Thread by @jonworth

#CrossBorderRail Day 31 - Szeged to Simeria twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

And here’s Zoltán Ádám Németh in front of the new Szeged tram train

Also this tram train is a bit of brilliant design - it has a gently sloping two level floor - so it’s step free at both tram and rail platforms

Off go yesterday’s postcards to @AdinaValean and one of my supporters

This is where political will gets you. The renovated Szeged 🇭🇺 - Subotica 🇷🇸 line. Just needs the overhead wires now! Cc @fabianvendrig @EUWB6_TCT

My train is here

Ūjszeged

I’ll post all the data about the trains later. But for now I’m just enjoying the absurdity of all of this here. It’s joyous. I’m chatting to one of the three fellow passengers who speaks German.

Deszk Hbf

I’ve been on worse

Some of the stations here show this line once was a little more important.

And there it goes… I leave the railbus at Nagylak, to then 🚲 to Nadlac in 🇷🇴

Nagylak

The road border. It’s grim and smells of piss.

I’m glad it’s only a very short cycle!

You know you’re in Romania when there’s Piata Unirii

And it’s so good to be back in Romania. My first Interrail trip in 1999 took me here. And I’ve been returning on and off ever since. Great place for railway adventures…

Waiting room. Nadlac

And I’ve got some wonderful photos and film of the Arad-Nadlac train arriving at Nadlac. But the train guard ticked me off for taking them so I’ll post them later on, once I’m off the train! For now this one will do

And Nadlac-Arad is I think by some distance the most bizarre train ride I’ve ever taken. Just wait for the videos once I’m off this one!

Pro tip: wear glasses while on the Nadlac - Arad train. The bushes overgrow the line and branch’s and leaves fly through the open windows and doors!

* - branches

You could just about imagine if were the faded window of the Trans Europ Express 🙃

A classic Romanian rail scene at Arad

My window for the next 3 hours

The Regio Calatori Arad-Nadlac service arrives at Nadlac

And here’s today’s route map - finally remembered to post it!

#CrossBorderRail BONUS! Tram Train
Line 1 Szeged, Széchenyi tér - Anna-kút
Ave speed: no idea, not high!
Operator: MÁV

Train type: Stadler tram train
⚡️ here, also runs on ⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free for 30cm and 55cm platforms)
📶: ❓ (no idea, didn’t have time!)
🍽: ⛔️

#CrossBorderRail Train 117
37047 11:57 Ujszeged - Nagylak 13:08
Ave speed: 40 km/h
Operator: MÁV

Train type: Class 117 Bzmot railbus (version with air con! ❄️)
⛽️
🚲: ❓ (not officially, but 1 guy got a bike on)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

#CrossBorderRail Train 118
R 11208 15:56 Nadlac - Arad 17:34
Ave speed: 32 km/h
Operator: Regio Călători

Train type: ex-SNCF Class X 4500 Caravelle
⛽️
🚲: ✅ (luggage area, can load bikes there)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

#CrossBorderRail Train 119
IRN 1922 18:18 Arad - Simeria 21:33
Ave speed: 49 km/h
Operator: CFR

Train type: Electroputere locomotive & carriages
⚡️
🚲: ❓ (pretty sure there’d be space somewhere, but not obvious)
🦽: ❓ (likewise not obvious, would need a lift)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

And some photos from earlier…

Here a drone shot at Szeged - the red line shows where the rail bridge between Szeged and Újszeged used to be - it lost importance in 1919, and was destroyed in 1945

This video starts to the left of the bridge pic in the previous tweet, and the station can be seen, and then pans around

The challenge - were a bridge to be (re-)built here would be the buildings in the way

There is also the demand for a road bridge here - maybe combine them?

That means that for the moment Újszeged feels very abandoned… because it doesn’t really connect to anywhere anyone would want to go!

Further eastwards the line to Cenad (RO) used to branch off, that then would have connected Szeged to the regional centre Timisoara. But since 1919 these are in separate countries… You can see a bit of the old track bed on Google Satellite

Nagylak - the Hungarian station closest to the border - has a nice old station, rather overgrown now

Nadlac - the Romanian village - is a more substantial place

Nadlac station - old sleepers made into a basic platform

The Caravelle DMU. Built in Crespin 🇫🇷 in 1968! And that, I presume, is the same plant - now owned by Alstom - I passed between Valenciennes and Quiévrain on Day 1 of the project when visiting @ERA_railways

I’d wondered when I boarded why there were leaves on the floor…

This is why

And this…

This isn’t just #FensterAuf but #TuerenAuf - all the doors open!

And that means as no one has cut the bushes everything flies in!

And here you can see it a bit better! Clear section, then the bushes come…

Anyway, after the slightly strange trip to Arad, I have now boarded the next train - a night train bound for Mangalia at the Black Sea. I just have a seat, because I am going only as far as Simeria - a 3 hour trip

And the Astra Trans Carpatic night train was also parked up at Arad

Meanwhile my train is crawling through the Romanian countryside as loads of track works are ongoing here. In a year or two this will be a pretty efficient route - but it isn’t yet!

Train vs a Dacia on gravel. We win, just.

Deva. 50 minutes late… Luckily this is my final train today. Then a bike ride to my hotel in Simeria shortly.

Getting ready to unfold the Birdy before arriving Simeria, and people board the train there - on their way to beach holidays at Constanta or Mangalia. Quick cycle to my B&B that’s *impeccable* and they serve me a cold Ursus 🍺

Oops. This is what the back of my t-shirt looks like after a day of #CrossBorderRail through a heatwave! Thankfully tomorrow it’s 10°c cooler…