Notices by Jon Worth (jon@gruene.social), page 2

🙂 It was 11 minutes and 1 stop on a railbus, LTG Link. But I admire the spirit! #CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days Baltic Circuit Train 21 of 33
876
18:30 Rīga - Valga 21:11
Vivi

Train type: RVR DR1A DMU, 3 carriages
⛽
🚲: ❓(not sure officially but there’s space)
🦽: ⛔️ (not a hope - I struggled to get in)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (steps ridiculously steep, hard to get anything up)
🧽: 😐 (covered in grime outside, clean inside)

876
18:30 Rīga - Valga 21:11

Distance: 167.7km
Average speed: 62km/h

12 stops:
Zemitāni
Jugla
Inčukalns
Sigulda
Līgatne
Cēsis
Lode
Valmiera
Strenči
Lugaži
Valka
Valga

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#10/47.4234/4.5779

Pro tip: DON‘T have a beer with old friends in Rīga, gossip too long, think “I’ll go to the loo on the train” and it’s an ancient DR1AM DMU with a it-all-lands-on-the-track loo… that the train manager won’t open!

Edit: ah he finally opened it. Phew!

Passing bobsleigh town https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigulda_bobsleigh,_luge,_and_skeleton_track?wprov=sfti1

I’d so, so like to spend more time in the Baltics. Just to explore. A holiday. Instead of racing through here as fast as a knackered Soviet-era DMU will convey me…

@jncn The beaches north of Narva are amazing! More like that I’d be happy with 🙂

615
11:15 Panevėžys - Gustonys 11:26

Distance: 12.3km
Average speed: 67km/h

1 stops:
Gustonys

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#13/55.7431/24.2574

Solar farm. And wooden hut.

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days Baltic Circuit Bike 4 of 4
Gustonys - Panevėžys

Distance: 13.6km
Est. duration: 1:10

This bike route, mapped on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/1953666037

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days Baltic Circuit - Panevėžys - Pasvalys - Uzvara - Bauskas - Rīga - Valga

Crossing these borders:
Future Rail Baltica Bauskas 🇱🇻 - Saločiai 🇱🇹
Valga 🇪🇪 - Lugaži 🇱🇻 (visited before)

These borders on the borders map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#11/56.2727/24.3018

Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#13/55.7431/24.2574

Here's this morning's intro video - a bit longer and more detailed than normal - because I am struggling to work out what I am doing here. I now have so many known unknowns about Rail Baltica... https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/uBFLr8pRcjext6uWugzqv9 #CrossBorderRail

And while I am not going right *to* the border where the line will cross, the main road is about 300m from it - see https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#12/56.3002/24.2633 So if I sit on the left of the bus I will still see it. That's enough to count it, right? #CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Days Baltic Circuit Train 20 of 33
615
11:15 Panevėžys - Gustonys 11:26
LTG Link

Train type: Pesa railbus, 1 carriage
⛽
🚲: ✅
🦽: ⛔️ (no space on board, no ramp)
🛜: ✅
🍽️: ⛔️
🧳: 😐 (steep steps and not great when you’re in)
🧽: 😐 (windows grimy)

This is #Breitspurland

Tank cars like this you don’t get on standard gauge railways in Europe

Couplings, bogies, shape of the wagon different

And Panevėžys has a neat modern station. But because the line doesn’t go anywhere people really want to go, it has only a handful of trains a day

Top pedantry from the LTG Link train manager

Asks me for a bike ticket, for one stop

I’m one of just two passengers on board, and the only bike😀

I’ll fold it for you so then it counts as luggage I tell her via translation app. Then she relents!

It’s another “they’re putting a rail Baltica station HERE?” moments #CrossBorderRail

Here is where the line will go. I assume this lonely post is the spot #CrossBorderRail

Getting “Bus stops of the former Soviet Union” book vibes here