Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 06 - 3 Mar - Ravières - Paris - Lille - Orchies - Tournai - Bruxelles Midi - Almere
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And while Paris Nord is often associated with nasty train boarding experiences, it is an amazing station if you have time and calm to appreciate it
@jon "Monsieur vous ne pouvez pas attendre sur les quais!" is my typical gare du nord experience
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@hopla CAF‘s Media Distancia EMUs in Spain are horrid. I hope they install better suspension!
@jon oh they better... Or else: no 200 kph.
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And while Paris Nord is often associated with nasty train boarding experiences, it is an amazing station if you have time and calm to appreciate it
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 14 of 80
TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18
SNCF VoyageursTrain type: Alstom TGV Duplex, 8 short double deck carriages, 2 power cars
️ (25kV ac)
: 
️
🦽:
(step free, then lift down inside)
🛜:
️: ️ (there is a dining car but it’s not open)
🧳:
(it’s empty today, so it’s passable)
🧽:
Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs at least €10)
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And while Paris Nord is often associated with nasty train boarding experiences, it is an amazing station if you have time and calm to appreciate it
@jon that is a very very big if.
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#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 14 of 80
TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18
SNCF VoyageursTrain type: Alstom TGV Duplex, 8 short double deck carriages, 2 power cars
️ (25kV ac): ️
🦽: (step free, then lift down inside)
🛜:️: ️ (there is a dining car but it’s not open)
🧳: (it’s empty today, so it’s passable)
🧽:
Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs at least €10)TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18Distance: 225.2km
Average speed: 205km/h1 stops:
Lille FlandresThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#8/50.097679/2.449951
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TGV 7025
10:12 Paris Nord - Lille Flandres 11:18Distance: 225.2km
Average speed: 205km/h1 stops:
Lille FlandresThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#8/50.097679/2.449951
I meanwhile wondered if SNCF Connect has finally put their problem of their lack of international booking right... so I tried Paris - Mainz
Type Mainz into DB and it gives you Mainz Hbf as the first option in the search
SNCF Connect calls Mainz Hbf "Mayence (Mainz)" but drops Hbf. Put Hbf and it gives you Hbf (Ersatzverkehr). What?
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I meanwhile wondered if SNCF Connect has finally put their problem of their lack of international booking right... so I tried Paris - Mainz
Type Mainz into DB and it gives you Mainz Hbf as the first option in the search
SNCF Connect calls Mainz Hbf "Mayence (Mainz)" but drops Hbf. Put Hbf and it gives you Hbf (Ersatzverkehr). What?
And if you put Mainz and choose "Ville" from the list, not "Gare", it gives you routes to Mainz Römisches Theater, changing at Bad Munster am Stein
Obviously
️I presume because Römisches Theater is closest to the geographical centre of Mainz?
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Made it across Paris in one piece
The city might have solid bike infrastructure, but damn many cyclists here are annoying, or have death wishes, or both
@jon Fact.
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And if you put Mainz and choose "Ville" from the list, not "Gare", it gives you routes to Mainz Römisches Theater, changing at Bad Munster am Stein
Obviously
️I presume because Römisches Theater is closest to the geographical centre of Mainz?
But weirdly it does give prices... and even sort of Sparpreis. But with €15 price difference.
Why?
How?
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I meanwhile wondered if SNCF Connect has finally put their problem of their lack of international booking right... so I tried Paris - Mainz
Type Mainz into DB and it gives you Mainz Hbf as the first option in the search
SNCF Connect calls Mainz Hbf "Mayence (Mainz)" but drops Hbf. Put Hbf and it gives you Hbf (Ersatzverkehr). What?
@jon also Perl somehow belongs to the Région Occitanie now according to SNCF Connect
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But weirdly it does give prices... and even sort of Sparpreis. But with €15 price difference.
Why?
How?
@jon And if you hit "continue" will DB actually offer you a ticket?
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I meanwhile wondered if SNCF Connect has finally put their problem of their lack of international booking right... so I tried Paris - Mainz
Type Mainz into DB and it gives you Mainz Hbf as the first option in the search
SNCF Connect calls Mainz Hbf "Mayence (Mainz)" but drops Hbf. Put Hbf and it gives you Hbf (Ersatzverkehr). What?
@jon In this case I think it's not entirely SNCFs fault as DB also uses the "Ersatzverkehr" name in their system for the bus stop. Which is a bit odd and regulary confuses some passengers.
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But weirdly it does give prices... and even sort of Sparpreis. But with €15 price difference.
Why?
How?
Oh and this is an interesting one
SNCF Connect *will* give me a 13 min connection in Mannheim, off the France-Germany ICE
DB will NOT give me that connection, I presume because they know that Dobrindt's illegal non- #Schengen compliant border controls will almost certainly mean the connection is missed in Mannheim. DB puts you on a later ICE in Frankfurt instead
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@jon And if you hit "continue" will DB actually offer you a ticket?
@f09fa681 Of course. Why would it not?
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And if you put Mainz and choose "Ville" from the list, not "Gare", it gives you routes to Mainz Römisches Theater, changing at Bad Munster am Stein
Obviously
️I presume because Römisches Theater is closest to the geographical centre of Mainz?
@jon [eye twitch at their title casing code messing up and capitalising Am]
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@jon In this case I think it's not entirely SNCFs fault as DB also uses the "Ersatzverkehr" name in their system for the bus stop. Which is a bit odd and regulary confuses some passengers.
@onterof But Hbf, and Hbf Ersatzverkehr would be OK. Station called Mainz (no Hbf) and then Hbf Ersatzverkehr leads to confusion.
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But weirdly it does give prices... and even sort of Sparpreis. But with €15 price difference.
Why?
How?
@jon
Because of different contingents for the international train probably. -
Oh and this is an interesting one
SNCF Connect *will* give me a 13 min connection in Mannheim, off the France-Germany ICE
DB will NOT give me that connection, I presume because they know that Dobrindt's illegal non- #Schengen compliant border controls will almost certainly mean the connection is missed in Mannheim. DB puts you on a later ICE in Frankfurt instead
Also the other day I found a Germany-France case where SNCF would not give me a tight connection in Strasbourg, but DB would
Now here is a case where SNCF will give me a tight connection in Mannheim, and DB will not
Vive la coopération !
Es lebe die Zusammenarbeit! -
@jon [eye twitch at their title casing code messing up and capitalising Am]
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Oh and this is an interesting one
SNCF Connect *will* give me a 13 min connection in Mannheim, off the France-Germany ICE
DB will NOT give me that connection, I presume because they know that Dobrindt's illegal non- #Schengen compliant border controls will almost certainly mean the connection is missed in Mannheim. DB puts you on a later ICE in Frankfurt instead
@jon
Trust DB in this case 🥴
