Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 18 - 14 Apr - Budapest - Praha - Ústí nad Labem - Heidenau - Dresden - Berlin

[jon@gruene.social]

The WiFi on this train is so intermittent it’s not possible to do any work. Documenting the last couple of days is going to have to wait.

Oh and the Brno - Praha route is interesting so I’ll just watch the world go by

[cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social]

@rail @jon Maybe a further question is how many countries can you cross with a single train? The Zurich-Zagreb night train visits 5! Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia & Croatia.

(Granted it doesn't stop in Liechtenstein - although just before and after in Buchs and Feldkirch.)

#CrossBorderRail #RailFacts

[jon@gruene.social]

@cycling_on_rails @rail Optima tops it with 6: Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria

[cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social]

@jon @rail Although not within 24h

[jon@gruene.social]

@cycling_on_rails @rail What route does Zürich - Zagreb do between Innsbruck and Salzburg? Might be Deutsches Eck, so Germany too

[cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social]

@jon @rail It doesn't pass by Salzburg but goes straight to Graz via Schwarzach, like the EC Transalpin. So no Germany.

[jon@gruene.social]

@cycling_on_rails @rail it most definitely doesn’t go to Graz normally. It did last year when there were Tauernbahn works. This is tonight’s route but there are two possible options Wörgl - Schwarzach so we can’t conclude.

I’m on it on 21st April so we’ll see

[ingalovinde@embracing.space]

@rail @jon even without that, it's easy to do more even in a single day, not 24 hours.

E.g. a completely ordinary journey from Innsbruck to Amsterdam via Zurich and Paris takes only 12 hours (7:47-19:50 or 9:47-21:50) with two changes, and visits 6 countries (Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands).

Even without changes: there are at least several direct daytime trains (let alone night trains) that visit four countries (e.g. Berlin to Budapest taking 11 hours, or München to Zagreb taking 9).

[partim@social.tchncs.de]

@jon @cycling_on_rails @rail The Austrian open data shows it as going across the mountains via Zell.

[konsonantenboy@mastodon.online]

@jon The landscapes on the way to Pardubice are beautiful, enjoy!

[jon@gruene.social]

@konsonantenboy right, exactly! Close to Praha now, but I have Elbe routes to come next.

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 68 of 115
RJ 176
12:31 Praha hl. n. - Usti nad Labem hl. n. 13:41
ČD

Train type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 9 ComfortJet carriages
️ (3kV dc)
:
🦽: (lift on platform)
🛜:
️:
🧳: (very high steps at Praha hl.n.)
🧽:
Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

RJ 176
12:31 Praha hl. n. - Usti nad Labem hl. n. 13:41

Distance: 112.4km
Average speed: 96km/h

2 stops:
Praha-Holesovice
Usti nad Labem hl.n.

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/50.371744/14.254761

#CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

Let’s do some #CrossBorderRail

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bike 17 of 25
Ústí nad Labem hl. n. - Chlumec and back

Distance: 24.8km
Est. duration: 1:40

This bike route, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#14/50.679981/13.985167

[orangerkater@troet.cafe]

@jon uh, there are two RJ176 🤯

[jon@gruene.social]

So it rained. And now there’s no rail replacement bus ‍️

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Bus 7 of 11
SEV 10174
15:50 Ústí nad Labem hl. n. - Dresden Hbf 17:20
DB Fernverkehr

Bus type: MAN Lion’s Coach 2 axle

: ️ (but hold is big - would they let you put in a bike?)
🦽: ️
🛜: ️
️: ️
🧳: (big hold)
🧽:

[jon@gruene.social]

There’s method in this The motorway crosses the border more or less where the future tunnel will! #CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

Ah. That worked well. Lots to see #CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

So the SEV bus got controlled by the Bundespolizei

I could SEE the road, not a single car was checked

In German I asked the policeman: “Why are you controlling buses not cars?”