Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 06 - 3 Mar - Ravières - Paris - Lille - Orchies - Tournai - Bruxelles Midi - Almere

New borders:
Bachy - Tournai

Borders already crossed:
Antwerpen Centraal - Rotterdam Centraal

France to Netherlands, taking in one of the final #CrossBorderRail lines I am missing at the France-Belgium border, the former Orchies to Tournai line.

Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#7/50.108607/3.781875

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/q43wxMi1MiPck4MhZM2qZT

Also here's a bit of reading material for you this morning, with plenty of #CrossBorderRail themes in it: my extra newsletter, sent out yesterday https://jonworth.eu/tgv-les-laumes-alesia-asterix-is-having-a-laugh/

Stories from France, Czechia, Germany and Denmark!

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 13 of 80
TER 17750
06:21 Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy 08:38
SNCF for TER Mobigo

Train type: Alstom Régiolis EMU, 2x 6 short carriages
️ (1.5kV dc)
:
🦽: (step free if station allows, Nuits doesn’t, Bercy does)
🛜: ️
️: ️
🧳:
🧽: (grimy windows)
Interrail: (accepted)

TER 17750
06:21 Nuits-sous-Ravières - Paris Bercy 08:38

Distance: 224.5km
Average speed: 98km/h (reduced average as it uses the slow line Montereau-Melun)

6 stops:
Tonnerre
St-Florentin-Vergigny
Laroche-Migennes
Joigny
Sens
Paris-Bercy

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#9/48.287249/3.297270

#CrossBorderRail

And why am I heading towards Netherlands (other than to visit more #CrossBorderRail borders, obviously!)

Tomorrow I am speaking at RailTech Europe in Utrecht (about my #CrossChannelRail work) and then meeting the other founders of @erpu (@redjives @patrick @partim) in Utrecht - public meeting, others very welcome!

Musing about bumpy ride quality on trains this morning

As ever I am on a Régiolis EMU to Paris this morning - an Alstom design, now owned by CAF

These trains have a rather jerky, bumpy sort of ride, and the suspension makes clanking noises all the time (not just today)

Are the jabobs bogies between carriages poorly designed?

Wdyt @hopla @wrzlbrnft ?

Waving metaphorically to @ffeth at Sens

Here's today's #CrossBorderRail intro video https://peertube.netzbegruenung.de/w/q43wxMi1MiPck4MhZM2qZT

Musing about bumpy ride quality on trains this morning

As ever I am on a Régiolis EMU to Paris this morning - an Alstom design, now owned by CAF

These trains have a rather jerky, bumpy sort of ride, and the suspension makes clanking noises all the time (not just today)

Are the jabobs bogies between carriages poorly designed?

Wdyt @hopla @wrzlbrnft ?

@jon (the design of the Coradia Polyvalent is still Alstom and AFAIK so is the software maintenance, but the assembly and hardware maintenance is contracted to CAF Reichshoffen as part of the Alstom-Bombardier merger deal -the latter having an assembly workshop in Crespin)

The Régiolis' suspensions are kinda "harder" than those of the AGC, they usually hold rather well very bumpy tracks such as the Bruyères - Arches line (whereas on AGC one can feel sometimes metal hitting metal in the suspensions). That is, as long the air pressure is nominal, the air cushion in good state and the train not overloaded. I'm unaware if there's a difference in design between bimode (+fuel weight) and pure electric in that aspect. I'd need to experience it to judge if that's abnormal noise/movement ^^

@jon (the design of the Coradia Polyvalent is still Alstom and AFAIK so is the software maintenance, but the assembly and hardware maintenance is contracted to CAF Reichshoffen as part of the Alstom-Bombardier merger deal -the latter having an assembly workshop in Crespin)

The Régiolis' suspensions are kinda "harder" than those of the AGC, they usually hold rather well very bumpy tracks such as the Bruyères - Arches line (whereas on AGC one can feel sometimes metal hitting metal in the suspensions). That is, as long the air pressure is nominal, the air cushion in good state and the train not overloaded. I'm unaware if there's a difference in design between bimode (+fuel weight) and pure electric in that aspect. I'd need to experience it to judge if that's abnormal noise/movement ^^

@hopla I am not sure the AGC is much different, or at least not better! Those also rock sideways more!

@hopla Also it must be said that this line ought to be an Intercités really. The Régiolis does a steady 150km/h for long sections here. And it is not really designed as that sort of train...

@jon the Coradia Liner wouldn't differ much in terms of design on that aspect I guess.. but as newer intercités rolling stock there's Oxygène (entirely CAF design IIRC, I know relatively little about it except it's to be built in Reichshoffen too)

Waving metaphorically to @ffeth at Sens

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

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

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