This is the start of the #CrossBorderRail Day 07 thread

I’ll post the video and data as soon as I can, but the mobile network is patchy here in the train near Verviers

But I’m 😡🤬 this morning. Because of Deutsche Bahn, and then the German police…

I needed a ticket across the border - from Aachen 🇩🇪 to Hergenrath 🇧🇪. It’s a 9 minute journey.

I went to the Reisezentrum at Aachen and asked for a ticket Aachen Süd Grenze to Hergenrath. That’s strictly the part of the line Deutschlandticket isn’t valid.

“We can’t sell from fictitious stations” (border points) the guy told me. You have to buy from Aachen. It’ll be 8 Euro.

8 Euro? No way. I refused…

Went to a DB ticket machine. Also 8 Euro.

Went to the SNCB ticket machine (there is one in Aachen): €4,50

So bought that

Here we are. Two old “Staatsbahnen” and they can’t even get themselves organised to sell a NORMAL PRICE ticket for the same amount on the same route

Then I go to the platform. Bike bags. Carrying my bike, folded, in its cover.

And get controlled by the Bundespolizei

😡

“Where are you going?”
“Why?”
“Why do you speak German?”
“Where are you from?”
“Are you carrying drugs?”

Eh seriously. I’m on a bike tour.

“Why are you nervous?”

Then I snapped back. Because I’m sick of this! I’m sick of trains at borders being controlled!

“But there are more people on a train” the officer reported

Eh dude. I’ve crossed a good few borders in my life and I know that’s not the reason

This was a road border at Aachen yesterday for example

“We’re doing this against cross border criminality!” the guy counters

Well why are you checking me when I’m going to Belgium? And why at every other damned border there’s never anyone, ever

His colleague meanwhile was leafing through my passport and photographing it with their phone

I’m so damned tired of this. I’ve NEVER been controlled on the street in Germany. But I’m controlled “stichprobenartig” (at random) at borders all too damned often.

And what’s the purpose of all of this, other than giving Bundespolizei pleasure at being able to be nasty to people?

They control trains because poor people take trains. That’s it. Drive a car and you can perform your criminality freely in a border region.

And this was my investigation at the Polish border last year https://jonworth.eu/illegal-and-systematic-non-schengen-compliant-border-controls-at-frankfurt-oder-31-august-2022-every-train-controlled-every-train-delayed/

Also what’s the cost benefit analysis of this?

Does doing this make any operational sense?

Strikes me all this does is pick up stupid or vulnerable people.

Oh and HAPPY EUROPE DAY people!

Celebrate European integration working unless you’re trying to cross a EU border by train

Here I am at a road border yesterday where it works. And happier than I am today!

Also in response to all of this, I need no sympathy. I can handle this at borders. I’m a white guy and I know the rules. I’m about the least likely person to be singled out or face prejudice.

But if I’m facing this, imagine the hell anyone of any minority, or someone without the ability to argue back faces.

This whole situation makes me so angry.

Liège - Rivage - Marloie is a nice line through the Ardennes

Sy. Belgium’s shortest station sign 😊

Onwards… to Arlon. This IC is running late, meaning I could catch it in Marloie. With a bit of luck it’ll then get me to Luxembourg earlier, although there are disruptions on the line

On this border stuff, it’s a basic mentality error

Poor person crossing border = suspicious

Rich person crossing border = normal

And where and when to conduct controls is based on that

The supposed idea in the EU’s #Schengen area is that we’re free to move, whether rich or poor, but the behaviour of the police hasn’t caught up with that

30% of the EU population lives in border regions. A good number of those people will be poor. And - shock! - they too will cross borders

I find myself struggling in EU politics just now. I’ve devoted most of my professional life to it, one way or another (President of JEF-Europe, teaching at College of Europe, blogging about EU politics etc.)

I’m as much of a anti-nationalist as anyone could find

But damn the difference between the rhetoric from EU politicians and the reality on the ground are so far apart

I actually *live* this EU, and when you do it’s not as shiny as it looks from Brussels

And just imagine if police controlled - say - every 10th passenger on trains between Berlin and Erkner (Berlin to Brandenburg) or Bruxelles and Vilvoorde (Bruxelles Capitale to Vlaanderen). There’d be MASSIVE backlash.

But control on an international route? Pfff, politics 🤷‍♂️

😅 SNCB App in English tells me full delay info is only available in French and Dutch. Switch to French… and it tells me check the Luxembourg (CFL) railways site!

Second #CrossborderRail ticket fail of the day

Earlier: Aachen 🇩🇪 to Hergenrath 🇧🇪 - €4,50 to bridge the gap between my Deutschlandticket being valid, and SNCB Standard Multi valid from the first Belgian station

Now: Arlon 🇧🇪 - Kleinbettingen 🇱🇺 - €2,60 from Arlon to the border, because Standard Multi isn’t valid and once in Luxembourg public transport is free

🇧🇪 🇩🇪 can’t you make your passes work *to the border* instead of *the last station before the border*?

Next: RE to Kreuz-Konz 🇩🇪 (if it has stopped raining!) or Trier (if it’s still raining)

This one *should* work without extra tickets - the train in Luxembourg is free, and in Germany #DeutschlandTicket should work from the border. We’ll see…

And I’m doing this by train today. Last year I took the Wasserbillig 🇱🇺 - Oberbillig 🇩🇪 ferry to cross here instead

Just checked with the train manager

#Deutschlandticket IS ok on this Luxembourg - Koblenz train (I am going as far as Konz or Trier)

The Luxembourg part is free, and #Deutschlandticket is valid from the border

So so far I've only found DE-NL Weener-Bad Nieuweschans and DE-BE Aachen-Hergenrath where operators haven't found a way to make it work