Thread by @jonworth

Welcome to #CrossBorderRail Day 34 - Sofia to Athens twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Today’s route map - bus Sofia-Thessaloniki then train Thessaloniki-Athens

Bus is really full. So mask on tight…

An old CKD tram in Sofia this morning

Early morning quiet Sofia

#CrossBorderRail Scheduled Bus
07:30 Sofia - Thessaloniki 12:15
Ave speed: about 63 km/h
Operator: Union Ivkoni

Train type: Not the most modern Setra
⛽️
🚲: ⛔️ (could go in the hold perhaps?)
🦽: ⛔️
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ⛔️

Oh sod. Driver has just knocked another bus with the mirror of our bus and we’re barely 500m from the start

The driver isn’t excessively fast, but he is erratic. He seems to not know you generally stick in a lane on the motorway. And when overtaking trucks goes right behind the truck, then pulls out, and is shocked (and brakes sharply) if he can’t pull out.

Oh. We’ve just swerved to the side without indicating, and stopped, as he had to answer his mobile.

It’s going to be a long morning.

When I’m in a train it’s of course possible that lots goes wrong and I don’t see it. Maybe there are good and bad drivers. But I think I’m glad as a passenger that I don’t know.

Ah. We now have a new driver at Dupnica. This one knows how to change gears more smoothly than the other one. But also pushes the accelerator harder.

Oops. Wheels on the grass verge to avoid a Lada.

Greetings to @MaliciaRogue from Blagoevgrad!

The border. One bus ahead of us to process.

And I’m into Greece. I like the product selection at the motorway services! ;-)

All told: exactly 1 hour to get through the border procedures.

75 mins and 110km to go to Thessaloniki and then I’ll be back in a train.

I was looking at Google Maps for the route the bus will take to Thessaloniki and idly thought “what data does Google Maps have on Greek trains”

The answer, it seems, is *totally the wrong data*

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry

American dude walks up to the ticket counter next to me at Thessaloniki and asks for a train ticket to Varna 🇧🇬

There have been no trains from here to Bulgaria for at least 2 years!

I’m in the retro hall at Thessaloniki and have reservations for the IC to Athens this afternoon at 14:56, and the 07:20 ICE (or as someone nicknamed it: the Pendoliki) from Athens to Thessaloniki tomorrow

It’s… a solution! Stocks for the @_DiningCar delivered by 🚗 onto the platform at Thessaloniki!

The rebranding to “Hellenic Train” and applying stickers over the graffiti is proceeding here (pics 1-3 are the Athens train, pic 4 is a similar carriage with old paint design)

Oh this is fine! 1st class has compartments with just 4 seats, and masses of space, and a kind of folding table. Can live with this.

#CrossBorderRail Train 122
IC 59 14:56 Thessaloniki - Athens 19:03
Ave speed: 116 km/h
Operator: Hellenic Train (@fsitaliane group)

Train type: @SiemensMobility EuroSprinter & 8 Siemens SGP carriages
⚡️
🚲: ✅ (luggage car)
🦽: ✅ (needs a ramp or lift)
📶: ⛔️
🍽: ✅

Ok. @fsitaliane is starting to get things in shape here on the Thessaloniki - Athens main line

Today I’m in the IC

Carriages built by Siemens in early 2000s. Interiors a bit retro, but everything is orderly

These trains run with a standard 8 carriage formation

1 sort of “business first” compartment carriage (compartments with 4 seats)

1 combined persons with reduced mobility / 1st class compartments with 6 seats / luggage baggage car

1 dining car - with a decent menu and fair prices

And 5 second class carriages, mostly airline style / open, but with comfortable seats and good legroom

The air con works well to keep it cool, but is mostly circulating air. The CO2 PPM is quite poor

My only real gripe: lack of wifi. The double glazing and lack of repeaters mean mobile phone signals are weak. Even getting a GPS speed reading is hard

The speed and line quality are good, although you see in a few places some forgotten bits - Platy still had a hand operated level crossing for example, and track there hasn’t been re-laid

But generally so far so good!

This Greek main line feels sort of semi finished. You can see what it’s planned to be - a genuine IC / RE / freight line, with max speeds 200km/h for passengers, and plenty of passing spots. But parts - some stations, some level crossings - remain unfinished.

This Ganz DMU has seen better days!

Athens. The southernmost point of the South East loop of #CrossBorderRail

This is an effing provocation in a country that has NOT A SINGLE INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER TRAIN #euyearofrail - at Athens Station