Thread by @jonworth

So this afternoon I wondered... what happened to those "Missing Links" in the European rail network Micheal Cramer used to write about when he was a MEP?

Cramer's 2015 map as a PDF is here 👇
michael-cramer.eu/fileadmin/docu…

And there's a 2018 update here 👇
michael-cramer.eu/fileadmin/docu…

In this thread I'll steadily examine each of the 15 borders in turn... and over the next few days! 🙂

First up it's border 1

Mõisakü 🇪🇪 - Ipiki 🇱🇻

This is what Cramer says

But on Open Railway Map there is nothing anywhere near!

Same on Latvian Railways site, and on the Estonian side you can just get as far as Pärnu

Any ideas here @briedisunrepshe @moritzkraehe?

How far do operable freight lines go here?

Honestly strikes me that this one is useless. Even getting a cross border service running on the main line via Valga would be progress just now!

Border 2

Givet 🇫🇷 - Dinant 🇧🇪

This is what Cramer says - inc. an update in 2018, saying reactivating the rail line is not possible...

But 🥁 FR and BE now agree to reopen this one! Without any date by which to do it though...
railjournal.com/freight/france…

Border 3

Dunkerque 🇫🇷 - De Panne 🇧🇪

This is what Cramer says

But there is no news about this one. FR and BE instead want to look at Mons-Valenciennes

Question to French and Belgian rail nerds here - which of these lines makes more sense to re-open?

Border 4

Kleve 🇩🇪 - Nijmegen 🇳🇱

This is what Cramer says

Today this is a cross border Draisine! The lines hence in part still exist. In 2018 it looked like reactivation would not work rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/kl…

This one is really close to Emmerich 🇩🇪 - Arnhem 🇳🇱 line. How strong is the case to even reactivate this one?

Border 5

Rechnitz 🇦🇹 - Szombathely 🇭🇺

This is what Cramer says (inc. a 2018 update)

Again here I struggle with this one

The line further south from Graz to Szentgotthárd connects to Szombathely, and now even has a Budapest-Ljubljana EuroCity that uses the route

Even the lines Austrian side are only branchlines

Sure it'd be nice. Is it economic?

Border 6

Selb-Plößberg 🇩🇪 - Aš 🇨🇿

This is what Cramer says (inc. a 2018 update)

🎉

This is true! This re-opened!

And there's a delightful 🇩🇪🇨🇿🇩🇪 service here

Border 7

Waldkirchen 🇩🇪 - Nové Údolí 🇨🇿

This is what Cramer says (inc. a 2018 update)

There's a bit part of the DE-CZ border here without any cross border rail

But even Passau-Freyung struggles to survive. Before closure Waldkirchen - Nové Údolí was in a bad state. Again this one looks really questionable to me...

(also that's all today - I'll resume tomorrow)