Welcome to today's thread - 2025 #CrossBorderRail Finale Day 38 - 24 July - Dobrich - Poveljanovo - Karnobat - Dimitrovgrad, onto night train
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@jon I should also be crossing that border tonight with the night train from Sofia
@carl how are you crossing the border? Bus or bike? If bike the road gets better Romanian side
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@carl how are you crossing the border? Bus or bike? If bike the road gets better Romanian side
@jon I'm taking the night train from Sofia to Istanbul. So the Bulgarien-Turkish border
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Here's today's #CrossBorderRail music track
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
They Might Be GiantsThis one is in for the title more than anything!
- YouTube
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
(www.youtube.com)
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 145 of 167
RE 28203
09:40 Dobrich - Poveljanovo 10:56
BDZTrain type: Luhanskyj Teplowosobudiwnyj Sawod 07 diesel locomotive, 1 carriage (1 further carriages locked)
️
: 
(not officially allowed, but you'd manage)
🦽:
️
🛜:️
️: ️
🧳:
(ok once in, but hellish high and narrow steps to get in)️
🧽:
️ (not been cleaned properly in years)
Interrail: (accepted, although the BDZ gadget could not scan the Interrail QR code) -
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 145 of 167
RE 28203
09:40 Dobrich - Poveljanovo 10:56
BDZTrain type: Luhanskyj Teplowosobudiwnyj Sawod 07 diesel locomotive, 1 carriage (1 further carriages locked)
️: (not officially allowed, but you'd manage)
🦽:️
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (ok once in, but hellish high and narrow steps to get in)️
🧽:️ (not been cleaned properly in years) Interrail: (accepted, although the BDZ gadget could not scan the Interrail QR code)RE 28203
09:40 Dobrich - Poveljanovo 10:56Distance: 66.9km
Average speed: 53km/h10 stops:
Donchevo
Botevo
Oborishte
General Kiselovo
Valchi dol
Suvorovo
Chernevo
Kipra
Devnja
PoveljanovoThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/43.3733/27.6845
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RE 28203
09:40 Dobrich - Poveljanovo 10:56Distance: 66.9km
Average speed: 53km/h10 stops:
Donchevo
Botevo
Oborishte
General Kiselovo
Valchi dol
Suvorovo
Chernevo
Kipra
Devnja
PoveljanovoThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#11/43.3733/27.6845
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 146 of 167
RE 30152
11:47 Poveljanovo - Karnobat 14:14
BDZTrain type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 3 carriages
️ (25kV ac): (not officially, but there would be enough space)
🦽:️
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (better than first train of the day, but still high steps up, but doors are at least wider, good once inside)️
🧽:️ (toilets stink, windows are covered in grime) Interrail: (accepted, but BDZ employee got angry - she had no gadget to scan the QR code. I shrugged!) -
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 146 of 167
RE 30152
11:47 Poveljanovo - Karnobat 14:14
BDZTrain type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 3 carriages
️ (25kV ac): (not officially, but there would be enough space)
🦽:️
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (better than first train of the day, but still high steps up, but doors are at least wider, good once inside)️
🧽:️ (toilets stink, windows are covered in grime) Interrail: (accepted, but BDZ employee got angry - she had no gadget to scan the QR code. I shrugged!)RE 30152
11:47 Poveljanovo - Karnobat 14:14Distance: 130.2km
Average speed: 53km/h24 stops:
Razdelna
Trastikovo
Sindel
Junak
Nova Shipka
Velichkovo
Dalgopol
Borjana
Komunari
Asparuhovo
Struja
Trаnak
Dropla-spirka
Daskotna
Listec
Ljuljakovo
Zavet Sp.
Zavet
Vedrovo
Podvis
Klimash
Lozarevo
Valchin
KarnobatThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/42.9403/27.3690
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RE 30152
11:47 Poveljanovo - Karnobat 14:14Distance: 130.2km
Average speed: 53km/h24 stops:
Razdelna
Trastikovo
Sindel
Junak
Nova Shipka
Velichkovo
Dalgopol
Borjana
Komunari
Asparuhovo
Struja
Trаnak
Dropla-spirka
Daskotna
Listec
Ljuljakovo
Zavet Sp.
Zavet
Vedrovo
Podvis
Klimash
Lozarevo
Valchin
KarnobatThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/42.9403/27.3690
Today is confirming my previous impression: both BDZ
& CFR 
are starved of cash and investment, but damn the Bulgarians do a better job keeping the basics running better than the Romanians do! -
Today is confirming my previous impression: both BDZ
& CFR are starved of cash and investment, but damn the Bulgarians do a better job keeping the basics running better than the Romanians do!BDZ station masters
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BDZ station masters
My next train takes me to Dimitrovgrad
Which like Dimitrovgrad
AND Dimitrovgrad 
is named after Georgi Dimitrov, the first post WWII Bulgarian communist leader -
My next train takes me to Dimitrovgrad
Which like Dimitrovgrad
AND Dimitrovgrad is named after Georgi Dimitrov, the first post WWII Bulgarian communist leaderIn response to a point raised by @vorortanleiter about air conditioning of the ex-DB carriages bought by BDZ
The carriages BDZ purchased from BDZ could accept head end power 1000V ac 16.7Hz and 50Hz, but the rest of BDZ’s fleet is 1500V 50Hz
So - as purchased - these carriages would have had no working aircon, so BDZ must have swapped out the transformers
(Edited: I had what the original standard was wrong)
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In response to a point raised by @vorortanleiter about air conditioning of the ex-DB carriages bought by BDZ
The carriages BDZ purchased from BDZ could accept head end power 1000V ac 16.7Hz and 50Hz, but the rest of BDZ’s fleet is 1500V 50Hz
So - as purchased - these carriages would have had no working aircon, so BDZ must have swapped out the transformers
(Edited: I had what the original standard was wrong)
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 147 of 167
R 8612
15:36 Karnobat - Dimitrovgrad 18:23
BDZTrain type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 4 carriages
️ (25kV ac): (no space foreseen but you’d likely make it work)
🦽:️ (no disabled accessible carriage)
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (by standards of this region v good! Wide-ish steps, good space)
🧽: (even in a few months since sale DB to BDZ cleanliness slipping) Interrail: or (officially comp res, but at Karnobat they told me just get in!) -
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 147 of 167
R 8612
15:36 Karnobat - Dimitrovgrad 18:23
BDZTrain type: Siemens Vectron locomotive, 4 carriages
️ (25kV ac): (no space foreseen but you’d likely make it work)
🦽:️ (no disabled accessible carriage)
🛜:️️: ️
🧳: (by standards of this region v good! Wide-ish steps, good space)
🧽: (even in a few months since sale DB to BDZ cleanliness slipping) Interrail: or (officially comp res, but at Karnobat they told me just get in!)R 8612
15:36 Karnobat - Dimitrovgrad 18:23Distance: 182.1km
Average speed: 65km/h8 stops:
Straldzha
Zimnica
Jambol
Konjovo
Nova Zagora
Stara Zagora
Merichleri
DimitrovgradThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/42.4143/26.1701
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R 8612
15:36 Karnobat - Dimitrovgrad 18:23Distance: 182.1km
Average speed: 65km/h8 stops:
Straldzha
Zimnica
Jambol
Konjovo
Nova Zagora
Stara Zagora
Merichleri
DimitrovgradThis train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/42.4143/26.1701
Third time Dimitrovgrad on #CrossBorderRail
2x
1x
0x (obviously) -
Third time Dimitrovgrad on #CrossBorderRail
2x
1x
0x (obviously)Today has been super smooth crossing eastern Bulgaria
So many lines here improved in the past decade, impressive to see
Now four hours here in Dimitrovgrad before my night train
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Today has been super smooth crossing eastern Bulgaria
So many lines here improved in the past decade, impressive to see
Now four hours here in Dimitrovgrad before my night train
A question about the hair of Bulgarian men
Why are shaved heads or super short hair so very popular here?
At this restaurant there’s a group of 7 men (pictured, badly). 2 heads are shaved. 3 have a couple of mm. 2 have 1cm max.
It’s similar in the rest of the restaurant.
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A question about the hair of Bulgarian men
Why are shaved heads or super short hair so very popular here?
At this restaurant there’s a group of 7 men (pictured, badly). 2 heads are shaved. 3 have a couple of mm. 2 have 1cm max.
It’s similar in the rest of the restaurant.
This is the most weird sleeper compartment
It’s nice and roomy. There’s even a fridge. But this inefficient design makes the capacity super low
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This is the most weird sleeper compartment
It’s nice and roomy. There’s even a fridge. But this inefficient design makes the capacity super low
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 148 of 167
INT 493
23:03 Dimitrovgrad - İstanbul(Halkalı Garı) 06:20
CFR, BDZ, TCDDTrain type: Škoda 44, later Hyundai Rotem, TÜLOMSAŞ E68000, 4 carriages (1 further carriage to Svilengrad)
️ (25kV ac): ️
🦽:️
🛜:(here in BG there’s none, maybe after the border?)️: (I assume the attendant sells something? Oh and I have my own fridge)
🧳:
🧽: (spotless) Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs €35 for a single compartment - fair price) -
#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 148 of 167
INT 493
23:03 Dimitrovgrad - İstanbul(Halkalı Garı) 06:20
CFR, BDZ, TCDDTrain type: Škoda 44, later Hyundai Rotem, TÜLOMSAŞ E68000, 4 carriages (1 further carriage to Svilengrad)
️ (25kV ac): ️
🦽:️
🛜:(here in BG there’s none, maybe after the border?)️: (I assume the attendant sells something? Oh and I have my own fridge)
🧳:
🧽: (spotless) Interrail: (needs compulsory reservation, costs €35 for a single compartment - fair price)INT 493
23:03 Dimitrovgrad - İstanbul(Halkalı Garı) 06:20Distance: 359.7km
Average speed: 49km/h5 stops:
Svilengrad
Kapıkule
Edi̇rne
Çerkezköy
İstanbul(Halkalı Garı)This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#9/41.5394/27.1788
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INT 493
23:03 Dimitrovgrad - İstanbul(Halkalı Garı) 06:20Distance: 359.7km
Average speed: 49km/h5 stops:
Svilengrad
Kapıkule
Edi̇rne
Çerkezköy
İstanbul(Halkalı Garı)This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#9/41.5394/27.1788
Also what’s with the timetable of this?
When I booked it the arrival time was scheduled to be 06:20. Interrail reckons it’s 09:56!
And BDZ reckons it stops in more places in Bulgaria
I’ll get there sometime!
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Also what’s with the timetable of this?
When I booked it the arrival time was scheduled to be 06:20. Interrail reckons it’s 09:56!
And BDZ reckons it stops in more places in Bulgaria
I’ll get there sometime!
The bed is 1m 73 long. Errr… I’m 1m 83, not exactly tall but I don’t fit
Why did they put the ladder storage there instead of adding 4cm more bed?
