Simon Maarfield

Aaaand it's happening! Bookings for the "Aurora" Basel-Malmö just went live a minute ago! Tickets are both available now at
shop.sbb.ch
and
shop.oebbtickets.at/
With nightjet.com also being an outlet, this will follow in probably a few minutes. Tickets and categories are the same as in classic NJ.

Alvia train from Badajoz seen on arrival in Madrid Atocha

Interior of first class section of Alvia train from Badajoz to Madrid

Map showing the new alignment of the broad gauge railway from Badajoz to Madrid via Cáceras. On this day I recorded a top speed of around 185 km/h on the section Cáceres - Plansencia, which is ostensibly cleared for 200 km/h.

The #Renfe #Alvia train at 07:21 from Badajoz takes 4h22m to reach Madrid Atocha via a mix of new and old, and electrified and non-electrified 1668 mm gauge lines. It is formed of a very loud and rattly Talgo bimodal train set, which remains lightly loaded in first class throughout. #CrossBorderRail

Surviving tram tracks in Badajoz.

Badajoz old town city walls

View of the Rio Guadiana from the footbridge connecting Badajoz old town to San Fernando and the railway station

I stayed in the semi-pedestrianised old town of Badajoz, a 1.5 km walk from the railway station. At this time of year it's dark at 17:45 and was still dark when I walked back to the station at 06:30 the next morning #CrossBorderRail

It seems that today marks the end of #DB 🇩🇪 #InterCity #Kurswagen through cars to #Dagebüll Mole. They did split from #Marschbahn services to #Westerland #Sylt at #Niebüll. I digged out this picture taken in June 2007. Back then, an Austrian-built #Jenbach diesel railcar worked the train.

Italiens Staatsbahn will in Deutschland einsteigen Die italienische Staatsbahn denkt über einen Einstieg ins deutsche Fernverkehrsgeschäft nach – und würde dort der Deutschen Bahn Konkurrenz machen.

I’m annoyed at Handelsblatt for publishing a peculiar and poorly researched piece about Trenitalia entering the German high speed rail market. And quoting Böttger who’s a pain.

And then German press go on copy-pasting the rubbish, inc Heise 😡 www.heise.de/news/Italien...

Slovakia to modernise its night train fleet Slovak Railways is preparing to renew part of its night train fleet to offer passengers better services on longer routes

www.railwaypro.com/wp/slovakia-...

I cannot believe the unions tolerate any sort of pay differentiation or age discrimination policies at Ouigo. And I believe they gave up using suburban stations many years ago.

Nachtzug Berlin - Paris: Warum er vielleicht doch noch gerettet werden kann Der Betrieb des ÖBB Nightjets in Frankreich ist teuer. Der französische Staat will keinen Zuschuss mehr zahlen. Doch jetzt hat ein Parlamentsausschuss einen Beschluss gefasst.

Der Betrieb des #ÖBB #Nightjet #Berlin/#Wien - #Paris in Frankreich ist teuer. Der Staat will keinen Zuschuss mehr zahlen. Doch jetzt hat ein Parlamentsausschuss einen Beschluss gefasst. #SNCF
www.berliner-zeitung.de/mensch-metro...

Salamanca railway station with cross-platform interchange from the train from Entrancamento to the Alvia service to Madrid.

Junction where the Badajoz - Evora "high speed line" splits from the Badajoz - Elvas classic line. Masts have been erected but there is no catenary in this picture dated 27.10.2025.

Decorative tiling and plaques documenting the EU's recent investment in railways in this region in Elvas railway station.

Allan railcar awaiting departure from Elvas in Portugal to Badajoz in Spain.

The last stop in Portugal is in newly electrified Elvas. 16 passengers remain to cross the border to Badajoz, Spain, where there's a 22-minute cross-platform connection to Mérida and Madrid, 4h30m away. Today this would have worked, but I'm staying the night in Badajoz.
#CrossBorderRail

Map showing Linha do Leste railway and town of Arronches. The line manages to serve the limited number of settlements it passes very badly.

Portalegre station. The town it purports to serve is 9 km away!

Map showing Linha do Leste railway and town of Portalegre. The line manages to serve the limited number of settlements it passes very badly.

"Platform" and fields of crops at Chança station on the Linha do Leste. The town of Chancelaria is 3.5 km away.

It would be an underestimate to say this region is sparcely populated! But to my surprise, we maintain 100+ km/h for most of the route. #CrossBorderRail

Passing the Badajoz - Entrancamento train in Torre das Vargens

Allan railcar basking in the sun in Torre das Vargens while waiting to pass the train on the opposite direction

Legroom in the Allan railcar is modest

Interior of a 1954-built Allan railcar.

On my day of travel, the load factor from Abrantes is about 40%. Any more than this makes for a very uncomfortable experience in the 3+2 seating with legroom for just one adult. In Portalegre (located 9 km from town) we lose half the remaining passengers. #CrossBorderRail

The international train from Entrancamento to Badajoz after arrival in Abrantes.

Abrantes station building with typically ornate tiling.

The ornate tiling of most Portuguese stations extends to the toilet block in Abrantes.

You can leave Abrantes at 09:08 or, as I did, at 14:08. Trains are usually formed of a single 1954-built Allan railcar, modernised in 2022. Tickets can be bought online, at the ticket office or on board. Advantage of boarding in Abrantes? Half the passengers from Entrancamento get off here!

Abrantes local bus service timetable

Abrantes old town

Abrantes old town

View across Abrantes

Some effort has been made to provide connecting local buses from Abrantes town centre, 3.2 km and 132m ascent away, *into* the trains to Badajoz. These leave Abrantes at 09:08 and 14:08. I chose the latter.
#CrossBorderRail

Abrantes is located on the Beira Baixa line Lisbon - Entrancamento - Castelo Branco - Covilhã - Guarda, which is served daily by three IC train pairs and 4-5 regional train pairs. Crucially, the two daily train pairs on the Linha do Leste Entrancamento - Badajoz also stop here #CrossBorderRail

A new subthread for the second option:
2. Lisbon/Porto to Madrid via Abrantes, Elvas, Badajoz. No rubber tyres involved! This report starts in the pretty hilltop town of Abrantes, where I stayed overnight and spent the morning exploring. #CrossBorderRail

Postscript: would I recommend this route? Well, no, you're better off staying on the coach from Salamanca through to Porto, travelling in greater seat comfort and arriving 3 hrs earlier. To compete, CP needs to run Vilar Formoso - Porto direct with at least IR (Arco stock) comfort. #CrossBorderRail

Screenshot from DB Navigator for Pampilhosa to Porto journey, suggesting need to change trains en route

Here too there is an unadvertised through service Regio + Urbano from Coimbra-B to Porto via Pampilhosa and Aveiro, so it's not as bad as communicated! So there we have it, Vilar Formoso - Porto with one change in five hours, albeit in backside-numbing class 2240 seats. #CrossBorderRail

The Pampilhosa avoider aka 3.2 km long concordância de Mealhada is open to traffic, but as yet sees no passenger trains. So I change in Pampilhosa to continue to Porto. #CrossBorderRail

Refurbished platforms at Canas-Felgueira station on the Linha da Beira Alta. Our train waits for a delayed service from Coimbra-B

I could not identify any obvious infrastructure improvements/upgrades on the Beira Alta line to justify the 3 year closure. AFAIK no additional passing loops for more capacity and punctuality. A long ca. 20 km/h speed restriction in Soito/Espinho area delays trains by about 10 mins.

Spartan interior of class 2240 EMU with low-backed 3+2 seating at Vilar Formoso station.

Class 2240 EMU with wheelchair ramp at Vilar Formoso station

Class 2240 EMU at Vilar Formoso station ready to work the 15:55 service to Guarda (and beyond to Coimbra-B)

Screenshot from DB Navigator for Vilar Formoso - Coimbra-B suggesting need to change trains in Guarda.

Class 2240s are entirely unsuitable for long journeys, but I would be on this one for > 3 hours. Apart from lack of luggage space, it's impossible to sit comfortably in these seats. The 15:55 from Vilar Formoso to Guarda is actually an unadvertised through service to Coimbra-B. #CrossBorderRail

Extremely long and high pedestrian foodbridge over the tracks at Vilar Formoso railway station

Class 2240 EMU at Vilar Formoso station

Sign at Vilar Formoso railway station documenting national and EU investment in the Beira Alta railway line

Note the generous (= costly) infrastructure, which at present only sees two daily passenger train pairs and a smattering of freight. Can we hope there might be more trains in the near future? Passenger trains are entirely in the hands of these class 2240 units #CrossBorderRail

Bar on Vilar Formoso railway station

Ornate tiling on Vilar Formoso railway station

Ornate Linha da Beira Alta tiling on Vilar Formoso railway station

View of platforms and station building at Vilar Formoso railway station

The ticket office is not finished yet (don't worry, tickets are sold on the train), but there are several businesses in the handsome station building in Vilar Formoso, including a bar for drinks and snacks, including snails, should you fancy them. #CrossBorderRail

Vilar Formoso railway station building exterior view

Vilar Formoso railway station seen from road bridge close to border

The Spain - Portugal rail border crossing at Vilar Formoso

The Spain - Portugal rail border crossing at Vilar Formoso

The border town of Vilar Formoso is rather small, with restaurants, hotels and the railway station all within a few minutes walk of the coach stop. You have more than 2 hours to change from coach to train here. The prettiest building in town is of course the railway station. #CrossBorderRail

‘It’s fantastic’: How changes to Enterprise service have transformed Dublin-Belfast rail travel Passenger numbers on the Enterprise service are up by 40% in a year

‘It’s fantastic’: How changes to Enterprise service have transformed Dublin-Belfast rail travel

Just looked again. As far as I can see, it's just the tunnel directly south of Salamanca La-Alamedilla that is still without knitting. Can anyone confirm?

I would also like to see an IC Vilar Formoso - Guarda - Porto via the new Pampilhosa avoiding curve, which CP has promised to serve but so far hasn't. Don't forget CP is short of rolling stock and surely won't prioritise international routes over domestic ones.

Is it? Last thing I read in the Portuguese press was the idea put forward by CP to join up the Lisboa - Entroncamento - Abrantes - Guarda and Guarda - Pampilhosa - Coimbra-B - Entroncamento - Lisboa IC services.

Wires are up Salamanca - Vilar Formoso. As I did not see any freight from the coach or in the two hours I spent in Vilar Formoso, I cannot speculate as to whether they are in use by electric traction. More pictures and trip report continuation to follow...

Yes, Trutnov in the Czech Republic with a GWTR #CrossBorderRail service to Lubawka and Sędzisław in Poland it most certainly is.

The Portuguese certainly have wish lists but little or no means of realising them without Spanish cooperation