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!
Hitachi Rock, the latest generation of double-decker regional train in Italy, with generous bicycle areas right at the doors including European power plugs for e-bikes. #CyclingOnRails #MiaBiciNelTreno
Older regional train. Good these are getting replaced! #MiaBiciNelTreno
Regiolis, Italian edition. With more bicycle space than the equivalent in France (downside: it's vertical hooks). And power plugs for e-bikes. 💯 #CyclingOnRails #MiaBiciNelTreno
Lastly, this model from Stadler Rail. Can't get wrong. #MiaBiciNelTreno
With still more than an hour to spare, I had enough time to walk to Bologna's central square and back. Yes: a main station with night and high-speed connections less than 2km away from the center.
And pleasantly, the direct street was totally empty of cars, as it will host the new tramway once the electric wires are installed. #Bologna #tramway
Intercity Notte. #dawn
Tried business class for a change, direction Milano. #Trenitalia #Frecciarossa1000
Padano fog is real. 🌫️
Not much time to scout trains in Milano, but some outside pictures for completeness.
The journey went on with a direct intercity train to the French border in Ventimiglia. Older carriages but the seats are fine in first class too.
This train features a combined carriage with a large bicycle area, wheelchair space, and a bar. Unfortunately no food appears to be served nowadays. #CyclingOnRails #MiaBiciNelTreno
I guess nobody would complain if you brought a surfboard or other bulky items here, too bad the interesting waves aren't on the Mediterranean sea. #NotSNCF
Finishing this Italy tour with a "jazz" regional train, I haven't seen any official bicycle spots on board. #MiaBiciNelTreno
The journey continued into France, with a regional train from... Bretagne of course! The train made a long, scheduled stopped for illegal semi-systematic border controls breaking Schengen (the officer didn't even glance at my driving license from a meter away as my skin color didn't fit his target profile). #CrossBorderRail
And on to Nice, with the typical modern French approach of one entry/exit per platform so everyone wastes time in bottlenecks and detours. #SNCFail
I then saw a real Regio 2N in Zou! edition. Seats aren't too bad, but they borrowed the stupid concept of bicycle spaces with vertical hooks between walls that you also find for example in Pays-de-la-Loire and Normandie. So it's super complicated to manoeuver your bicycle up there.
The space near the vending machine if ok, but were the 3 folding seats really necessary? 🤔 #CyclingOnRails #MonVéloDansLeTrain
These days I got to meet with @bovine3dom and @apicultor in the Nice area, definitely let them know if you're passing by, they are wonderful people!
So I got a private tour of urbanism in the area. I'm posting mostly the optimistic good bits between Nice station and the beach, but rest assured that cars have plenty of space and that's not changing with the current far-right mayor. #urbanism #carbrainism
For more views of Nice, see my thread from 2 years ago: https://mastodon.social/@cycling_on_rails/112791197170944840
You can indeed see the bike lane that used to be on the street rather than along the beach.
@cycling_on_rails Yeah, I don't get why they got rid of the Piano Ribassato coaches first before continuing with decommissioning the MDVC.
@cycling_on_rails yep those BreizhGo units are set to stay here for quite a while (at least a year I believe on lease) but it's been quite amusing seeing them out and about along the coast. Drivers tell me that it gives them a chuckle when they get to use them on shift
@cycling_on_rails yeah those Transdev bike hooks are a royal pain in the rear especially for folks like me who have heavy ebikes to haul up onto them
Oct 23, 2026, 5:22 PM@cycling_on_rails @bovine3dom @apicultor I find it pretty ironic the town spend a fortune for a battery tram just to avoid catenary in an old town where tram ran in the past… with catenary.
@thias @bovine3dom @apicultor Yeah, I also saw the same in Bordeaux. No wires nor ticket machines nor information about upcoming trams at all at the Place de la Bourse stop. Just so that the view remains undisturbed... to the 2x2 lanes highway running just along. 🙄 #carbrainism #motonormativity #StadtBild
@cycling_on_rails hahaha that second picture is incredible. unspoilt!
@thias
The kicker is that Alstom offers a catenary- AND battery-free solution, and it's neat tech.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstom_APS
Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely fucking _not_ saying anyone should buy anything from Alstom. But there are definitely alternatives to batteries!
Oct 24, 2026, 3:50 PM@apicultor @cycling_on_rails @bovine3dom That sounds like over-designed third rail. I really don't see the problem with catenary for tramways…
@thias french towns have special requirements
Oct 24, 2026, 6:52 PM@bovine3dom @apicultor @cycling_on_rails yeah, no, yeah…
@cycling_on_rails @bovine3dom @apicultor last time I was there, one of the bike lanes (I think that was on Rue Gioffredo or Rue de l'Hotel des Postes) had massive planters in the middle of the lanes to force bikes to swing around for some reason.
@cycling_on_rails j'ai eu l'occasion d'aller ces dernières années fréquenter le réseau ferré italien (nord) et j'avais halluciné sur les systèmes de stockage de vélos dans les trains. Je me souviens que sitôt arrivé au pouvoir, le poutinolâtre Salvini s'était empressé de supprimer tout ce qui ressemble à une aide nationale aux vélos. Il y a peut-être le rôle particulier des régions en Italie ?
@nassigny Je n'ai pas cherché en détail pourquoi tel ou tel pays a de bons ou mauvais emplacements vélos dans les trains. En principe le client (région) décide du nombre de places minimum, mais ça dépend de ce que le fabricant a conçu et en stock. Chaque pays a son fabricant préféré donc la culture accessibilité du fabricant joue. Et il y a des économies d'échelle à commander le même intérieur (toutes les régions d'Italie semblent avoir le même modèle), donc ça peut se jouer au plus demandant.
@cycling_on_rails thanks for sharing, i forwarded your post to r/drehscheibe - big up !
@paraliebe Haha I gave up on Reddit as (besides all the algorithmic doomscrolling) posting self-made stuff is banned in most communities as self-promotion regardless of quality. Thanks for forwarding!
@cycling_on_rails you're welcome :)