Local Cross - Border (International) Services

[Zamracene749]

Hi reb0118, you'll enjoy the line through Bayerisch Eisenstien, it's very pretty. I presume you will be using a good value Bayern Bohmen ticket?

Other local cross border services in Czech are the 2 hourly CD trains from Jesenik to Opava via Glucholazy in Poland, the Znojmo to Vienna OBB services and the Harrachov to Jelenia Gora line.

Elsewhere, there are local cross border services between Leer(de) and Groningen(nl) operated by Arriva also between Sopron(hu) and Vienna(au) worked by Gysev?

 

[starrymarkb]

There are local services from Lille to Brugge, Oostende, Gent, Antwerp, Liege, Namur and Charleroi.

Line 2 of the Lille Metro terminates at CH Dron in Tourcoing, only just over the border, and in the same area there are several cross border bus routes. (Roubaix - Mouscron)

In Basel, one of the city tram routes crosses into French territory (with a stop there) before crossing back into Switzerland. Other tram routes terminate very close to the French and German borders.

CH Dron station is still in France - however the depot beyond the platforms at CH Dron is right on the border with the perimeter fence forming part of the border.

http://goo.gl/maps/1oysD

The Centrovalli Railway is a scenic local service between Domlodolssa in Italy and Locano in Switzerland. Trains are operated by SSIF on the Italian side and FART on the Swiss side but both companies are under common ownership and trains operate as a through service (not sure if they change crews)

 

[ianhr]

It's very odd between Cerbère (F) and Portbou (E).
SNCF and RENFE local trains both cross to the other side, but then return empty to their border station.
So you have to go south on an SNCF service and north on RENFE, instead of having a choice with double the number of services.

The SNCF route is standard gauge and the RENFE route is broad gauge, with freight interchange yards at both border stations cut into the steep hillside at right angles to the main line.
The only through passenger service these days is a single RENFE Talgo train Montpellier-Barcelona, but there appears to be a lot of freight.
The stations are both huge, having been built for large numbers of people to go through customs and immigration, whereas these days there are no formalities at all thanks to Schengen.

When I was at Portbou a class of schoolchildren was being taught while sitting cross-legged at the end of one platform, in an area once patrolled by gun-toting frontier police.

I think the same cross-border arrangements apply at Hendaye-Irun at the other end of the Pyrenees.

A similar arrangement used to apply (and may still do so) between La Tour de Carol (France) and Puigcerda (Spain) on the Toulouse-Barcelona line. However on the Trans-Pyreneean Line from Pau to Zaragoza SNCF standard guage electric trains ran through the tunnel in BOTH directions to and from the border station at Canfranc on the Spanish side. The latter line has not carried through traffic for many years due to landslip damage in France although there are still one or two RENFE trains to/from Canfranc with a bus connection.

btw La Tour de Carol had 3 gauges: 4'8 1/2", 5'6" & metre.

 

[Gordon]

A similar arrangement used to apply (and may still do so) between La Tour de Carol (France) and Puigcerda (Spain) on the Toulouse-Barcelona line. btw La Tour de Carol had 3 gauges: 4'8 1/2", 5'6" & metre.

No it doesn't and yes it does (sort of)

The gauges are 1000mm (metre), 1435 ('standard') and 1668mm (just under 5'6" in fact - all still used at La Tour de Carol.

The 1435mm 'SNCF' track south across the border from La Tour de Carol has been moribund for many years. It was out of use when I was there in 1978.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

CH Dron station is still in France - however the depot beyond the platforms at CH Dron is right on the border with the perimeter fence forming part of the border.
QUOTE]

I wonder if there was some confusion here between Tourcoing and Tournai. Tourcoing and Roubaix are both in France. Both can be accessed either by SNCF train or by the Mongy tram

 

[mirodo]

The TER Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur service from Grasse (France) - Ventimiglia (Italy) also makes a couple of non-stopping passes through (under?) Monégasque territory in tunnel.

 

[stut]

Oh, we have a three-country local service! (I assume Ventimiglia doesn't have a "Bale SNCF" type arrangement with platforms in different territories).

Any other three-ways?

 

[duncanp]

I wonder if there was some confusion here between Tourcoing and Tournai. Tourcoing and Roubaix are both in France. Both can be accessed either by SNCF train or by the Mongy tram

When I said originally said CH Dron station was in Tourcoing, "..only just over the border.., I meant only just over the border from Belgium. So perhaps that is where the confusion originiates.

There has been talk for some time about extending the metro to Mouscron in Belgium, but in the meantime the TEC do run a connecting bus service from Mouscron to CH Dron.

Interestingly several of Transpole's bus routes do cross the border, eg

MWR - Mouscron to Roubaix
CITH - Citadine De Halluin
33 - Tourcoing to Leers Nord
88 - Lille Flandres to Comines
75 - Lomme to Warneton

Other buses run along or terminate on streets where the border runs right down the middle of the road, eg

L4 - Halluin to Villeneuve D'Ascq
L91 - Halluin to Lille Flandres
79 - Lomme to Armentieres Le Bizet

These services are often used by French people wishing to take advantage of the cheaper tobacco in Belgium. Selling tobacco seems to be a cottage industry in border towns such as Menen or Le Bizet

 

[ianhr]

Does anyone know what the current public transport options are across the border between Dunkerque (France) and Oostende (Belgium) along the coastal route? I there any physical rail connection, in or out of use?

 

[gordonthemoron]

There's De Kusttram that runs along the Belgian coast, but how you get to Adinkerke from Dunkerque I have no idea

 

[duncanp]

To get from Dunkerque to Adinkerke you need to take bus no. 2

http://www.dkbus.com/ftp/FR_lignes/Fiche ligne 2_210x358.pdf

This runs from several stops in Dunkerque (including the Gare SNCF) are terminates in Adinkerke right by the SNCB/NMBS station and the Kusttram terminus.

The Kusttram will take you to Oostende, but it is quite a long journey (over an hour)

 

[stut]

Bus. There is a physical rail connection, but it's been out of passenger use for some years now.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligne_de_Dunkerque-Locale_à_Bray-Dunes

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

On an SJ X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm earlier this year, I overheard the conductor saying that the buffet would not be open "until we are on Swedish territory", as they could not sell things in Denmark.
Didn't seem like the single market was operating too well.

 

[gordonthemoron]

On an SJ X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm earlier this year, I overheard the conductor saying that the buffet would not be open "until we are on Swedish territory", as they could not sell things in Denmark.
Didn't seem like the single market was operating too well.

TBF, it's not far from Copenhagen to Malmo. Strangely SJ have no problem selling stuff between Narvik and Reichsgrenze in Norway

 

[Gordon]

Interestingly several of Transpole's bus routes do cross the border, eg

Cross border buses are not that rare. The obvious places are the Swiss border cities of Genève and Basel which have numerous , many of which replace trams routes that once crossed the border. Nevertheless, other obvious large conurbations close to borders also have multi-country networks, eg Aachen Liege Maastricht, which of course is three-country Germany Belgium Netherlands
http://www.avv.de/fileadmin/sites/a.../Schnellverkehrsplaene/schnellverkehr_emr.pdf
http://www.aseag.de/fahrplan/Regionale_Liniennetzplaene/index.html

The TER Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur service from Grasse (France) - Ventimiglia (Italy) also makes a couple of non-stopping passes through (under?) Monégasque territory in tunnel.

All the Grasse - Ventimiglia local TER services through Monaco do stop at Monaco Monte Carlo station (underground, opened in 1999)



.

 

[reb0118]

On an SJ X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm earlier this year, I overheard the conductor saying that the buffet would not be open "until we are on Swedish territory", as they could not sell things in Denmark.
Didn't seem like the single market was operating too well.

When I last did København to Nyköping it was self service in 1st until the catering crew borded at Malmö.

BTW I've just made up a Scot's name for København = Chapmanshaven (with a wee bit help from wikipedia)

 

[mirodo]

All the Grasse - Ventimiglia local TER services through Monaco do stop at Monaco Monte Carlo station (underground, opened in 1999)

Doh. Of course they do. I should have remembered, given that I've alighted there!

 

[reb0118]

Hi reb0118, you'll enjoy the line through Bayerisch Eisenstien, it's very pretty. I presume you will be using a good value Bayern Bohmen ticket?

No, an even better value free FIP coupon for Germany (DBAG) & the Czech Republic (CD). The non rail staff member of our group is travelling on a Tschechien Spezial from Lindau to Pilsen for 39€. We are travelling on a EuroCity from Lindau to München for the first leg of this journey and I don't think Länderticket or the Bayern - Böhmen ticket are valid on express trains. Great value tickets nevertheless.

Cheers, I'm looking forward to the scenery. As it will be November we may have snow?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Correct, Länderticket and the Bayern - Böhmen ticket are not valid on EC/IC/ICE trains in Germany (with possibly some loopholes in North Germany but not in Bavaria)

 

[jamesontheroad]

On an SJ X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm earlier this year, I overheard the conductor saying that the buffet would not be open "until we are on Swedish territory", as they could not sell things in Denmark.

A stranger catering situation operates across the US/Canada border.

Three passenger train cross the border: the Cascades between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver; the Adirondack between New York City and Montréal; and the Maple Leaf between New York City and Toronto.

All three use Amtrak rolling stock, but only the first two are operated entirely by Amtrak. The latter is jointly operated by Amtrak and VIA Rail, which a switchover at Niagara Falls, Ontario (as opposed to Niagara Falls, New York, which is the first station south of the border). The entire train crew changes, as do the buffet. All products sold by Amtrak are removed from sale, and replaced by products sold by VIA.

I can't remember whether Amtrak has an exclusive agreement with Pepsi or Coca Cola, but this was the one chance for fans of the other to buy their preferred soda on Amtrak metal.

 

[DeeGee]

I was living in Wissembourg, in Alsace, hard on the German border when they reopened the line north to Neustadt, with one change at Winden taking you to Karlsruhe.

In one fell swoop my weekend shopping destination changed from Strasbourg which was over an hour away, to Karsruhe, which was about 50 minutes away.

 

[Gordon]

I was living in Wissembourg, in Alsace, hard on the German border when they reopened the line north to Neustadt, with one change at Winden taking you to Karlsruhe.

In one fell swoop my weekend shopping destination changed from Strasbourg which was over an hour away, to Karsruhe, which was about 50 minutes away.

Yes. And this excellent service also allows a circular day trip if staying in Strasbourg, as I did in June 2012