Thread by @jonworth

Welcome to #crossborderrail Day 14 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Coffee at the Tabac opposite the station and I’m ready for the start of the day

And off go yesterday’s postcards to @AdinaValean

#CrossBorderRail Train 46
TER 95898 06:45 Lons le Saunier-Besançon Viotte 07:55
Ave speed: 77 km/h
Operator: @TER_BFC_Trafic

Train type: @alstom (design now owned by CAF) Régiolis
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

Some thoughts about these Régiolis trains. This one is built 2017, in service in Bourgogne Franche Comté

Some of the #bahnbubble like @_Hemmschuh & @pglux are not fans of these trains and I tend to agree

My biggest problem is I find them noisy - it seems the doors don’t keep out rail noise very well. Yesterday’s made lots of electric whine too, while today’s is better

The interior is rather grey and the seats firm and short under your legs

So ok for a short trip, but not more

Capital of Comté cheese. I assume the cows don’t graze on the grass platform? 😉

Mouchard. The cross border line via Frasne to Vallorbe🇨🇭 branches off here. But I’m not crossing the border that way, but at Delle further east

Régiolis has a mid table score when it comes to CO2 PPM. The train is half full here.

#CrossBorderRail Train 47
TER 94035 08:14 Besançon Viotte - Belfort 09:24
Ave speed: 82 km/h
Operator: @TER_BFC_Trafic

Train type: @alstom (design now owned by CAF) Régiolis
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

(3rd train in a row exactly identical!)

Emergency Comté needed? The vending machine in Besançon Viotte station has you covered!

OK, so the infographic for Jon on his bike vs. SNCF’s lousy timetables is here! It’s the Day 14 #CrossBorderRail challenge!

The crux: were I to rely on a train from Belfort Ville to Belfort-Montbéliard TGV / Meroux station, I’d miss the train to Switzerland by 8 minutes - not because the trip is long, but because the timetable is so poor…

I have 38 minutes to cycle the 9km from Belfort Ville to Belfort-Montbéliard TGV / Meroux instead, and if I manage it, I will get to Switzerland (train to Delémont) an hour earlier

Delémont (13k population) and even a bunch of tiny villages, Swiss side, have a better connection to Belfort-Montbéliard TGV station than Belfort itself (46k population) and Montbéliard (26k population)

Rail timetables and connections in France… 🤦‍♂️

The old Besançon to Belfort line 😍

Some other dude vs SNCF train! (We’ve got a speed restriction here - if I’m late into Belfort then that’s it for my plan to beat the train to Meroux!)

Damn. My train to Belfort is now late… so I reckon the bike vs train challenge won’t work shortly. I’ll have a go still!

Ready for the challenge!

Get in! Jon on 🚴 1-0 SNCF 💩 timetables #CrossBorderRail

Horrible connections on the French side of the border = no passengers boarding the cross border train 😭 This is Grandvillars. Same at Joncherey.

Belfort Ville to Belfort-Montbéliard TGV / Meroux. In 30 seconds! (It took me 30 minutes - but I got the connection!)

Cows 🇨🇭

Porrentruy has a funky brutalist pyramid

#CrossBorderRail Train 48
TER 18171 10:03 Meroux - Delémont 11:09
Ave speed: 50 km/h
Operator: @RailService SBB

Train type: Stadler EMU
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

Some design reflections. Stadler Flirt EMU (I know, silly name) has steps right at ends (pic 1) but rest has smooth slopes (pic 2). @alstom Régiolis earlier has no steps when walking along, but the ramps result in tricky steps beside the seats (pics 3, 4). Stadler better imho

St Ursanne. It looks really nice! Although the placement of the Danger de Mort sign is perfect.

Aaaah Switzerland. Men in orange overalls repairing stuff. Freight wagons in tiny stations. All sorts of people - young, old, rich, poor - taking the train. Taktfahrplan. A proper railway, basically. It’s good to be back!

I’m lucky enough to have a 1st class Interrail. And I’m going to use it! Sadly this is only for the short trip Delémont - Basel SBB

#CrossBorderRail Train 4
IC 1617 11:23 Delémont - Basel SBB 11:53
Ave speed: 76 km/h
Operator: @RailService SBB

Train type: RABDe500 Tilting train
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (with ramp, not step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ✅

#CrossBorderRail Train 50
ICE 72 13:06 Basel SBB - Freiburg (Brsg) Hbf 13:46
Ave speed: 93 km/h
Operator: @Db_bahn

Train type: ICE4 (@siemensmobility & Bombardier joint venture)
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ❓ (with ramp, but disabled toilet broken today!)
📶: ✅
🍽: ⛔️ (Dining car closed)

Mini #CrossBorderRail Tweetup on the ICE Basel SBB to Basel Bad with @ChristophSieder @kirschly & @K1ngdaKa88

Basel SBB

#CrossBorderRail Train 51
S1 14:02 Freiburg (Brsg) Hbf - Breisach 14:26
Ave speed: 58 km/h
Operator: @bwegtBW & @DBRegio_BW

Train type: @alstom Coradia Continental
⚡️
🚲: ✅ (loads of space!)
🦽: ✅ (step free at most stations, not all)
📶: ❓ (wifi not working)
🍽: ⛔️

Colmar. Made it. Today has been tiring but amazing!

More cheese vending machines! This time for Münster in Colmar station. And folks please DON’T then eat this in a train - it’s a good cheese, but damn it stinks!

I’m on a regional train doing 200km/h in France. The staff are announcing what connections will work in Strasbourg. The timetable is impeccable. It’s only that the windows are covered in grime and that the Corail carriage dates from the early 1980s that reminds you it’s France!

#CrossBorderRail Train 52
TER 96230 16:36 Colmar - Strasbourg 17:09 (Running 12 min late, so I caught it! Also arrived 12 min late!)
Ave speed: 120 km/h
Operator: @TERGrandEst

Train type: BB26000 & Corail carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (with ramp, not step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

The TGV Paris - München arrives in Strasbourg. Not my train today - Metz and meeting my old friend @lampro74 there is my destination today!

#CrossBorderRail Train 53
TER 30308 17:52 Strasbourg - Metz 19:25
Ave speed: 98 km/h
Operator: @TERGrandEst

Train type: BB26000 and Corail carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅
🦽: ✅ (with a ramp, not step free)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

💩 on the track at 200km/h. FTW!

I’ve not had time to process everything from today, let alone upload photos. But most of all huge thanks to everyone who made today so fascinating! @kirschly @SudbadenVcd @ChristophSieder @K1ngdaKa88 @simonschre @trassenfinder @sunildvr I learned a LOT from you!

Here are a few photos from the day! Belfort - Delémont

Breisach - Volgelsheim

Volgelsheim and Neuf Brisach

Cycle to Colmar