Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 31 - 4 May - Rimini - Bologna - Milano - Lugano - Basel - Strasbourg

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon Yes, and as usual the Polizei in Kehl made it 7 minutes late

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon As for the first train, nothing unusual, no press, only the regular passengers being confused/surprised to see a TFA doing the service, and a bunch of railway workers and a few well informed spotters taking pictures and chatting nerdy things
A quiet revolution

[knud@mastodon.social]

@hopla @jon

2 weeks ago I crossed the French-German border 4 times in a day (event near border). 1x check on Autobahn, 3x no check on other roads. It's just performative politics.

[jon@gruene.social]

@knud @hopla right. Exactly. But on trains through Kehl it’s damned annoying.

[jon@gruene.social]

@hopla it says a lot about the media too. When Philipps opens his mouth, it’s all over the media. When the train actually runs there’s no one there!

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon @knud so. Damn. Annoying. They don't care that drivers barely have the time to grab a Kaffee und Brötchen for breakfast in Offenburg between two trains, but with the caused delay it's usually impossible...

[jon@gruene.social]

Every time VP of Grand Est Philipps has uttered anything about these trains, the regional press has been all too happy to transcribe it

Today *when the train actually runs*: nothing (at least not yet)

Almost as if you need a press release to make news…

[sobex@social.sciences.re]

@hopla @jon @knud Speaking of which, a Law Professor of the UdS has recently won the first trial on suing Germany over those controls.

(Though appeal is pending).

[jon@gruene.social]

@Sobex @hopla @knud two indeed. There’s one in Bayern and one in Rheinland Pfalz.

[notsoloud@expressional.social]

@jon
You should send out one. Seriously, get the journos used to you being a news source.

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon @Sobex @knud aaaaand second control for me she didn't notice she controlled me on the previous one...

[sobex@social.sciences.re]

@hopla @jon @knud They are controlling the drivers themselves ?

[jon@gruene.social]

@hopla @Sobex @knud they’re not the sharpest police!

[hopla@zug.network]

@Sobex @jon @knud no but I'm a passenger.. I jokingly laid on the table my id card, my driver license, my certificates by the three train operators, my car driver license, my carte Vitale and my carte Badgeo on the first check..

.. but now it's just a nuisance, no more fun moves, cops aren't friends

[mkoek@mastodon.nl]

@notsoloud @jon local/regional media are so under-staffed that they often don’t have the time to do much else than copy press releases into articles; include a picture with the press release and they’re likely to post it as-is, too

[sobex@social.sciences.re]

@jon @hopla @knud I feel at some point someone should engineer something so that they get stuck in a train with no stops for 2 hours, and perhaps even get controlled by the train manager asking them for their tickets and issuing a fine for travelling to without one.
(I’m sure your administration will pay it up or get it sorted out, but I don’t have a choice)

Or drop them in Meuse TGV or something like that.

[hypha@cafe.mycelium.locahlo.st]

@jon this is an oxymoron

@hopla @Sobex @knud

[jon@gruene.social]

@mkoek @notsoloud SWR ought to manage a bit better!

[sobex@social.sciences.re]

@hopla @jon @knud Ah so you were "driving" the train in the German meaning

(German speakers tend to say "drive" instead of "ride" for both bicycles and trains, it's not too much of a problem of the former, but a bit concerning for the latter ^^').

[stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social]

@jon Random thought, could some writing on what makes good cross border rail crossings work well be an addition to the map/database/articles/etc? Examples to be inspired by. There are different ways to make it work and maybe that could be an angle to add.

(Assuming this would have to happen as part of something that provides funding of course.)