Jon Worth - Jon Worth (Page 16)

Jon Worth

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Jon Worth

European, originally a Brit, became German, moved to France. Runs #CrossBorderRail project, writes a newsletter about railways. Green, lives happily without a car Normally stuck on a train, stuck in a village, or escaping either on a folding bicycle

Now Dresden-Wrocław trains are cancelled for good - third piece of bad news for PL-DE rail this winter alone

Following the end of the Berlin - Wrocław EC Wawel (early December 2014), Frankfurt(Oder) - Poznań RegionalExpress trains (end December 2014), we now have the news that Dresden - Wrocław RegionalExpress trains will cease at the end of February 2015. News of this cancellation can be found here in

Brits going to Spain at May bank holiday: you're probably paying too much for car hire

As regular readers of this blog are surely now aware, I have become quite fascinated by the tricks used by car hire companies to wring more money out of their customers. I first reported on this in summer 2014, and revisited the example in early February 2015. I have since

"Source market pricing" - euphemism for car hire companies screwing customers

Following my presentation yesterday at a European Commission event about services in the EU Single Market (blog entry here, slides here), I was told by a representative of Leaseurope that Hertz charging someone using hertz.be €20.06 more for 4 days of precisely the same car hire in Brussels

Revisiting car hire price discrimination - 1 step forward (Europcar), 2 steps back (Hertz, Avis)

Back in July 2014 I discovered some price discrimination in prices for car hire, when hiring a car for a Belgium-Germany trip. The details of that discrimination can be found here, and the largest difference was €5.47. Little did I know that the European Commission was looking at the

A rail postcard from Mannheim

Dear Violeta, Since my postcard from Forst (Lausitz) in December I've travelled the length and breadth of Germany by rail (even stopping off to hear you speak at the Schwarkopf Stiftung in Berlin), and today I am sending you a virtual postcard from Mannheim. I have no idea

My attention-seeking Blaze bicycle light

My attention-seeking Blaze bicycle light

As a person I seldom stand out, at least to look at - I am of medium height and medium build, my hair is plain and I choose my clothes precisely so as no-one remarks about them. If you passed me in the street your head would not turn, and

Bundestag hearing on long distance rail, night trains, Autozug

On Wednesday 14th January at 1100, 3 members of the Bundestag from Die Linke - Sabine Leidig, Herbert Behrens and Caren Lay - are organising a public hearing about long distance rail in Europe. The title of this is "Rückzug der Deutschen Bahn AG bei Nacht- und Autoreisezügen stoppen

Frankfurt(Oder) - Poznań regional trains axed from 1st January 2015

Following my post about the final EC Wawel, and the funding absurdity for PKP's new high speed trains in Poland, here's yet more bad news when it comes to Germany-Poland rail connections - the two daily regional trains each way in each direction between Frankfurt(Oder)

How €93 million of EU money prevents Polish trains being used EU-wide

Polish Railways PKP has just launched its Pendolino EIC Premium service - a fleet of brand new, 250km/h capable Alstom trains that connect Gdansk, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice and Krakow. The trains are the first capable of speeds greater than 200km/h in central and eastern Europe, and were hence

A rail postcard from Forst (Lausitz)

Dear Violeta*, I'm a regular long distance rail traveller, and when things used to go wrong with EU-wide rail I would write postcards here on my blog to your predecessor, Siim Kallas. You can find old postcards from Hendaye, Göteborg and Liège. This is my first postcard to

Stuck between public service and a for-profit company, Deutsche Bahn is not benefitting passengers

I travel a lot on German railways. Barely a week goes by without me making a long distance trip from Berlin to Brussels (via Köln), or somewhere further afield. I paid the company more than €2000 in the calendar year 2013, and the sum will be roughly the same in

Building an organisation to defend EU-wide rail

The Vindobona EuroCity train has been connecting Berlin with Vienna daily since 1957. But from mid-December this year the route will cease to exist. This service that operated across the Iron Curtain is being seen off by liberalisation and the profit drive of EU railways. The Paris - Berlin night

Review: Raleigh Nightflight 8G Men 2013

Review: Raleigh Nightflight 8G Men 2013

A year ago, immediately after moving to Berlin, I made one of the biggest single purchases I've ever made - a new bicycle, a Raleigh Nightflight 8G Men 2013, purchased from Radhaus Pankow for €649 (recommended price: €799). For 2014, Raleigh released a slightly updated Nightflight 2014, and

The Guardian - "End of the line for Europe's iconic night trains?"

The Guardian - "End of the line for Europe's iconic night trains?"

The Guardian - "End of the line for Europe's iconic night trains?", 12.09.2014 "Railways are still the most environmentally sustainable and comfortable way of getting around Europe. You cannot expect people to spend a day on a train – you can expect them to

Villo! + MOBIB = 6 months of free cycling in Brussels

I recently saw an advert in the Brussels Metro offering 6 months of free membership of the Villo! cycle share scheme. At the time of writing this offer is valid for the next 3 weeks (until the end of September 2014), but may be repeated. Villo! is the communal hire

What does it take for the Commission to take a Schengen complaint seriously?

Back in May I was subjected to the most extraordinary border control identity check at Perpignan station. I have blogged the transcript of the encounter here, and sent this to the European Commission, hoping they see this as non-Schengen compliant. The redacted letter of response from the Commission is here:

Targus replacement wheels

Just over three years ago I purchased a Targus TEV001EU Business Roller Notebook Case. The case had good reviews on Amazon and the price was good as well. After two years of frequent use, one wheel on the case broke and the other has worn down to the extent it

Price discrimination in car hire Belgium-Germany

I want to rent a car in Brussels for 4 days at the end of August, for a trip to Germany for Rhein on Skates. The round trip will be about 900km, with 2 drivers. We need a small car - Polo or Clio or something like that. I have

The evolution of bicycles in Beijing

Beijing is a city known for its bikes. Despite the Chinese obsession with the car, and the city's smog problem, cycling still seems to work quite well in China's capital city. Most large streets have cycle paths on the sides, used by regular cyclists and a

The Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan

I have just returned from 10 days spent in Beijing. One day the friend there I was staying with and I planned a trip to the Great Wall of China, and decided to make the journey to Shanhaiguan, 300km east of Beijing, where the wall meets the sea for a

Non-Schengen (and non-French law?) compliant border control at Perpignan, 31st May, 1106

Three officers of the French Police Nationale boarded TGV 9702 at Perpignan at around 11am on 31st May, reaching my seat at 1106. The TGV was still stationary in Perpignan at this time, due to an obstacle on the tracks further north that held the train in the station approximately

Commission replies to my Rzepin Schengen complaint

Back on 11th March I documented an interesting incident at the Polish-German border between Rzepin and Frankfurt(Oder) where a Polish border guard demanded my passport and would not accept a driving license as I was about to cross the border. For me this crossed the border between what is

Non-Schengen compliant border control between Rzepin and Frankfurt (Oder), 11th March 2014, 2156

3 police officers or border guards, 2 Polish and 1 German as far as I could tell (the one who spoke to me was Polish) boarded train EC 40, the Warszawa - Berlin express, at Rzepin on 11th March 2014. I was in the front carriage of the train, where

A rail postcard from Liège

Dear Siim, I'm writing to you today from Liège. In one way this is a surprise, in that I am not supposed to be in Liège, but judging from experience I suppose it was inevitable I was going to have to write to you from here at some