Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 8 - 16 June - Bruxelles- Köln - Hamburg, onto night train

[jon@gruene.social]

Pottering around Köln for #CrossChannelRail this morning. Will complete the feed once I’m in the ICE to Hamburg shortly.

[jon@gruene.social]

Waiting my train to Hamburg at Köln Hbf, one of Europe’s great stations. Today all is reasonably calm here, delays minimal.

[jon@gruene.social]

On the point earlier in the thread about France's new fines for forgotten luggage, I think we should describe France has having a "passenger hostile railway" - as a term to describe how decisions are not taken in the passenger interest, the assumption of guilt, the hefty fines, the patronising announcements...

Is there a way to adequately translate this adequately into French? Wdzt @remi @tomtom @raph_v ?

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 38 of 154
RE 1 (26810)
10:20 Köln Ehrenfeld - Horrem 10:28
National Express

Train type: Siemens Desiro HC EMU, 2x 2 single deck and 2 double deck carriages
️ (15kV ac)
:
🦽: (step free into single deck carriages)
🛜:
️: ️
🧳:
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

RE 1 (26810)
10:20 Köln Ehrenfeld - Horrem 10:28

Distance: 14.7km
Average speed: 110km/h

1 stops:
Horrem

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#13/50.9345/6.8162

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 39 of 154
S 19
10:59 Horrem - Köln Hbf 11:20
DB Regio AG NRW

Train type: Adtranz, Alstom LHB, ABB, Bombardier 423 EMU, 2x 4 short carriages
️ (15kV ac)
:
🦽: (step free, although not all trains on this line are)
🛜: (forgot to check, but I think only renovated trains have wifi and this wasn’t renovated?)
️: ️
🧳: (not the best design, door vestibules are more cramped than they need be)
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

S 19
10:59 Horrem - Köln Hbf 11:20

Distance: 18.4km
Average speed: 53km/h

7 stops:
Frechen-Königsdorf
Köln-Weiden West
Lövenich
Köln-Müngersdorf Technologiepark
Köln-Ehrenfeld
Köln Hansaring
Köln Hbf

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#12/50.9360/6.8378

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 40 of 154
ICE 1020
12:11 Köln Hbf - Hamburg Hbf 15:51
DB Fernverkehr

Train type: AEG, ABB, Henschel, Krauss, Krupp, Siemens ICE 1, 2 power cars and 9 carriages
️ (15kV ac)
: ️
🦽: (needs lift on platform)
🛜:
️:
🧳:
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

ICE 1020
12:11 Köln Hbf - Hamburg Hbf 15:51

Distance: 436.9km
Average speed: 119km/h

6 stops:
Düsseldorf Hbf
Duisburg Hbf
Essen Hbf
Münster(Westf)Hbf
Hamburg-Harburg
Hamburg Hbf

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#7/52.266/8.399

[jon@gruene.social]

The southbound EuroNight 345 from Stockholm to Berlin is still more than 2 hours away from Hamburg is currently +733, so over 12 hours late

They are NOT taking it to Berlin, it will be serviced in Hamburg

And this train ought to be departing north as EN 346 with me on it from Hamburg at 22:03

What is going to happen I wonder?

[jon@gruene.social]

One of the most dangerous things you can carry in a railway station

This is S-Bahn so third rail, they might be ok. But one platform over it’s 15kV ️

[jon@gruene.social]

Departure of the Hamburg-Stockholm EuroNight announced 90 mins delayed just 25 mins before the departure, after having been informed earlier by SJ that "an unknown delay was possible"

There's nothing in the SJ app, and DB also knows no more than the minimal info SJ is giving them

It's lousy, but it's what you'd expect of this operationally shoddy EuroNight train

[jon@gruene.social]

And now 10 mins later the delay is reduced by 20 mins.

Do they know what they're doing, or are they making this up?

[jon@gruene.social]

Current contingency: see when the train departs, and then get off it prematurely tomorrow morning, in Malmö

X2000 Malmö-Stockholm takes between 4:20 and 4:35, the night train more than 6 hours (and if delayed anyway will just get delayed more)

I just need to work out which X2000 it would be sensible to reserve...

(Interrail means I can do this reasonably easily and for 75 SEK)

[jon@gruene.social]

Ah

If the SJ-RDC mess wasn’t enough, DB has now managed to clog up all the platforms at Hamburg Hbf with delayed ICEs. So if the EuroNight is trying to get in here it can’t.

[jon@gruene.social]

And we’ve had about a dozen automated announcements about the delay here on the platform, and the delay goes up 10 minutes every 10 minutes ‍️

Thank goodness I’m doing this on Interrail

Buy a regular ticket for this and it’s a fortune

[jon@gruene.social]

And some dude wrote in The Guardian a week ago that night trains were often poor. And now he’s living it himself 🤪 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/11/europe-was-promised-a-new-golden-age-of-the-night-train-why-are-we-still-waiting

[jon@gruene.social]

Every

single

time

I

go

to

Sweden

the

trains

go

wrong

[jon@gruene.social]

Here’s today’s summary video

https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/rKvwC3itEDb3DYxTkK3E5F

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 41 of 154
EN 346
22:03 Hamburg Hbf - Malmö C 04:01 (arrived +150)
SJ, RDC

Train type: ADTranz 101, followed by a Siemens Vectron, 8 carriages (inc. couchettes & sleeping cars)
️ (15kV ac, 25kV ac, 15kV ac)
: ️
🦽: (lift on platform)
🛜: ️
️: (at least there's breakfast)
🧳: (very narrow doors, corridors, OK once in)
🧽: (ok inside, but grimy outside, worn)

Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs vary depending on class of accommodation)