Today’s live text updates
Ok, nice try my clients in Paris. But this isn’t 3D enough to go into my list 🙂 #EiffelTowers
(And in the coming few weeks as my next big #CrossBorderRail trip starts I’ll be highlighting a bunch of the ace railway people here on Mastodon - it’s a super and eccentric and nerdy community that I appreciate *a lot*)
A railway people #followfriday
@ummels who’s posting pictures from great routes in Czechia
@wrzlbrnft who’s posting pictures of odd lines from Hungary
@lewd who’s great and funny on all things railways, esp France-Germany
@maartje for IT and rail topics
Deutsche Bahn is introducing transparent noise protection walls
But what’s missing?
Graffiti
It covers every sound protection wall everywhere in Germany. Perhaps these transparent walls are a little easier to clean? We can hope..?
Really, this stopping selling loads of international tickets thing is all the SNCF problems in one
It’s international, and they think national
They’re incompetent as to how to handle legacy IT systems that are outdated
They’re inflexible in that they can’t make contingency plans
And finally they’re malevolent, because staff are then told to blame everyone else, instead of SNCF - and the mess was 💯 SNCF’s fault
* - unless you want to travel internationally because we won’t sell you those tickets any more
All right. Now we have the answer.
Austerlitz
Me: Why can I not book a ticket for Berlin on SNCF Connect?
SNCF employee: It’s not possible
Me: But why?
SNCF: “C’est la faute de l’Europe!” (It’s Europe’s fault)
Me: But why can DB sell me a SNCF ticket? SBB a Trenitalia ticket? The only one stopping is SNCF.
SNCF: You have to buy it on the site of DB then or Trainline
(My jaw dropped at that!)
Me: It’s not because SNCF is closing Résarail?
SNCF: It’s because of international agreements!
So I just tried asking at Bercy if they could sell me a ticket to Berlin in June
The guy was friendly but couldn’t get a price (because we know he can’t get prices). But he was genuinely confused, and had no idea SNCF has suspended these sales
I’m going to try once more at Austerlitz and see what they tell me there
Does passenger behaviour on platforms vary between countries I wonder?
The TER Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy is peculiar
At all interim stations the platform entrances are at the back of the train. But at Bercy the exit is at the front
I walk to the front at Nuits so I’m near the exit at Paris, but pretty much no others do, despite SNCF Connect indicating it’s a long train
I’m pretty sure in UK or Germany more would do as I do
I’m often critical of French rural timetables not being joined up
But this one works perfectly
The bakery in Nuits opens at 06:00, so there’s time to get a croissant 🥐 on the way from home to the railway station for the first train to Paris at 06:21 🙂
Text updates are auto-generated from Mastodon – follow me on Mastodon @jon@gruene.social
Some updates will also be occasionally be posted on Bluesky – follow me @jonworth.eu
Today’s introduction and summary videos
All the #CrossBorderRail daily videos are on my Peertube channel
Today’s photos
Today’s full album on Flickr
Today’s background
All the focus for France-Italy traffic is on two lines – through the Alps from Chambéry via Modane to Bardonecchia, and along the coast from Nice to Ventimiglia. But there is a secondary connection as well – from Breil-sur-Roya to Cuneo, and even an extra cross border line from Breil-sur-Roya to Ventimiglia. The line is known as the “Train des Mervilles” – more about it here.
Today’s route
The full zoomable and scrollable map, including today’s route, is on uMap here.
