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Now looking at the other involved country, České Dráhy proposes non-refundable tickets from 581 CZK, which is a whooping... 🥁🥁🥁 24€.
When in doubt, check the Czech website because they have good deals in Europe in general.
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Remote
Cycling on Rails
@cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06A blog about trains, cycling, and taking bicycles on trains. More on https://cycling-on-rails.com.
Might boost & follow #CyclingOnRails #BikeOnTrain 🇬🇧🇮🇪 #MonVeloDansLeTrain 🇫🇷🇧🇪🇨🇭 #FahrradImZug #Fahrradmitnahme 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇭 #MiaBiciNelTreno 🇮🇹🇨🇭 #BicicletaEnElTren 🇪🇸 #FietsInDeTrein 🇳🇱🇧🇪 #KoloVeVlaku 🇨🇿 #BicykelVoVlaku 🇸🇰 #RowerWPociagu 🇵🇱 (and more hashtags that don't have posts yet)
No #AltText? Most likely no boost.
840 Followers
464 Following
50 Posts
Joined April 28, 2024
Website:
Strava forum:
Replying to
Since last year, the SBB app will gladly sell tickets for trains abroad. This is convenient as the search UX is very intuitive, but the prices are far from the best in some countries!
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Switching to a country involved in this train, Deutsche Bahn offers 3 tiers, from 55€ non-refundable to 163€ first class.
Here we see that SBB only offers the normal offer (taking a 2€ commission on top), but not the discount one.
Personally, if I can get a non-refundable offer at half the price I don't see much point to take the flexible ticket. But that's not over!
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What happens when you privitize public space, hand it over as terraces to private establishments, and then they close early because why would one want to seat at 9pm on a Sunday, Gare de l'Est edition.
The handful of official public waiting seats were all taken, despite a rather empty station at this time. Seriously, put seats in stations for people to wait for their trains!!
#SNCFail #GareDeLest
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Also what SNCF Gares & Connections doesn't want you to know: there's an underground passage at the end of the platforms in Gare de l'Est, marked as emergency exit. Platforms 11-12 even have an old sign to the metro station, I suppose they forgot to remove it and I'm the only one to venture this far in ages?
But why would we facilitate passenger flow to connect between trains when we can get a crowd of people walking 10 minutes back & forth the main hall & do inefficient ticket checks? #SNCFail
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Accurate rather than optimistic delay prediction matters. It means less crowd waiting in the overheated station hall. It means people have more time to find alternative options earlier.
In the end I just got an email saying I could just cancel my ticket and get back the ticket price (and buy my own new ticket). That's it. No further support, no hotel arrangements, nothing. That's why we need stronger passenger rights with streamlined compensation.
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@quixoticgeek@social.v.st I think the main issue with the original argument is presenting the false dilemma between more luggage space vs. more passengers as a fact of life. That's the actual trap.
In reality trains are already orders of magnitude more efficient than cars, take way less space than urban sprawl and wide highways, pollute way less and are way cheaper to society. So we can afford some slack. 👍
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Final boss of the day: platform is announced and a big queue forms to get our tickets checked.
Thankfully, Strasbourg's station square is surrounded by hotels so there was plenty of choice and prices were very reasonable for an unplanned out-of-pocket expense.
All in all, it's amazing how smartphones are a game changer in these situations: I'm certainly savvy but I could easily figure out a few train+hotel combinations & book them myself rather than further crowding the overloaded ticket desk.
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@quixoticgeek@social.v.st Like somehow people aren't bothered that half the space in a passenger airplane is dedicated to luggage. So why not run trains with half the carriages reserved for luggage & freight?
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My platform wasn't gonna be announced for another 15 minutes, so I just sought fresh air on the platforms. At 21:30 the temperature was finally easing down.
Somehow one platform wasn't fenced off, so I just went to picture the deserted station, despite no disruption here. Indeed, why would anyone want to travel after 9pm on France's busiest travel week-end of the year?
Another #SNCFail at #GareDeLest
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Poor delay prediction is also at fault. My 18:22 train to Basel was only announced delayed about 30 minutes before departure. At that point they planned 1h40 of delay. Then at 19:45 they cancelled the train, as it would arrive too late in Switzerland where night repair works happen.
However, this was all predictable from 17:00 at the latest. The incoming train was delayed so they knew it couldn't return on time. And they knew about the works in Switzerland. The outcome was already predictable.
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Thankfully, all tickets were refundable so I could book a few seats and then decide. Not all passengers are privileged enough to have spare cash though.
I first thought to take a train at least to Mulhouse. But then that one jumped from 1h50 delay to 3h40 and that's only departure delay.
I ended up opting for the last TGV to Strasbourg from Gare de l'Est, at least I'd get a chance to sleep at a decent time. Again, had I known about cancellation 3h earlier, I could have made it there earlier.
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@euval@mastodon.top @jmaris@eupolicy.social The biggest lie is that right-wing genuinely want to stop mass migration. On the contrary, they *need* mass migration stories to fuel their rhetoric.
In this case, there wasn't even actual mass migration as there are controls between Ceuta and the rest of Spain, and most people went back immediately as they found no food nor shelter in Ceuta. But the *story* was already unleashed.
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@gismork@mastodon.social @houbahoubahop@framapiaf.org @FdC@mamot.fr @jon@gruene.social "Le nouveau [Ouigo Train Classique] Bruxelles-Paris n’accepte les vélos que de mardi à jeudi, condition exigée par la SNCF à sa partenaire SNCB. Le week-end, la priorité a été aux voyageurs nous explique t-on, comme si les cyclistes étaient des voyageurs de seconde zone."
Un scandale total! La loi européenne impose un nombre de places vélos minimum par train et chaque voiture Ouigo Belgique en a 2, mais si l'opérateur peut juste ne pas les vendre quel intérêt??
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@quixoticgeek@social.v.st Certainly the Portugal-Spain cross-border rail situation is unforgivable. Does it mean Portugal should be reachable by train in 24h from/to any place in Europe?
There are also limits to travelling as a social good. I certainly know people (privileged enough to afford it) who just plan to visit as many countries as possible worldwide (certainly fueled by social media FOMO). I don't think that's either sustainable nor useful, quantity isn't quality.
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@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu Interesting that you mention a Lisbon-Vienna route via Italy, when all realistic routes go through Switzerland or Germany. You'd know by using a real journey planner like Railfinder 😉 https://www.railfinder.eu/search?from=17386&to=24884&date=2026-05-16&p=A
@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social
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@dominicstucki@urbanists.social @tml@mementomori.social Yeah, "but it takes 3 days to get to Portugal by train" misses the flawed premise that one has to go to Portugal in the first place for successful holidays when living on the other side of Europe.
Growing up I never went abroad with my parents (granted this was in France so already plenty of places to go for holidays). My first time abroad was a high school trip from Paris to Rome by bus, which took 20h one way: long but all the more memorable!
@quixoticgeek@social.v.st @jon@gruene.social @sebwilken@mastodon.social
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@Reporterre Censuré également sur le site de l'OFB. Mais il reste une copie sur https://www.linspiration-politique.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Demain-mon-territoire-012838b.pdf
#Censure #Streisand #ecologie @bonpoteofficiel @wolfgangcramer @paul_denton
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@jon@gruene.social That should be more than 8 bicycles per train in total then (unless they only count 1 bicycle per such square and only 4 carriages)? Hopefully they'll bump the numbers in their booking system too as I haven't seen more than 8 available bicycle spots even looking at a random day in October. 🤞
But then I can imagine SNCF reserving some of these spots for luggage (in particular on week-ends), even though it doesn't match the Ouigo "travel light" spirit. 🤔
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@jon@gruene.social @gismork@mastodon.social @houbahoubahop@framapiaf.org @FdC@mamot.fr Of course it makes no sense! But SNCF being SNCF and Ouigo being Ouigo, I wouldn't rule it out just based on being non-sensical 🙃
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@jon@gruene.social Curious what the loads of extra spaces you mention look like? Is it the 2 spots per carriage as pictured on my website? https://cycling-on-rails.com/train-bicycle-guide/belgium/#ouigo-train-classique (indeed decent, although that's 8 spots per train i.e. 24 per day per direction, which isn't loads IMO to link such major capital cities)
Or is there a special bicycle carriage in the works?
@gismork@mastodon.social @houbahoubahop@framapiaf.org @FdC@mamot.fr
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@gismork@mastodon.social @houbahoubahop@framapiaf.org @FdC@mamot.fr @jon@gruene.social Surtout qu'il y a quand même pas mal de places dans ces trains pour les valises par rapport à des TGV: https://cycling-on-rails.com/train-bicycle-guide/belgium/#ouigo-train-classique
Franchement la SNCB devrait opérer ce service sans la SNCF et sans la marque Ouigo, les voitures sont issues de la SNCB de toute façon.
#MonVéloDansLeTrain #CrossBorderRail #SNCFail
RE: https://masto.nu/@MoveTheNeedle/116487985065502837
@jon@gruene.social Good to know that 4-minute delays become 15 minutes at the German border because border checks are using outdated, fragmented, half-connected passport-scanning software! 🤡
/sarcasm
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@HaTetsu @moof IMO Polish railways are the best value for money in Europe. Well renovated trains, not too much delays & yeah you can cross the country for 20-30€.
But checking this again made me realize how much of a rip-off DB's "Flex Europa" is in Poland: 62€ instead of 19€ (79 PLN) for Gdańsk-Wrocław in 2nd class for example. And with DB you can't choose your seats!
cc @jon @bovine3dom @stefanlindbohm
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@jon@gruene.social So ticket vendors have outrageous margins flowing out of Europe while railway operators have slim profits reinvested in passenger services? 🤔🤔🤔
Funny that SNCF Voyageurs reported a 13% margin in 2025 (I'm not well-versed in finance but is that "slim") https://www.groupe-sncf.com/medias-publics/2026-02/pr-sncf-group-2025-full-year-results.pdf Not sure how much of that was reinvested in passenger services 🤔
And as far as I'm aware all the major 3rd-party rail ticket vendors are based in Europe. Sounds totally baseless of CER. @bovine3dom@masto.ai @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social
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@meganL@mas.to Reminds me of this one: https://mastodon.social/@cycling_on_rails/115214185689058014
The brand-new stairs were so inaccessible that everyone with a piece of luggage was queuing at the elevators, which were clearly under-dimensionned. The waiting alone would add up to 10 minutes I reckon.
With a bit more civil engineering they could have added ramps and a tunnel under the platforms to at least divert the luggage passengers and reduce the queuing time at the elevators.
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@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de @bovine3dom@masto.ai Fortunately the stupid chatbot isn't available in English so there's an escape hatch to get a regular form instead (even though I'm French I'll gladly dodge the chat bot). https://emeraude.my.site.com/Ouifit/s/?language=en_US
Note that you need to mail them a physical letter if you don't have nor want an SNCF account.
(SNCF's constellation of support forms/bots are really built like that episode of Asterix fighting bureaucracy as a parody of a Herculean task 😂 https://youtube.com/watch?v=MXE2xUJgEXg)
La maison qui rend fou | Asterix | Remasterisé
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@patrick@mendeddrum.org @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de Of course it's the usual SNCF fault here of not running a resilient service due to sparse timetable (only few rebooking options) & constrained double-decker TGV trains with Jacobs bogies that can't handle extra standing passengers.
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@partim@social.tchncs.de @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social Also, as I explicitly clicked cancel to get the money back (as strongly suggested by the operator), I assume there's a loophole here were I renounced all rights for further assistance as I accepted not to travel? Even though I actually traveled by buying a new ticket which was a separate contract?
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@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de Yeah I had the same reaction to the floor plans, the first 7 coaches don't have any beds/couchettes: https://mastodon.social/@zugpost/116436149319115473
I think seating carriages make sense for traditional carriages with shunting operations, as if you have spare seating carriages better use them than only have 4 sleeping carriages or something. It may also be useful for day passengers doing a short intercity trip on the way.
For night-only EMUs, I don't see the point to have anything than beds.
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@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de Each time I have a look at the seating area in a night train, it seems about 50% full. So the higher density of seats isn't useful, a 6-couchette compartment configuration would be much better for the passengers and the railway.
In France I've seen 1 seating carriage among a night train of 10 which is a better ratio, but considering the seats are in 2+1 first class configuration a 6-couchette carriage would do the job as well (if one was available).
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@jon@gruene.social @bovine3dom@masto.ai @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social I also liked the latest report from Réseau Action Climat on cross-border ticket booking from France: https://reseauactionclimat.org/voyager-en-train-vers-leurope-un-cauchemar-pour-les-passagers-en-correspondance/
As all French things it's very France-centric (edit: Paris-centric) and sadly not translated in English, but it puts CER's claims in perspective with solid case studies. I really recommend it if you can read/translate French.
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@partim@social.tchncs.de @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social Another observation is that each bed isn't usually reused. But if someone sleeps and exits at 6am, someone else could use the bed from 7am to 9am, at an appropriate discount, which would also boost profitability. That requires timely night trains though (but same with regular seating area I'd say).
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@partim@social.tchncs.de @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social In principle a traditional 6-couchette compartment can also be used as a 6-seat compartment by folding the middle beds. So the use case where a seating-only area makes sense is narrow IMO.
You could arrange the booking system to fill compartments by sleeping/seating category to avoid clashes, but still have flexibility if today many people seat and tomorrow many people sleep.
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@FdC Si chaque entreprise en France finançait une taxe de 10€ par employé et par an, on aurait un plan vélo sans problème: https://www.fub.fr/presse/plf-2026-budget-velo-national-qui-deraille
Ça se fait déjà pour les transports en commun avec le versement mobilité d'ailleurs: https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F31031
Pour l'instant tout ce que j'ai trouvé est un label qui est volontaire: https://employeurprovelo.fr/
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@mszll@datasci.social @anavybor@datasci.social @ane@mapstodon.space Another interpretation could be: "How many different POIs can one reach within daily cycling distance using the cycling network?"
The cycling network is part of the answer, but the density of POIs as well: it should be clear that in sparse rural areas there are fewer POIs than in dense cities to begin with. It could be interesting to divide the reachable POIs (e.g. within 10km of cycling) by the total number of POIs within a circle of radius 10km.
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@jon@gruene.social @gismork@mastodon.social @houbahoubahop@framapiaf.org @FdC@mamot.fr I've checked today on https://www.ouigo.com/ and couldn't find a Friday-Monday where I could book Paris-Bruxelles with a bicycle (even in disassembled mode). The calendar displays prices, but when clicking on a date there's an error message. Tuesday-Thursday seemed to work (I haven't gone as far as actually buying a ticket though).
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@alberto_cottica@mastodon.green About Google Maps being unreliable in practice on this narrow-gauge "FEVE" network: https://mastodon.social/@cycling_on_rails/114721001159450498
And some more info here: https://www.happyrail.com/en/feve-narrow-gauge-network
It's honestly not really worth it unless you really like trains and visiting every railway line, or you happen to hike along the way and hop on for some stops (and, for the León area, happen to pass by at the same time as the daily train).
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@corentin@masto.bike @jon@gruene.social @bovine3dom@masto.ai @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social Exactly. So it doesn't go to passenger services as CER claims.
Also, given that rolling stock has a large upfront cost and lifetime counted in decades, it's unfair to say these investments are paid by last year's profits. Such long-term investments are usually paid by debt (unless somehow no bank/state gives you a loan and you choose to self-fund from past profits).
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@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de @bovine3dom@masto.ai By the way, the link in that email sends me to https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/contact-us/questions-and-answers/travel-claims/ and after answering a few questions I'm redirected to SNCF's stupid "TOUTOUI" chatbot (pun about listening with all it hears) where the first step is to accept additional Terms & Conditions. https://tout-oui.sncf.com/
How is it even legal to add extra T&C to get assistance?
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@alberto_cottica@mastodon.green There is also a direct train from León to Bilbao using the slow narrow-gauge railway network winding through the mountains. Similar to Euskotren, but older and not electric.
Critically: it only runs once a day! And Google Maps doesn't have reliable timetables there (as I also experienced last year).
This train looks like this, i.e. no amenities apart from a bathroom: https://cycling-on-rails.com/train-bicycle-guide/spain/#feve
The main advantage is that it makes 54 stops, so you can take it if you hike nearby.
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@stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de For reference the email they sent when canceling. There's time pressure (part of the borderline practice!) as they upfront mention 2 days to cancel. So better do it now to avoid forgetting.
When in reality the TGV ticket isn't valid as is anymore anyway because you always need to book a seat on alternative TGV connections. So I don't get why you shouldn't be automatically reimbursed if you don't take action.
I could try to expense the hotel with the bottom link though.
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@alberto_cottica@mastodon.green Looks like you can reach San Sebastian from León with 1 change in 5 to 7 hours depending on the timetable. There aren't many connections a day, but doable with a bit of planning.
From there you could:
- sleep overnight in the area,
- directly catch a TGV Hendaye-Paris if you're early enough and sleep in Paris,
- catch the night train to Paris from Bayonne (many changes so plan some buffer time),
- catch a regional train up to Bordeaux and sleep there.
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@patrick@mendeddrum.org @stefanlindbohm@mastodon.social @partim@social.tchncs.de Not really. TGV Lyria being its own entity they can argue that only Lyrias are "comparable transport conditions". Or that TERs aren't comparable because the passenger lacks access to drinks & snacks (convenient loophole!) So at best the 7:22am next day.
But if that one is fully booked (likely if they have to rebook a whole cancelled train), that's not the earliest "opportunity" so you can end up on an arbitrary train next day.