Rens

Tolerant / Train passenger and delay dodger / Pianist / Rail-Consultant / App-developer.
Improve the world, start at your own interpretation.

2025-07-20

Approaching Warszawa. In Pruszków I see a container train from/to Rotterdam, but no locomotive present here.

Containers from ECS on a train
2025-07-20

I am not sure if I understand what the CD Muj Vlak app is trying to tell me. It suggests that I had to transfer hours ago, because the train didn't run between Kuty and Breclav. At least my carriage from Budapest did succesfully pass the Czech Republic in the night. I am still on time on the way to Warszawa.

2025-07-19

Sunset on the Danube river. Good night everyone!

2025-07-19

Wait, for €32 supplement (travelling with Interrail) I got a bed in a 3 person compartment. That is more luxurious than I had expected. Is this common on this route (Budapest - Warszawa)?

Currently I am the only one in this compartment, but one other passenger has a reservation from Bratislava. I will cross 3 country borders tonight if everything goes well. #CrossBorderRail

3 bed compartmentTwo MAV night trains next to eachother in Keleti Pu stationPKP IC 61 51 70-90 010-9 WLAB10mnouzIC 476/406 Metropol/Chopin Budapest Keteleti
Breclav
Warszawa wschodnia
2025-07-19

The previous station was Bicske, but this is also Bicske

Station sign Bicske alsó
2025-07-19

Is this what we call a 25kV garden?

Tracks with catenary, overgrown with trees taller than the height of the catenary.Tracks with catenary, overgrown with trees taller than the height of the catenary.
2025-07-19

I find it remarkable how train departure procedures go for some trains. So far I have seen:
- Czech local trains with train staff in every carriage. They need to close the doors one-by-one before departure.
- Hungarian intercity: no whistle. The train simply departs with doors open. When the train is running, the doors close automatically because the train is moving.

2025-07-18

Today's step count is more than 32.000, but I can still feel my feet.

2025-07-18

@partim I noticed this as well last year. My hypothesis: a train running less than 5 minutes later than scheduled is not delayed (like the German definition). If one train is delayed (i.e. 5 minutes), the other train would also get delayed if the timetable is a perfect fit. Now, if one train is delayed the other one will still be on time (they might meet at a different station, depending on which train has delay).

2025-07-18

I thought that Metrans was the only freight operator on the container terminal in Dunajska Streda, but I have proven myself wrong: CD Cargo as first.

Two tracks with a level crossing. On one track there is a container train with two diesel locomotives in blue
2025-07-18

This morning I saw a freight train departing from the harbour of Komárno around 08:00. It was 09:30 when it arrived at the train station. I don't know why the freight train had to wait for more than one hour. At least it arrived before my Leo Express LINT towards Dunajska Streda departed.

Freight locomotive seen through a passenger train window.
2025-07-17

@jon Agree, or even Bratislava - Komarno - Komarom, as an extension of the Leo Express trains.

2025-07-17

By the way, the bus station (seen on the photos) is way too big.

2025-07-17

@jon The line between the two stations needs to make a big curve, so I agree it makes more sense to run buses here. They do (10 minutes travel time between the two stations, runs a few times a day), but Google Maps fails to give a journey advice with the bus stops next to the railway station. I guess I should put some effort on fixing that in Google Maps.

2025-07-17

@coreice Totally agree, it is one of the goals that brought me here. Some of these locos should be EuroRunning multiple times per day with container trains between Dunajska Streda and Komarno/Bratislava. I want to make some photos tomorrow or on Saturday diesel line around Dunajska Streda.

2025-07-17

@jon After dinner I went for some trainspotting around the Slovakian station of Komárno. ZSSK passenger trains from/to Nove Zamky, and trains from Leo Express from/to Bratislava. The latter can't be found in most travel planners, and interrail is not valid on those.
Furthermore there are freight trains crossing the border to/from Hungary, but as far as I know there are no international passenger trains here.

2025-07-17

I didn't know these double deck coaches from ZSSK. It looks like these were built by Skoda.

2025-07-17

@coreice Iemand die ik ken had geld terug vanwege een vertraging van 120179 minuten. Ik ben benieuwd of ze dan claimen dat jij 3059 minuten vertraging hebt.

2025-07-17

Deception of the day.

The lady in the Hungarian tourist office can't sell tickets for the KombiBike bikes, but she had noticed that some people are able to use the bikes again since this month. Slovakian tourist office is already closed (after 16:30). The computer pole isn't helpful either: it says to go to a sales point, or provide a card or pincode (I can't get a pincode online...). There are two contact phone numbers listed: one gives voicemail, the other gives a computer voice saying that the number is not in use.

I need to walk across the border a few times in the coming few days instead of cycling.

2025-07-17

Destination for today is Komárom/Komárno. On the Hungarian side I see one of @jon his favorite trains. Thank you for your #CrossBorderRail travel reports that inspired me to go here!

Colourful Hungarian railbus

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