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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 16, 2026, 4:05 PM

    And the traditional visit using a rental city bicycle.

    What can I say? Based on the route I took, Prague is one of the worst places to cycle in Europe. Cycling infrastructure is close to non-existent except for cheap paint to mark a zone at red lights, which you can't access due to traffic jams. The rare cyclists I've seen used the tram tracks to go around.

    That's a shame because the Czech railways are one of the best in Europe, also in terms of allowing bicycles on board. 🤷‍♂️ #urbanism #Prague

    3-lane unidirectional highway with a small cycling lane in the dooring area of cars parked in parallel. The cycling lane didn't last 100 meters.
    Narrow lane on a bridge filled with a traffic jam, and tram tracks next to it that a cyclist rolls into. There is also a small sign for cycling directions on a lamp post, barely readable from this distance.
    Cheap marking for a cycling area in front of a traffic light, on a paved street with tram tracks.
    Narrow sidewalk with a solid fence separating it from a 3-lane unidirectional road, in a dense area with 5-floor buildings. No space for trees with all these cars of course.
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Replies

  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 16, 2026, 4:13 PM

    Another sign that a city doesn't take cycling seriously: a sign forbidding electric scooters in a 30 km/h area infested with parked cars. And no space to plant trees of course.

    The only slight upsides I've seen: a central zone limiting traffic of heavy vehicles, and the occasional safer cycling lane on a wide sidewalk. Be careful though: it's usually a trap ending at the next intersection. #Prague #Czechia #Motonormativity

    Paved 30 km/h zone in a touristic area, with a sign forbidding electric scooters. Despite parked cars taking a lot of space on both sides.
    Cyclists waiting behind a tram, because the parallel lane is blocked by a car traffic jam.
    Zone limited to 3.5T vehicles from 8am to 6pm on weekdays.
    Cycling lane on a wide sidewalk between a park and a row of cars parked parallel to the street.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 10:59 AM

    More of #Prague: the infamous highway in front of the train station, typical residential streets full of cars parked on the surface (with the occasional bicycle parking zone in unused corners), vintage tramway car.

    Lots of motonormativity, but I guess it could be worse if the self-proclaimed "selfish motorists" party was in power here. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorist

    3-lane highway along the main station tracks.
    3-lane highway in the other direction coming from the train station, with tram tracks in between.
    Residential street with cars parked diagonally on both sides. A small zone of a couple square meters is reserved for bicycle parking next to the pedestrian crossing, without anything to attach a bike. It's basically only used to keep the free-floating bicycles out of the way.
    Vintage tram car in a street free of parked cars.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 11:23 AM

    At least you'll find a pedestrian zone in the historic center. And bicycles aren't banned there, you may even find racks to attach your bicycle!

    Wide pedestrianized avenue, leading to the national museum in the background.
    Sign announcing the entrance of the pedestrian zone, with bicycles and taxis allowed, and some bicycle directions.
    Pedestrian zone with bicycle racks.
    Bicycle directions. The bicycle routes are numbered, the upcoming street is route A40.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 12:25 PM

    And now off to a 26h journey all the way to Nice! 🚂 It could have been 24h, but I prefer having more buffer before the night train.

    The trip starts with lunch in a brand-new ComfortJet train. It was wise to start eating straight away, as the 5 restaurant tables got crowded as soon as the next stop of Pardubice. Some people even sat in 3+2 configuration instead of the planned 2+1.

    #CeskeDrahy #ComfortJet

    Control car at the first class end of the ComfortJet train.
    Entrance door with 4 steps to the back of the restaurant.
    Restaurant table for 2 people on each side, but some ended up sitting 3 abreast.
    Vegetarian meal with rice and chickpeas.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 2:05 PM

    Former coal power plant (now gas) right in the center of Brno, where most people left.

    Finally passing close to Austerlitz after so many train journeys from Paris' Austerlitz station.

    The famous locomotive depot of Břeclav.

    Brno Špitálka power plant, with the former coal cooling tower, and the more recent gas chimneys.
    Brno station with the cathedral in the background.
    Hilly landscape between Brno and Břeclav, near what was known as Austerlitz some centuries ago.
    Břeckav station at the end of a shunting yard, with a row of PKP Cargo locomotives parked in the background.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 5:33 PM

    Arrived in Vienna with only a couple of minutes of delay. Verdict: the ComfortJet is a very good option, prefer it over RegioJet on the Prague-Vienna route if you value comfort.

    The generous bicycle space was unused today at the arrival in Vienna, but I didn't check earlier in Czechia. #CyclingOnRails #KoloVeVlaku

    Special mention to the children corner with on-board cinema, a classic of Czech railways.

    Danube in Vienna taken from the railway bridge.
    Bicycle area with 7 foldable seats lined up on one side.
    Second-class seating area.
    Children cinema corner.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 18, 2026, 5:42 PM

    With 3 hours to my night train, there was plenty of time for another train spotting session. Even the next generation of train spotters was there! 😄

    Parent and child seated at the end of a platform, looking towards tracks in the evening light, while an old diesel railcar approaches.
    Old ÖBB diesel railcar behind a red signal.
    Same railcar covered in graffiti from the other side.
    Bicycle area (4 vertical hooks) at the entrance of this railcar.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 8:16 AM

    RegioJet Prague-Budapest in more detail but not too much, the platform was full of people and don't expect any bicycle spot nor large luggage space here.

    RegioJet Pool yellow locomotive.
    Yellow carriage with lots of logos for amenities (hot beverage, bottle beverage, journal, snowflake, WiFi), even though not much else than seats to see from the windows.
    A glimpse at seats and overhead luggage racks through the windows.
    A sign indicating the narrow luggage rack at the end of the carriage. It's translated as "storage room for passengers" 🤔
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 8:23 AM

    The first night train of the evening is headed to Brussels. Apparently SNCF lobbied to keep their logos on there despite slashing the Paris-Vienna/Berlin services. 😤

    I then went for bite across the street, with a departure board in the restaurant. Which of course told me I missed the night train to Kyiv. 😯 But I was too hungry anyway, so that'll be for another time.

    Red ÖBB locomotive.
    Dark blue nightjet couchette car.
    Sleeping car with a "nightjet team SNCF" logo.
    Meal with a list of departures and platforms on the background screen, including the 19:08 to Bucuresti & Kyiv.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 9:08 AM

    About the storage boxes: it took me a while to firgure out how to unlock them: you have to tap your card on the *main* (and only) reader next to the cabin entrance. Then all your lockers flash green and open.

    The shoe box is just enough for regular shoes but you have to slide them sideways. My 40 liter duffel bag fit with a bit of margin in the front. #Nightjet #MiniCabin

    Card reader next to the mini-cabin.
    Green light next to the luggage locker.
    My shoes slided sideways in the box.
    Duffel bag in the box.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 9:37 AM

    As noted by @stefanlindbohm, you'll find generous luggage racks for larger items in the seating car just after the last mini-cabins.

    Back to the cabin: I'll note that it's just large enough to fit myself lying, with shoulders and feet touching the walls. On the plus side it's well soundproof (at least in the middle of the car away from the wheels i.e. cabins 50s), except when talkative passengers board late. 🙄 Main downside is the lack of temperature control, it was on the hot side for me.

    Corridor with 3 luggage shelves on each side before seats.
    Detail of the luggage shelves, with 3 levels and small embedded lockers. Shelves are separated by plastic walls, so items that are too long don't officially fit, but I guess you could leave them on the floor in front of them.
    Closed separator and mini-cabin window.
    Opened air ventilation above the head in the cabin.
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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 20, 2026, 6:53 PM

    After a 4:40am wake-up knock on the door by the crew (around Padova), the train arrived with just 5 minutes of delay at 5:44 in Bologna. I was bracing for a dreadful 2h wait in an empty morning station, but Italy being a sensible country, there were already plenty of regional trains running, as well as coffee places opening around 6am. #NotFrance #NotSNCF

    So the day started with another impromptu #TrainSpotting session!

    Breakfast box with 2 bread buns and a hot chocolate in the foldable table of the Nightjet mini-cabin.
    ÖBB locomotive at the front of the Nightjet with the Bologna Centrale sign at the end of the platform.
    Departure board with 20 trains + 1 bus scheduled from 05:42 to 06:45.
    Hitachi Rock double-decker regional train just across the platform.
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  • Stefan Lindbohmstefanlindbohm@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 9:23 AM

    @cycling_on_rails Good to know is that if your luggage doesn’t fit, there are extra racks in the seating car with security wires that can be locked with any NFC thing (like a bank card). When I travel with bags, I just board straight onto the seating car and lock the big bag there and then move inside the train to the cabin. Same procedure when getting off, I get out via the seating car.

    Additional benefit is that many times you can sit in a real seat there after they steal all the beddings :)

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  • Cycling on Railscycling_on_rails@mastodon.social
    Oct 19, 2026, 10:08 AM

    @oheso Bottom. I figured it'd be easier to go in and out. Although that sometimes means feet from the person above in front of your face. 😅

    View from inside of the mini-cabin, looking outside towards the corridor. The person from the above mini-cabin is seating, with their shoes just in front of me.
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  • plactagonicplactagonic@f.cz
    Oct 19, 2026, 7:47 AM

    @cycling_on_rails The bike space is quite generous but for bikes I still prefer bit different trains just because of the fact that the rear derailleur digs in to the seat. It wasn't an issue when I took it 2 months ago but I was still bit scared when I noticed it.

    If you want feel free to "borrow" my photos with more bikes and details of the hook.

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  • Megan Lynchml@eldritch.cafe
    Oct 16, 2026, 4:29 PM

    @cycling_on_rails I was hoping Honest Guide would have made a video on this, but it seems they're not as interested in this. Although they do make some videos on parking in Prague.

    Here's cycling in Prague as a harrowing "video game", though. youtube.com/shorts/FLAAXSODJow

    You might need to amend to "the EU" because Tirana is far harder to cycle in safely than what is shown in that video. At least in Czechia the infrastructure doesn't seem as broken - I mean literally broken.

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  • 波鉄 (Hatetsu)HaTetsu@mastodon.com.pl
    Oct 16, 2026, 4:32 PM

    @cycling_on_rails Yes, Prague is really, really terrible for cycling, worse than most large cities in Poland, probably. On the other hand, they seem to do well with public transit

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