Dominic Stucki

SJ's retrofitted X2000 Snabbtåg is the best long distance train in Europe and I'm absolutely ready to die on this hill. Design, seat comfort, on-board services - all as good as it gets. A great example that trains don't have to be cold, sterile tubes with tiny windows, glaring white light, hard seats and bad air. #HullerOmBullar

The Snälltåget service to Oslo is an entire rake of former DB carriages. To my great delight including "Krogen", the train's @diningcar@rail.chat, which is one of the peculiar former German IR Bistros. 🤓 Breakfast time! Preordered breakfast includes a cheese sandwich and a Kanelbulle. A quiet ride through the morning with coffee - perfect! 🥰 #HullerOmBullar

Uppsala C the next morning. The station is very close to having a great track layout. Just next to it is the heritage railway station Uppsala Östra, where I expect @nordkommission@zug.network at a table with coffee and bullar. But nobody's there, no bullar either, so we stay on the modern train platform and board the Pendeltåg to Stockholm. #HullerOmBullar

Morning from Varberg 21, where the tracks gave way for future real estate. The new station is finished, though, with an award winning cozy wooden building. It misses the mandatory 2nd Pressbyrån and 1-2 Espresso Houses, but that's only a matter of time. No problem for us, our café for breakfast arrived at the considerably less cosy platform level. #HullerOmBullar

Off the M29 tram at Järntorget to get a choice of Bullar to everybody's taste from different bakeries in the Haga neighbourhood. And to get a few photos of some M29, which still seem to be quite common. #NordischNiederschlag flashbacks kicking in... #HullerOmBullar

Schon krass, dass meine vier Velokilometer zum Hauptbahnhof am Sonntagmorgen um 8 einfach locker 50% schneller zurückgelegt werden können also wochentags um 8. Und damit eine kleine Erinnerung, dass es Ampeln nur braucht, weil ein Verkehrsmittel soviel gefährlicher ist, als alle anderen. #Autokorrektur

The face of Göteborg's railways is changing rapidly. The new Västtrafik X80 trains are now in service and the M31, Göteborg's tram 2000 equivalent, are getting another big overhaul! 🤯 #HullerOmBullar

Göteborg C is one of my favourite stations on the European network. A great building and a wide variety of interesting trains. We're looking for the Vy Flirt to... Oh, wait, wrong trip. We're heading east this time, where you have the choice between a VR Flirt, a SJ Alstom double deck set or the X2000 SJ Snabbtåg. We have a pretty clear favourite here. #HullerOmBullar

I have no idea what a smart mug is, but they indeed paid attention to detail for the new X2000 interior design. As usual with SJ Snabbtåg, there is no ticket check as long as you're sitting on your reserved seat, so it is a very quiet ride up the Västra Stambanan to Katrineholm. #HullerOmBullar

Goodbye to our X2000 and hello Mälartåg ER1. This could be one of the best regional trains of our times - but they messed up the seats and the windows big time: Sitting on the train, it feels like there aren't any windows at all! And the train feels cramped due to high seats and limited legroom. #HullerOmBullar

M29 located! 🕵️‍♂️ A quick tram ride up to Redbergsplatsen with an arrival just in time for the M29 on its way back to the centre. Of course, we hop on for a ride. As in the M31, there's a lot of T2000 vibes here. And the weird staggered seat arrangement. #HullerOmBullar

RE: https://urbanists.social/@dominicstucki/117313306439998356 Ok, quick nerd spin-off of #HullerOmBullar. I made this remark about the track layout at Uppsala C earlier and I'd like to elaborate on this. Mini thread.🧵👇

In Göteborg, our train avoids the main station via Godstågsviadukten, afaik the only passenger train on this route. Some of us are excited as this adds a new line to their route map, others because of the M29 tram spotted from the train. Aren't they out of service already? 🤨 Quick change of plans and off the train at Gamlestaden! #HullerOmBullar

The train ends in Sala. The line towards the North is blocked, so we continue eastwards half an hour later. And the train situation improved considerably, when two of Mälartåg's rather rare "Regina" EMU turned up. 🥰 A very pleasant ride through the late afternoon to Uppsala, where this day ends. #HullerOmBullar

Oh, hi! It has been a while! 🥰

Mes amis, that was #LaFranceTractée. 11 days chasing the last loco hauled trains in France - the last remnants of an era, which is nearly gone. Thank you for reading, sharing and discussing. And as I love this country and its railways so much, I'm not done with this theme yet. To be continued - à plus! 💙🤍❤️

Finally: RRR and Nez Cassé. 😊 Nope, not to the scrapyard, this is a completely normal slow TER service Saverne-Strasbourg-Sélestat. Full livrée fléau, but this applies, as far as I'm aware, to every single RRR left in Grand-Est. #LaFranceTractée

Encore! 😁 It was heavenly cool and quiet at the Canal de la Marne au Rhin in the Zorn valley, cut deep into the Voges mountains. Except for the short moment, when a Sybic crossed the viaduct, working an evening peak TER to Metz. #LaFranceTractée

And then, for the last time on this trip, the lovely grey-orange combination that is the livrée béton shimmered in the distance and the unmistakable singing of a Corail train at speed filled the air. 🥰 #LaFranceTractée

Small town France. 🥰 #LaFranceTractée

They qualify for #LaFranceTractée as they are pulled and pushed by a class BB 22200 at the Strasbourg end, which "SNCF connect" oddly still shows in TER Sud livery. In reality, they sport the TER Fluo livery with the mandatory graffiti tags. Anyway, it shuttled me to Benfeld, quick stop at the Intermarché for essential French grocery shopping and then off to the line.

36° in Nogent-le-Rotrou. 🥵 But it wasn't significantly cooler in my AirBnB without air con. So I could go for an evening bike ride as well. 10 km mostly in the shade of forests and across a tiny little footbridge across river Huisne. Again: This country is so beautiful! 😍 #LaFranceTractée

I absolutely love these voies vertes along the French canals. No cars, flat, often good asphalt and almost always in beautiful surroundings. 😍 #LaFranceTractée

At the level crossing. #LaFranceTractée

And then: Off towards home. Interesting trains in Nogent and Paris Gare de l'Est, where I missed my TGV. Not enough time buffer for 25 mins delay on arrival at Montparnasse and Métro 4 being out of service. Rebooking on the next one luckily wasn't an issue on a Thursday at noon. #LaFranceTractée

As I managed to secure the rest of the photos from the corrupted CF card and as my next France trip this weekend won't happen as the line literally went up in flames, here's a bit more from last week's #LaFranceTractée extra evening. Reason for the short trip: The RRR are back! 😃 Prenez garde à la fermeture automatique des portes, attention au départ!

A last Corail ride through the evening, a last night in France. #LaFranceTractée

What makes me particularly nervous about the future of old Grand-Est stock are these ugly blue blobs here, the 30 cross-border Régiolis. As long as they're not used on the #CrossBorderRail lines they were bought for (and for me, it's impossible to tell whether they ever will be), SNCF deploys them on domestic diagrams, where they replace older stock. And with nearly 30 units (a few are in service to Offenburg), you can replace quite a lot. #LaFranceTractée

21:30, sunset in Nogent-le-Rotrou. Even if you wouldn't know, you can somehow tell that this has been an extraordinarily hot day by this insane colour of the light. 🥰 #LaFranceTractée

My destination was the small station of Condé-sur-Huisne. The fast trains aren't stopping here but I thought, it would make a nice backdrop for a Corail train. And after many fantôme liveried locos the last days, SNCF even sent a "béton"! 😍 #LaFranceTractée

I probably did start this Alsace focus a few years too late... The TER200, once pristine Corail rakes in the colourful Alsace livery, are now a mess of different designs and many coaches are covered in graffiti - or as I call it - the "livrée TER fléau". But their future is quite nebulous (no replacement in sight, but Castex himself was here to address the local's complaints!), so better make the best out of it. #LaFranceTractée

I. Don't. Like. TGV. ❌ Why are they always such mess? 🙄 Boarding at Gare de l'Est 30 mins delayed and absolutely chaotic. But finally I got my high speed coffee and soon after arrived in Strasbourg. A very fast shopping at the nearest Carrefour und then a sprint to track 30. Wait, that's not the track for Basel... 🤨 #LaFranceTractée

The second Corail of the day would have passed perfectly after sunrise. But remember, it was still cancelled. Instead, this construction train, very probably from tonight's track works around Maintenon, 80 km away (!), passed from behind. #LaFranceTractée

There is another bridge further down the valley. The sun was already dangerously close to the treetops, when SNCF finally sent a Corail. Even with a TER Alsace liveried carriage just behind the loco. 😊 #LaFranceTractée

And with a beautiful soft light, the day faded away. #LaFranceTractée

P comme puissance. #LaFranceTractée

At the end of my recent France trip, I assumed the 22200+RRR consists went into summer break just like the 67400 on the St-Dié line. Turns out it was just a heatwave break! Off to Sélestat to carry out the original plans from two weeks ago. #LaFranceTractée

No use to wait, the light would've been gone when the last Corail of the evening would pass an hour later. So I ended my first short visit to the Normandie and took a train back to Nogent, where the last Corail arrived delayed, just minutes after the last bit of sunlight was gone. #LaFranceTractée

I avoided the crowded TER 2NNG on the fast service to Le Mans. I usually like these trains, but they're not great for the bike as they lack good luggage space. Instead, I took the later stopping service with a Pays de Loire AGC. As two days ago, it was nearly empty. #LaFranceTracté

Seit Juni will ich für ein Foto nach Südwest-Frankreich.

1. Versuch: Hitzewelle > 40°. Abgesagt.
2. Versuch 2 Wochen später: Hitzewelle, 40°. Abgesagt.
3. Versuch, wieder zwei Wochen später: TGV wegen Hitze-Folgeschäden gestrichen. Abgesagt.
4. Versuch, nächstes Wochenende: Prognose Hitzewelle > 40°.

Was ist das eigentlich für eine verd*** Kacksch*** von Sommer?! 🤬

And then, a minute or so before sunset, a freight train in the right direction! 🤯 Finally, the first one since Dormans on the very first evening on this trip! But sadly, this also was the photo spot of #LaFranceTractée.

Prochain arrêt: Nogent-le-Rotrou. #LaFranceTractée

The brutal ringing of a French level crossing bell cut through the morning's silence like a sharp knife. Bright LED lights appeared in the distance. And it was the fantôme! Very good! 😊 #LaFranceTractée

And this RRR passed not a single minute too early! Enter: Clouds! ☁️ (dramatic sound) I made a classic rookie mistake: Only checking the weather *at* the spot, but not a few dozen kilometres away towards the sun. #LaFranceTractée

«We will créer un réseau de bus for our belle ville de Nogent. Messieurs, I want to 'ear propositions pour le brand!» — «No Bus» «Génial!» Apparently, a later maire did speak English and they changed it. #LaFranceTractée

But not before another photo! ☝️ Assuming that the locos stay on their trains from yesterday evening, one of the two Corail should be lead by a "béton"! But the sun rises late in the west, 06:10 only. Which would mean the first train would pass without light - 50% chance that it's not the "béton". 😬 But first: An AGC. #LaFranceTractée

It was a bit tricky with the long shadows, though. The point where I'd liked to have the loco to still have a good view on the building was already in the dark, so I had to adapt. Or is this version better? I can't decide, what do you think? That one or the one from the post above? 🤔 #LaFranceTractée

The next day started how the last one ended. With beautiful light and way too high temperatures. And the forecast was, that it would only get worse. I decided that this would be sadly be the last day of #LaFranceTractée.

TIL dass Interrail-Reservationen bei TGV Lyria für innerfranzösische Reisen wie bei normalen TGV "nur" 12 Euro kosten. Die 31-Euro-Abzocke gilt nur, wenn die Schweizer Grenze überquert wird! 🤬