Thread by @jonworth

#CrossBorderRail welcome to Day 29 - Varazdin to Szeged twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

A quick walk around Varazdin

The railway station has a sort of Takt system. 4 trains departing at the same time allowing connections. Mine will be the 10:21 to Koprivnica

Varazdin twin towns. Bad Radkersburg is following me around 🙂

More Varazdin old town. I like it here.

The castle. And more old town. You see that some buildings need a bit of love, but it’s a charming city for a morning stroll. I’m very happy #CrossBorderRail brought me here!

There is a brutalist bit too. But whatever this was (a shopping centre?) is currently being demolished.

#CrossBorderRail Train 111
3607 10:21 Varaždin - Koprivnica 11:07
Ave speed: 55 km/h
Operator: HŽPP

Train type: 7121 DMU, modernised by Gredelj
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️ (but they’ll let you on if you ask)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

This class 7121 DMU is quite horrid. I have erroneously ended up with a seat in the motorised carriage and it’s very noisy. Glad I’ve only got 40 mins in this! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%BD_s…

Stations on the line to Koprivnica

I’ve meanwhile sought refuge in the non motorised car of the DMU so I don’t get a headache

The only thing that works *really well* in this train: the horn! The driver has just had to hoot like hell to warn a van to stop at an unguarded level crossing…

Design problem with an air conditioned train on a small country line: the train has sucked in air that smells of manure 🐄💨 and can’t get it out fast enough!

But by all means throw out non-flammable stuff? 🤔

According to my timetable the Budapest train is 11:35. According to the station boards here at Koprivnica it’s 10:56 but delayed 45 mins. Hmmm. Railways in Croatia: always a bit of a mystery.

And the printed timetable says 11:35. And that it runs daily this time of year (note 5)

So it turns out this is a kind of cross border shuttle Croatia to Hungary, because the line from Koprivnica to Zagreb is being rebuilt. Not that that was made clear! But we’re off…

So much arsing around here at Gyékényes. The HŽ locomotive hauled the train barely 10 mins. Now decoupled. MÁV locomotive & 1 more carriage added. I’m sat on the platform awaiting the border control as I’m changing here. Everyone else controlled on the train.

Railway people with hammers tapping wheels and other things under a carriage. A very Central European thing. Gyékényes 🇭🇺

I’ll use the time at Gyékényes to buy stamps for postcards to @AdinaValean I thought. 635ft per card, and 4 stamps per card. I’m going to have no space to write anything! 🙂

#CrossBorderRail Train 76
RE 8225 13:44 Gyékényes - Dombóvár 16:03
Ave speed: 43 km/h
Operator: MÁV

Train type: V43 locomotive and 2 ex-DB carriages #FensterAuf
⚡️
🚲: ⛔️ (but they’d probably let you)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

6 passengers on board leaving Gyékényes

First stop: Porrogszentkirály

No one gets on or off. There’s not even a platform

Bit of back window action à la @EurostarJustinp

This is the route

Csurgó

There’s a proper station here. 4 get off, 3 get on. Now we’re 5 on board

Manufacturer plates from the locomotive. Built 1971.

Zrínyitelep

2 people get off and the train manager helps them down as there’s no platform

Szenta

It’s a manned station. But only 1 person gets on. Remnants of a narrow gauge forest railway to be seen

Bolhás

1 gets on

Somogyszob

Metropolis!

8 on, 1 off

Ötvöskónyi

There’s a shelter. And even a platform. But no passengers.

Beleg

3 on, 3 off

I hope they got proof they paid (and I hope someone gets my bilingual joke)

Kutas

3 on, 3 off

This train is actually being used (a bit)

Jákó-Nagybajom

It’s a manned station. There’s a nice smell of pine trees in the air. But there are no passengers

Kiskorpád

Another manned station without any passengers 😢

They need to add request stop buttons on this train!

Kaposvö

It looks like a kind of lodge. The guard helps an elderly lady up the steep steps, and 1 more person gets on and 1 leaves. And on we go!

We cross the train in the other direction at Kaposmérő

2 people get on

(And I’ve now got ő as well as ö)

Meanwhile @dominiccampbell & @anthonyzach have noticed I’m quoted in this piece about high speed rail. I’m not really feeling it today!

Kaposújlak

No one

Kaposvár

The biggest place on the route (population: 68000)

About 8 get off, a dozen or so on

There’s an Intercity to Budapest following our train - I guess that one will be better used

Nice station building!

Now the train is more full I can’t easily take pics from both sides, so pics of each stop will cease. Between Kaspovár and Dombóvár it is more intensively used!

But Dombóvár to Baja is likely to be an even smaller train and line…

#CrossBorderRail Train 114
38716 16:20 Dombovár - Baja 17:55
Ave speed: 51 km/h
Operator: MÁV

Train type: Class 117 Bzmot railbus
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

I raise you the Baja Flyer, @BastonBorders 🙂 Built 1980 in Czechoslovakia. vMax 80km/h. Seating capacity: 40

The old and the middle aged. Bátaszék

#CrossBorderRail Train 115
IR 7808 18:14 Baja - Kiskunfélegyháza 20:14
Ave speed: 60 km/h
Operator: MÁV

Train type: Metrowagonmash Russian built DMU
⛽️
🚲: ✅ (but high steps)
🦽: ✅ (sticker shows it’s supposedly possible but hell knows how)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

The only rail bridge across the Danube south of Budapest in Hungary is at Baja

This Metrovagonmash DMU is strange. Built in 2003 - when many manufacturers were already building low floor DMUs and EMUs - it’s high floor. But it has power to do a good speed, the ride is fine, air con works, even the toilet is a modern vacuum one. For two hours it’s ok!

Tajó

Galambos

Another day of #CrossBorderRail is drawing to a close

One more change at Kiskunfélegyháza and then I’ll be at my destination Szeged by about 21:15

Kiskunfélegyháza

Palm trees and rail buses

#CrossBorderRail Train 116
IC 708 20:30 Kiskunfélegyháza - Szeged 21:15
Ave speed: 80 km/h
Operator: MÁV

Train type: V43 locomotive and 4 old carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ⛔️ (no obvious carriage or place for a wheelchair)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

Fading light approaching Szeged