Boarded my last train of today. Heading to Montluçon, the line I had planned few months ago bit a cancelled train had me change plans. So only obvious choice to find a routing via this line today.

Train is a single diesel AGC and afreshly renovated unit. I like what they done to it. Dont change a working concept just improve it.
Fresh modern colours and paint inside, new moquette, 220v & usb outlets everywhere, modern information screens, and best of all no more dirty un-cleanable carpetted ceilings.
Still always amazed how the AGC was a bombardier product and around same era the Talent too. An AGC is so much nicer with its bright spacious interior and seems much more versatile with its various diesel, electric and combinations available.

Travel recommendation : the 42044 from #Sivas to #Malatya is an absolute must-travel route in central Anatolia !

The train travels the same route as the Ankara-Diyarbakır Touristic Express others pay USD 500 for - but as a local train it's cheap as USD 5 or even included in InterRail.

From wide grass lands, little hills up to snowy mountains everything covered .

The train is by far one of the most comfortable regional trainsets I have seen so far. Little occupancy.

Reason for thar bus was ofcourse to ride the branch line back to Clermont-Ferrand. It just worked out in the transfer time I had in Clermont and also i rather be in a bus or train when its pissing rain.
My train will be two baleine bue. The front one having an interesting livery. Pays-de-Loire on one side and the original blue/grey TER livery on the other.

While the train departs the sun is also returning and the rain has stopped.

For the daily dose of french regional bus, heading down to Thiers with line X18. No questions about interrail validity this time. Being the main route to St Etienne I guess it sees pass users more often.

With a slight delay of 10 minutes arrived in Moulins. Another line crossed of the map.
Now heading towards Clermont-Ferrand with a Intercité made up of 14 corails hauled by a Sybic locomotive.

Coffee and fresh bread in hand heading out again to the station. 7:45 easter morning is even in france early enough for the bakery to not have his croissants ready. Got a sandwich instead.

First leg, the TER to Tours, shortened to Never due to engineering works. This is one of the few trains traveling towards Nevers via Paray-le-Monial instead Roanne. And rumors also this line is not 100% save from closing.

From Oyonnax it was easy onto trains again to my hotel in Lyon. Also entering the bus with interrail was no issue. The secret reservation shown in interrail app on TER busses is a ticket the bus driver can print. They select you travel on a SNCF fare and print a free ticket. Usually they refuse to hand it to you though, suspect they put it in some administration.

Todays recap:
- 6 Trains
- 1 Bus
- 549km total
- 8hr16m in transit

https://trainlog.me/public/trip/321077,321069,321085,321066,321062,321055,321050

Yes I could have left an hour later this morning on a direct train to Lyon, but whats the fun in that. #direkterWeg

Having a beer across the station waiting for the train, mind set the bus won't run. Looks what appears there, a regional bus... looks like it runs afterall.
The last train out leaves just before the bus, so happy to see it well in advance and driver confirms he will go to Oyonnax.

From Dijon I travelled into the Jura to complete the Ligne des Hirondelles. The dog shit timetables just worked out this time, or so I thought...

What a wonderfull line. Dont get scared by the short transfer at Andelot. The trains run through St. Claude - Dole, but combine and split in Andelot with Pontarlier trains.
#streckensammeln #interrail #ParisIsLava

Day 2 of the trip. Early start for a Nancy-Dijon train, a line without much passenger trains. It its a little bit better now the Nancy-Dijon intercity exists too. However that would bot allow the plan i got for the rest of day. So the TER an hour before the IC it is, with the IC as backup in mind.

Twice I tried to do this line before. Got pranked once by striking signallers and another time by a signal failure. Nlw atleast I'm on the train and we are moving. But just out of Nancy stopped unplanned because of a notice of people on the tracks... 15min later it luckily continued, but this lines seems to be cursed. #streckensammeln #ParisIsLava #interrail

Boarded my last train for today in Strasbourg. A nice comfy corail ride to Nancy. Departing +15m to wait for delayed passengers from Basel.

Little recap of todays detour.
- 9 Trains
- 1 Tram(-train)
- 809km
- 10hr37m

#interrail #streckensammeln #direkterWeg #ParisIsLava

https://trainlog.me/public/trip/320163,320162,320150,320161,320160,320158,320156,320153,319643,320165

As always... Germany is a shitshow... already regretting big time going via Germany... and planned trip is ready for the trashcan. Delay building every stop because these trains got idiotic detectors at the doors... just squeeze the people who block doors with the doors like other trains can do.