll help prevent you writing absolute abject bullshit

Trust me. Really 🙂

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