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

[jon@gruene.social]

@hopla @q the cross border Régiolis. The reason Grand Est gave sometime last year for starting with Strasbourg - Offenburg and Mulhouse - Müllheim was that these would be from the Mulhouse depot. Is that not correct?

[simonschre@zug.network]

@q @jon @hopla I mean I guess now that they use Régiolis to Offenburg and maybe soon Müllheim, they'll have some X73900 over for a more stable Saarbrücken service? Or even more than two cars per train?

[jon@gruene.social]

@simonschre @q @hopla using Régiolis on electrified lines is obvious. But then why not Saarbrücken - Forbach too?

[smveerman@zug.network]

@jon @simonschre @q @hopla I am under the impression that the depot in Metz does not have any experience with the Régiolis as of now.

[jon@gruene.social]

@smveerman @simonschre @q @hopla it has some Régiolis there, but not the ones foreseen for cross border operations (I think). But Hopla can likely confirm.

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon @q the Strasbourg Offenburg are all dependent from Strasbourg workshops and agents.

The Mulhouse-Müllheim-Freiburg are engines "lended" to Mulhouse workshop, and currently operated by Strasbourg agents. I deem it unlikely that Mulhouse agents get to drive them in the near future, too few Germany-able agents in Alsace-Moselle.
What's also not helping is that the security certificate for these trains is held by DB Regio BW, who don't employ France -able drivers. Unlike, say, DB Regio Mitte...

[hopla@zug.network]

@jon @smveerman @simonschre @q it was a plan for the Metz-Trier trains yes, dunno how far along they are on the Metz side. Not sure if they even have Germany -able drivers in Metz, and instead those trains get done by Sarreguemines drivers just like the Forbach-Saarbrücken?

[sobex@social.sciences.re]

@jon @simonschre @q @hopla I think the intent is that Saarbrücken - Forbach + Forbach - Metz be turned into a single train, operated with Regiolis TFA, one day, eventually, but apparently, they hadn't even broken ground on the workshop for these trains in Metz until recently (according to a Wurstzug (the red whale) I talked to a few month back on SB-Forbach).

In any case, it sounds like there are a lot of obstacles delaying that train, to the exasperation of all of us.

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 104 of 125
FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58
Trenitalia

Train type: Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000 EMU, 8 carriages
️ (3kV dc, 25kV ac, 3kV dc)
: ️
🦽: (lift on platform and on board)
🛜: (needs registration)
️:
🧳: (this carriage is ok - does it vary by carriage?)
🧽:
Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs €13)

[jon@gruene.social]

FR 9618
10:56 Bologna Centrale - Milano Centrale 11:58

Distance: 214.4km
Average speed: 207km/h

1 stops:
Milano Centrale

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/45.003718/10.273965

#CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

It’s so nice travelling by train in Italy. Pity #CrossBorderRail hasn’t brought me here very much! (Not many borders)

[hatetsu@mastodon.com.pl]

@jon I'll call you if I find a reality where the Risorgimento never happened XD

[meganl@mas.to]

@jon Interesting. What do you like in particular about trains in Italy?

[jon@gruene.social]

@meganL steady improvement of everything. Good regional and high speed trains. Dense timetables. Fair prices. Generally quite reliable. It’s solid all round. And there are many routes that have beautiful things to see out of the window.

[meganl@mas.to]

@jon Ah, that's nice. Unfortunately, the window in my class covered two rows and an Italian woman pulled the shade down so I could not see as much. But what I saw was nice.

[jon@gruene.social]

@meganL oh I’d just push it up again (I’m aware being that much of a pain might not be everyone‘s style, but I can be very direct and German if I need to!)

[jon@gruene.social]

@tobiaswatzl.bsky.social Right. But towards & it’s improving. Towards it’s annoying. Towards the infra is crap.

[meganl@mas.to]

@jon If they hadn't been Italian, I probably would have been more assertive, but it's literally "When in Rome..." there.

[jon@gruene.social]

Take your pick of high speed trains in Milano. And a Rock

[wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social]

@jon That's more high speed trains in one station than we have on my entire continent.