A few people have asked me about the re-opening this week of the “Wunderline” Groningen - Leer, closed for 11 years after a ship hit the bridge on the line

Honestly 🤷‍♂️

It’s no better or worse now than it was 11 years ago

It’s a single track diesel line with a passably good service for a branch line

The opportunity to make something more of it was missed, for a slew of reasons on both sides of the border

So sorry, there is no wunder here

#CrossBorderRail

And here is the Thalys early 2018 timetable: https://www.scribd.com/document/858936747/Thalys-timetable-en Between then and 2023 there WERE changes: Bruxelles - Paris (the cash cow) was stepped up, everything else altered or reduced. #CrossBorderRail

Client Challenge

Back in 2023 I came up with the rather astounding statistic that you could increase capacity on Bruxelles-Paris Thalys services by 186% without building any new lines https://jonworth.eu/make-international-rail-cheaper-capacity-on-a-route-is-the-crucial-issue/

Today I checked the stats for now - on Monday 19th October the amount of departing Thalys units is *precisely what it was* in March 2023 - 32 units

The only changes?

Thalys is rebranded Eurostar
And each trip takes 5-7 minutes longer

#CrossBorderRail

Make international rail cheaper? Capacity on a route is the crucial issue

It's a common refrain: more people would take the train - especially on international routes - if only it were cheaper!That line of argument assumes that there are actually more trains to take. In other words that there is spare capacity.The problem is that - in many cases - that is

This week my feeds were full of posts that San Sebastián - Irun trains would be extended to Hendaye 🇫🇷, from 17th Oct #CrossBorderRail

*So far* I can find no confirmation of this

We know it’s planned: https://www.diariovasco.com/gipuzkoa/trenes-cercanias-renfe-llegaran-hendaia-octubre-20260702165255-nt.html

But I don’t trust this: https://www.trainsdumidi.com/t18990-cercanias-a-hendaye

Los trenes de Cercanías llegarán hasta Hendaia en octubre

Adif prepara la nueva estación para permitir el tráfico transfronterizo y el Ministerio acuerda con Francia mantener la vía de ancho ibérico en el tramo tras la muga

When last week I *thought* I heard Tzitzikostas say EU funded transport projects were on schedule, I sort of assumed he must have mis-spoken

But go to the video, here: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-295079

46 mins in

"And I saw most of the big projects that are funded through CEF are here present. All of them are moving quickly in their deliverables. They are on time, on schedule.”

Errrr, no, not even close, sorry!

#CrossBorderRail #ConnectingEuropeDays

The #CrossBorderRail has now taken me to 449 border lines, meaning I have only 77 to go (and including only 1 proper active line)

So what should I do from here? 🤔

https://jonworth.eu/77-borders-to-go-but-then-what/

77 borders to go, but then what?

I have just been totalling up the statistics from this autumn's #CrossBorderRail journeys, and the total number of border railway lines I have visited now stands at 449, and there are 77 more to go - this map shows the remaining ones:As well as the record breaking trip this