Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 07 - 4 Mar - Almere - Utrecht - Arnhem - Duisburg

[jon@gruene.social]

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail 2026 Tour Day 07 - 4 Mar - Almere - Utrecht - Arnhem - Duisburg

New borders:
None

Borders already crossed:
Emmerich - Zevenaar

Speech at RailTech Utrecht, followed by a meeting of European Rail Passengers Union. And then onwards to Germany to end the day, to be able to make a early start tomorrow towards Hungary.

Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#10/51.901068/5.962185

[jon@gruene.social]

Here’s today‘s #CrossBorderRail intro video, sorry for loud train noise behind!

#CrossBorderRail live stream - 3/4/2026, 7:21:56 AM

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)

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail 2026 Spring Tour Train 18 of 80
RE 4925
08:24 Almere Muziekwijk - Utrecht Centraal 09:05
NS

Train type: Bombardier SLT 2400 EMU, 2x 4 short carriages
️ (1.5kV dc)
:
🦽: (step free)
🛜: ️
️: ️
🧳: (not the best - poor racks, needs more space in vestibules)
🧽: (windows grimy)
Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

RE 4925
08:24 Almere Muziekwijk - Utrecht Centraal 09:05

Distance: 42.4km
Average speed: 69km/h

6 stops:
Almere Poort
Naarden-Bussum
Hilversum
Hilversum Sportpark
Utrecht Overvecht
Utrecht Centraal

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2026-spring-tour_1361108#11/52.228827/5.129720

#CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

Why does NS not clean 🧼trains? #CrossBorderRail

[erikwesselius@mastodon.social]

@jon Because that’s cheaper. It’s The Netherlands, after all.

[danbrotherston@types.pl]

@jon I think they certainly do a very poor job of this, but I did hear somewhere that this train in particular is a challenge because it is the only train in the NS fleet which isn't straight sided.

[partim@social.tchncs.de]

@jon I believe the washing facilities are not frost proof so have to be turned off during winter. The VIRM’s design clearly doesn’t help.

[whvholst@eupolicy.social]

@jon But the sparkling glamour of Almere made up for it all, didn't it?

[vosje62@mastodon.nl]

@jon doors are cleaned...

[happydisciple@mendeddrum.org]

@partim @jon That’s why the Fyra wasn’t frost-proof either - fully compatible systems!

[jon@gruene.social]

@whvholst eh it’s not too bad! It was sunny. The cycle lanes are amazing.

[jon@gruene.social]

Going to industry conferences is weird

[simon@sueden.social]

@jon But certain ideas for giveaways come to mind here.

[partim@social.tchncs.de]

@jon Can you introduce CAF to these people?

— Sent from an SNG

[jon@gruene.social]

@partim I think they deal with track? But yes

[j2@circumstances.run]

@jon Probably staffing shortage. As with anything in the Netherlands.

[phrawzty@hachyderm.io]

@jon
Expert vibes only

[whvholst@eupolicy.social]

@jon On a beautiful Spring day like today nothing is too bad. And yes, they got to get cycling infrastructure right from the very beginning.

[ch1po@mastodon.social]

@jon Well, why would they? Cleaning insideis far more important.