In May 2023 there will be an innovation in German public transport: the introduction of the Deutschlandticket (also known as the 49 Euro Ticket) – a flat rate ticket that will work on all regional transport (buses, trams, metros, S-Bahn and regional trains) across the whole of the country. Unlike the predecessor 9 Euro Ticket that was piloted in 2022, this ticket is supposed to be permanent.
So why not test it, and travel to all of Germany’s borders, in a two week period in May? I plan to do this 2-15 May 2023. And while I am at it, assess where the Deutschlandticket can get you to stations on the other side of a border, and where it cannot.
And then – as in 2022 – I am going to travel to a selection of different cross border railway lines, aiming to cross at least one border each day, with the focus on lines I did not investigate in 2022 (you can find my 2022 project route map here, and a complete map of all European rail borders here – grey pins are places I have not been yet). And where trains do not run I will take to my folding bike and go and investigate the infrastructure that way. I will of course be taking the drone along as well to document what I find. Every day will start with a video of me explaining what I am going to explore, a Mastodon live thread throughout the day, and a video summary at the end of the day.
In total 30 current, former, and future cross border lines will be examined:
Day 00 | Background | Live blog (will become active on the day itself)
no borders crossed
Day 01 | Background | Live blog
(by boat) Puttgarden (DE) – Rødby (DK) – tunnel under construction
Day 02 | Background | Live blog
(by train and bike) Leer (DE) – Bad Nieuweschans (NL) – line interrupted due to damaged bridge
Day 03 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Coevorden (NL) – Emlichheim (DE) – active line with no regular passenger traffic
(by train) Gronau (DE) – Enschede (NL) – active line with passenger traffic
Day 04 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Alstätte (DE) – Broekheurne (NL) – dismantled line
(by bike) Gronau (DE) – Glane (NL) – dismantled line
(by bike) Bad Bentheim (DE) – Gronau (DE) – extension of line from Coevorden (NL)
(by bike) Gronau (DE) – Enschede (NL) – active line with passenger traffic (crossed by train on Day 03)
Day 05 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Barlo (DE) – Winterswijk (NL) – dismantled line
(by bike) Bocholt (DE) – Aalten (NL) – dismantled 750mm gauge tramway
(by bike) Borken-Burlo (DE) – Winterswijk (NL) – dismantled line
Day 06 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Aachen (DE) – Montzen (BE) – active line with no regular passenger traffic
(by bike) Aachen-Vetschau (DE) – Bocholtz (NL) – active line with no regular passenger traffic
(by bike) Avantis (DE) – Spekholzerheide (NL) – planned line
(by bike, possibly) Eynatten (BE) – Ronheide (DE) – dismantled 1000mm gauge tramway
(by bike, possibly) Kelmis (BE) – Bildchen (DE) – dismantled 1000mm gauge tramway
(by bike, possibly) Moresnet (BE) – Preuswald (DE) – dismantled line
(by bike, possibly) Raeren (BE) – Sief (DE) – dismantled 1000mm gauge tramway
Day 07 | Background | Live blog
(by train) Aachen (DE) – Welkenraedt (BE) – active line with passenger traffic
(by train) Arlon (BE) – Kleinbettingen (LU) – active line with passenger traffic
(by train) Wasserbillig (LU) – Konz (DE) – active line with passenger traffic
(by bike) Niedaltdorf (DE) – Bouzonville (FR) – active line with no regular passenger or freight traffic
Day 08 | Background | Live blog
(by train) Saarbrücken (DE) – Sarreguemines (FR) – active line with passenger traffic and a tram
(by bike) Wissembourg (FR) – Schweighofen (DE) – active line with passenger traffic
(by train) Lauterbourg (FR) – Berg (Pfalz) (DE) – active line with passenger traffic
Day 09 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Konstanz (DE) – Kreuzlingen (CH) – active line with passenger traffic
Day 10 | Background | Live blog
(by train) Simbach (Inn) (DE) – Braunau am Inn (AT) – active line with passenger traffic
(by train) Wernstein (AT) – Passau (DE) – active line with passenger traffic
(by bike) Waldkirchen (DE) – Nové Údolí (CZ) – dismantled line
Day 11 | Background | Live blog
(by train) Domazlice (CZ) – Furth im Wald (DE) – active line with passenger traffic
Day 12 | Background | Live blog
(by train) Sebnitz (DE) – Dolní Poustevna (CZ) – active line with passenger traffic
(by bike) Jiríkov-Filipov (CZ) – Ebersbach (DE) – active line with no regular passenger traffic
Day 13 | Background | Live blog
(by bike) Görlitz (DE) – Zgorzelec (PL) – active line with passenger traffic
(by bike) Wegliniec (PL) – Horka (DE) – active line with no regular passenger traffic
(by bike) Forst (Lausitz) (DE) – Zary (PL) – active line with passenger traffic
The project will encompass:
3910 km on 58 trains
158.5 km on 5 buses
24km on 1 ferry
365.1 km across 19 bike legs
I am going to more systematically organise events as I go this time – with evening discussions in Kiel, Hamburg, Oldenburg, Münster (Westfalen), Enschede, Aachen, Saarbrücken, Karlsruhe, München, Nürnberg, Bamberg, Görlitz and Berlin in planning. There will be a social event in or near Enschede. You can signup for events here. I am very happy is people would like to join me for any part of the trip – on trains, or for the bicycle legs – please use this form if you want to do that. You can find all the planned bike routes on my Komoot profile here.
