Notices by Jon Worth (jon@gruene.social)

Long, detailed and correct piece from Tagesschau about the problems with hydrogen trains in Germany https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/energie/wasserstoff-zuege-probleme-100.html

This idea - found via @fj and @temptoetiam - to install solar panels between train tracks strikes me as ridiculous

Railway tracks are grimy. Things fall off trains, like melting snow mixed with grit in winter. You can't incline the panels. How are you going to keep the panels clean enough? Because you absolutely don’t want to stop the train traffic to do it

https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/neuchatel/2025/article/la-premiere-centrale-solaire-sur-rails-a-ete-inauguree-dans-le-canton-de-neuchatel-28863275.html

And because Eurostar is more obsessed about checking tickets than it is about ontime running, rather that let passengers walk along the 400m platform to board quickly once the train arrives, they’re holding them in the hall instead, and let them through once every arriving passenger is out.

Shitshow of a company.

Ah

I’m getting treated to that legendary Eurostar premium service!

Train Paris Nord to Liège is +20, delay of incoming train

Where am I told this?

Eurostar app ❌
Email ❌
Push notification ❌
SNCF Connect app ❌
DB Navigator ❌
Screen in station ✅

So WHY NOT SHARE THE DATA? 😡

Wow! Amazing #CrossChannelRail photo sent to me by a friend. A ICE 406 in Virgin Trains livery on testing at Bruxelles Midi! Are they crazy enough to buy these trains? 🤔

And it seems it’s actually on. DB has sold 13 ICE trains to Virgin, and with this acquisition they’re jumping ahead of their rivals to be the first new company to launch #CrossChannelRail services. Here’s their press release! https://pub-1b6206dc01a2466c977bccef6613f074.r2.dev/virgintrains-pressrelease-2_annotated.pdf

Ah

How to piss off SNCF train managers

Question them when you know the rules better than them 😀

They announced on the PA that Name and Telephone number on the bags is obligatory

When they did the ticket check I asked them about this

One got shirty with me, but when they looked in the SNCF conditions they couldn’t prove telephone has to be on the label

https://jonworth.eu/how-to-not-fall-foul-of-sncfs-luggage-rules/

#CrossChannelRail

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossChannelRail Day 5 - 21 March - Marseille - Valence - Lyon

On the agenda today:
Stations
Marseille St Charles
Valence TGV Rhône-Alpes Sud
Valence Ville
Lyon Part Dieu
Lyon Perrache
Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV

Today's routes on the routes map: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crosschannelrail-2025_1148540#8/44.553/5.040

The TGV says Oui but Marseille St Charles is a definite Non for #CrossChannelRail

SNCF: we’re paranoid about security

SNCF: we’ll leave the circuits in the cabinet in the toilet open for everyone to access!

#CrossChannelRail

New #BullshitMeter this morning

Rather surprisingly I think this one might happen: Lisboa-Madrid will likely improve once the Elvas-Evora line opens

The story: https://www.dn.pt/edicao-impressa/lisboa-madrid-obriga-a-troca-de-comboio-mesmo-com-nova-linha-de-%C3%A9vora

@rysiek Any view on this? Same problem as the KD trains? https://kolejowyportal.pl/opolski-impuls-ma-problem-z-uruchomieniem/

So @emuricdo asked me to assess the chances Qbuzz will run trains Amsterdam-Paris - background is here https://www.thelocal.com/20230613/amsterdam-paris-berlin-rail-link-likely-to-come-by-2027

I don't think it's impossible, but that timetable looks very tight! #BullshitMeter

And by popular demand, here's the #BullshitMeter for today's story about Richard Branson - Virgin Trains wanting to buy a dozen trains to rival Eurostar by 2029

@eribosot Ah bollocks. Seems it now doesn't run :-/

@eribosot Google Maps is crap for rail. NEVER trust it. Sorry. Said out of bitter experience. Always use Deutsche Bahn's planner for European rail.

@eribosot There is. You just can't book it online 🤷♂️

@eribosot No. 1) Slovenian railways have improved a lot in recent years, 2) it's capital of culture and just 3km to run, and 3) test trains have run already.

I am starting a new little service - predominantly on LinkedIn as it's full of rail bullshit - but cross posted here

My "Bullshit Meter"

A quick reaction to a rail story, assessing whether it will happen or not

Here are a few examples...

Want me to assess a story? Send it over!

Happy Baltic 🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 rail timetable coordination day 🎉

From today onwards you can *finally* go from Vilnius via Rīga and Valga to Tallinn in a day (the reverse also works)

Getting stuck in Valga is no more

One of my #CrossBorderRail campaign priorities is fixed! 💪