Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 10 - 9 Mar - Beograd - Osijek - Beli Manastir - Drávakeresztúr
-
Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 10 - 9 Mar - Beograd - Osijek - Beli Manastir - Drávakeresztúr
New borders:
Baranjsko Petrovo Selo
- Beremend 
Donji Miholjac - Drávaszabolcs
Terezino Polje - Drávasztára-Zaláta The Hungary-Croatia border was set in 1920 in the Treaty of Trianon, and that cut many railway lines. I am going to check out 3 of them today.
Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#9/45.231382/19.000854
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bus 3 of 11
06:30 Beograd - Osijek 10:08
Šid EkspresBus type: VDL Berkhof coach
: 
(not officially, but the hold is massive - you might manage)
🦽:️
🛜:
️:
🧳:
(loads of space)️
🧽: (it's old, but it's well looked after)️Funny
I have a ticket with a barcode on my phone
The driver has the same ticket, printed
That’s not how digital ticketing is meant to work!
-
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bus 3 of 11
06:30 Beograd - Osijek 10:08
Šid EkspresBus type: VDL Berkhof coach
: (not officially, but the hold is massive - you might manage)
🦽:️
🛜:️:
🧳: (loads of space)️
🧽: (it's old, but it's well looked after)️Funny
I have a ticket with a barcode on my phone
The driver has the same ticket, printed
That’s not how digital ticketing is meant to work!
I've not been able to film a #CrossBorderRail intro this morning. At some point once I am off this bus I will manage
-
I've not been able to film a #CrossBorderRail intro this morning. At some point once I am off this bus I will manage
-
There’s a huge line of trucks at the border. My bus is overtaking them. #CrossBorderRail
-
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bus 3 of 11
06:30 Beograd - Osijek 10:08
Šid EkspresBus type: VDL Berkhof coach
: (not officially, but the hold is massive - you might manage)
🦽:️
🛜:️:
🧳: (loads of space)️
🧽: (it's old, but it's well looked after)️Funny
I have a ticket with a barcode on my phone
The driver has the same ticket, printed
That’s not how digital ticketing is meant to work!
@jon How did you select the bus? Do they have a reliable website or was it word-of-mouth or did you just have to show up at a bus station and see who was going where?
-
There’s a huge line of trucks at the border. My bus is overtaking them. #CrossBorderRail
Leaving Serbia. I’m the only no local on the bus.
Border guard, very snappy, looking at my bicycle pannier (in the bus, the bike is underneath in the hold)
What inside?
I open it. There are sandwiches, water. A laptop
Where you go?
Osijek (which is the destination)
Why?, accusingly
I have a bike
And then he doesn’t even check the hold!
-
@jon How did you select the bus? Do they have a reliable website or was it word-of-mouth or did you just have to show up at a bus station and see who was going where?
@meganL it was the only one on this route today! I found it on Bus Radar that works ok in the Balkans. I’m no fan of buses, but as there are no trains here it was my only option!
-
Leaving Serbia. I’m the only no local on the bus.
Border guard, very snappy, looking at my bicycle pannier (in the bus, the bike is underneath in the hold)
What inside?
I open it. There are sandwiches, water. A laptop
Where you go?
Osijek (which is the destination)
Why?, accusingly
I have a bike
And then he doesn’t even check the hold!
@jon he left before you started explaining the benefits of cycling and your itinerary... very wise.
-
Leaving Serbia. I’m the only no local on the bus.
Border guard, very snappy, looking at my bicycle pannier (in the bus, the bike is underneath in the hold)
What inside?
I open it. There are sandwiches, water. A laptop
Where you go?
Osijek (which is the destination)
Why?, accusingly
I have a bike
And then he doesn’t even check the hold!
Now the Croatian side. It’s a more modern border station but no less inefficient.
-
Now the Croatian side. It’s a more modern border station but no less inefficient.
@jon "Diseases don't respect borders" hence checking goods at a foot border. Security theater?
-
Now the Croatian side. It’s a more modern border station but no less inefficient.
@jon When I came back to Italy after the last EuroBSDCon we might have spent more time in border checks than in actual travel.
-
Now the Croatian side. It’s a more modern border station but no less inefficient.
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 33 of 86
R 6208
11:47 Osijek - Beli Manastir 12:17
HZPPTrain type: Bombardier 612 tilting DMU, 2 carriages
️: ️
🦽:
(theoretically but I don’t know how)
🛜:️️: 
(there’s a fridge on board, but I suspect not operational)
🧳:
(high steps)
🧽:
Interrail: (accepted)
-
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 33 of 86
R 6208
11:47 Osijek - Beli Manastir 12:17
HZPPTrain type: Bombardier 612 tilting DMU, 2 carriages
️: ️
🦽: (theoretically but I don’t know how)
🛜:️️: (there’s a fridge on board, but I suspect not operational)
🧳: (high steps)
🧽:
Interrail: (accepted)R 6208
11:47 Osijek - Beli Manastir 12:17Distance: 27.3km
Average speed: 55km/h4 stops:
Osijek Dravski Most
Darda
Ceminac
Beli ManastirThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#12/45.659287/18.654442
-
R 6208
11:47 Osijek - Beli Manastir 12:17Distance: 27.3km
Average speed: 55km/h4 stops:
Osijek Dravski Most
Darda
Ceminac
Beli ManastirThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#12/45.659287/18.654442
Why we have a tilting train here is anyone’s guess
The track is quite straight. The terrain flat.
-
Why we have a tilting train here is anyone’s guess
The track is quite straight. The terrain flat.
@jon HŽ tends to send whatever they have on hand, which often ends up with situations like this. Additionally they've removed them from the Zagreb-Split service a few years ago so they have some to use for nonsensical routes.
-
Why we have a tilting train here is anyone’s guess
The track is quite straight. The terrain flat.
That’s
Baranjsko Petrovo Selo
- Beremend The railway ran to the right of the road border station
-
That’s
Baranjsko Petrovo Selo
- Beremend The railway ran to the right of the road border station
That is
Donji Miholjac
- Drávaszabolcs Any signs of the rail bridge that used to run alongside the road bridge are long gone
-
That is
Donji Miholjac
- Drávaszabolcs Any signs of the rail bridge that used to run alongside the road bridge are long gone
And that’s
Terezino Polje
- Drávasztára-Zaláta Hungarian side, was too hard to get to the river here
-
And that’s
Terezino Polje
- Drávasztára-Zaláta Hungarian side, was too hard to get to the river here
That was along:
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 7 of 14
Beli Manastir - DrávakeresztúrDistance: 97.1km
Est. duration: 7:15This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#11/45.774468/18.174133
Yes you can do almost 100km on a Birdy
-
That was along:
#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 7 of 14
Beli Manastir - DrávakeresztúrDistance: 97.1km
Est. duration: 7:15This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#11/45.774468/18.174133
Yes you can do almost 100km on a Birdy
Here's today's #CrossBorderRail summary
#CrossBorderRail live stream - 3/9/2026, 6:44:58 PM
Morning previews of the day ahead, and evening summaries of what I learned during the day. During Jon Worth's #CrossBorderRail Spring Tour 2026.
Netzbegrünung PeerTube (peertube.netzbegruenung.de)
Nice cycling, good day, hopeless for the future of #CrossBorderRail
