Thread by @jonworth

Welcome to Day 39 #CrossBorderRail - Poprad to Bratislava, via Krakow, Bohumín and Wien twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Sod. Just broke the plastic rim that keeps the chain in place when the Birdy bike is folded. Had to jog, pushing the bike, to the station. I’ll have to find a way to fix it en route later!

#CrossBorderRail Train 133
IR 8360 07:32 Poprad Tatry - Muszyna 09:10
Ave speed: 46 km/h
Operator: ŽSSK

Train type: Class 913 two section railbus
⛽️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free - low floor section)
📶: ✅
🍽: ⛔️

The service on these diesel branch lines north east of Poprad is very thin, and while everything is orderly and maintained, speeds are low. You could copy the Waldbahn network around Bayerisch Eisenstein and apply that here! Plenty of villages to serve.

Podolínec

It’s a really nice route here in north east Slovakia.

4 mountain bikers prepare for the tracks ahead at Stará Łubovna station. There’s tourist potential here (even if the station is a bit grim!)

And now I’m in Poland. How do I know? The track is bumpier!

#CrossBorderRail Train 134
R 30678 09:32 Muszyna - Tarnów 12:28
Ave speed: 44 km/h
Operator: Polregio

Train type:
⚡️
🚲: ✅ (space at the end in luggage compartment)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

Muszyna - Nowy Sacz - Tarnów is also a nice route, although winding so rather slow…

And so I messed it up… 🤬

Damn Polish timetables and their small changes to train times

What I had listed as the 12:31 from Tarnów to Wien actually departed 12:26, and I missed it… And when I checked a fortnight ago I am pretty sure it was listed as 12:31

And now I am on a Małopolska regional train Tarnów-Kraków… and that doesn’t seem to accept Interrail

What is this, Région Sud? 😡

And I was *in this region* on the #ConnectingEurope Express last year as well, and I am on an EU funded new line!

AGGGHHAGGHHGGAGHHHHGAHHHHHHH

Anyway, damn Polish railways changing their timetables for no apparent reason… I think I can re-plan adequately

I’ll go Tarnów-Kraków-Katowice-Breclav-Bratislava today, so will not go to Austria

And then Bratislava-Wien-Breclav tomorrow, and pick up the EuroCity onwards there

OK, so this is the plan...

IC 14:17 Kraków - Katowice 15:23
Try to find a 🔧 to fix the 🚲
EC 17:03 Katowice - Breclav 20:45
EC 20:55 Breclav - Bratislava 21:54

And then tomorrow route via Wien in the morning (as I am still missing the AT-SK border!)

Quick glimpse of some damp Kraków streets

OK, so the re-routing for today (1st map, purple lines) and tomorrow (Day 40, orange lines) is done! And the Google Sheet is updated… crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/wp-content/upl…

#CrossBorderRail Train 135
KML 33472 12:33 Tarnów - Kraków Gl. 13:59
Ave speed: 54 km/h
Operator: Małopolska (NOTE: Interrail is not supposed to be valid, but I was allowed to stay on!)

Train type: PESA EN64 EMU
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (level boarding)
📶: ✅
🍽: ⛔️

#CrossBorderRail Train 136
IC 38102 14:17 Kraków Gl. - Katowice 15:23
Ave speed: 70 km/h
Operator: PKP Intercity

Train type: EP07 locomotive (built 1967! Oldest yet! vMax: 125km/h!) and 4 carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (needs a ramp or lift)
📶: ✅
🍽: ⛔️ (only a trolley)

When CO2 PPM is this high it makes you sleepy. As well as being dangerous if someone in here has COVID… My mask is on right, and I’m the only one

This was a super suggestion. I found it! But sadly half the tools were missing. I’ll try the Mr Minit shortly!

And off go yesterday’s and today’s postcards to @AdinaValean & 2 of my crowd funding supporters. Given the mess these past few days these were not cheery stories!

Policy inconsistency, EU style!

This Koleje Ślaskie EMU - bought with EU regional funds - is not included in Interrail

So youngsters using the EU funded #DiscoverEU Interrail programme… can’t use this train 🤬

@adinavslean @transport_eu do you care? Or even know?

Katowice station. Semi grand, although rather grey. But the platforms are quite short. You’d not get trains with more than 8, perhaps 10 carriages in here.

I need my mask in this train too. Because of the smell of alcohol breath from other passengers…

#CrossBorderRail Train 137
EC 107 17:03 Katowice - Breclav 20:45
Ave speed: 73 km/h
Operator: @unsereOEBB, @ceskedrahy_ & PKP Intercity

Train type: EP07 locomotive (will be switched later) and carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (needs a ramp or lift)
📶: ✅
🍽: ✅

* - sorry EP09. My mind is a mess today. I’m getting everything wrong de.wikipedia.org/wiki/PKP-Baure…

This evening’s Interrail snack! Bulgarian dark bread and Lutenica. Hungarian cucumber and tomato. Polish beer and cheese. I have to make use of what I’ve got on #CrossBorderRail

Chałupki, final station in Poland 🇵🇱

12 mins late

@ceskedrahy_ is going to have to perform some miracles from Bohumín onwards

And at Bohumín I move from seat 51 to seat 91, same carriage. Because I could reserve Katowice-Chałupki (1 Zloty, PKP Intercity) and Bohumín-Breclav (35Kč, ČD) but couldn’t book an Interrail reservation for the whole lot together. #CrossBorderRail, eh?

And we’ve ground to a halt outside Ostrava hl. n.

At least the sun is out

Last time I travelled this way it was on the #ConnectingEurope Express, in a sleeping car…

And I want to return to Ostrava (and indeed the complex border area here). It’s not beautiful. It’s post industrial. And I find it fascinating.

Hranice na Moravě

🇨🇿 rail legend @Vantju is from here. One of the kindest and most knowledgeable people helping me prepare #CrossBorderRail

👋 to whatever train you’re currently on, Adam!

Golden hour on EC 107

Carriage from 🇵🇱
Crossing 🇨🇿
Train is going to 🇦🇹
I’m going to 🇸🇰

This is #CrossBorderRail

A minute of the #rearwindow #backwindow view from EC 107 between Otrokovice and Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště 🇨🇿

AAGGHHHHAH 😡

There’s a guy coughing and snivelling in the middle of the carriage in the train I have just boarded. No mask of course…

Sure, it might be something other than COVID, but have we learned nothing?

And the other carriages are packed full.

#CrossBorderRail Train 138
EC 283 21:55 Breclav - Bratislava 21:54
Ave speed: 85 km/h
Operator: @ceskedrahy_ & ZSSK

Train type: ZSSK @siemensmobility Vectron & ČD carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (needs a ramp or lift)
📶: ✅
🍽: ✅