Sad border stations

[Birkonian]

Essen is indeed very dreary. The town itself mirrors that. A real dormitory town with not much going on although many nice houses. The line is very straight in both directions which makes it seem desolate. The station will spring to life in December when travellers from all around the world arrive for the Xmas beer festival, including me.

 

[rvdborgt]

Essen is indeed very dreary. The town itself mirrors that. A real dormitory town with not much going on although many nice houses. The line is very straight in both directions which makes it seem desolate. The station will spring to life in December when travellers from all around the world arrive for the Xmas beer festival, including me.

I hadn't heard about this festival before. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Przemysl (PL/UA) is another former sleepy border town which has become a major focus for emigrants/refugees from Ukraine, although the actual border posts are some 15km to the east.

Przemysl had already become a hub for traffic between Ukraine and EU countries. This story is from 2019.

ÖBB Launches Graz-Vienna-Przemysl Train With Convenient Transfers To Odesa And Lviv

The periods of connection of Ukrainian and Austrian trains will be 25 and 42 minutes in each direction.

en.cfts.org.ua

Direct trains between Kyiv and Przemysl began in 2016.

Kyiv-Lviv-Przemysl Intercity+ Train’s Timetable Disclosed

The train will depart from Kyiv at 06:45

en.cfts.org.ua

 

[AlbertBeale]

I was thinking of Canfranc too, I think there may be plans to bring back more services there?

Yes there are...

 

[MarcVD]

Essen is indeed very dreary.

But next time you go there, have a look at the inside of the station building, which is wonderful.

 

[deltic]

I think its great border stations have been run down. Another set of new border stations are Buzet and Rakitovec in Croatia and Slovenia. The service is now down to just one train a day in the summer running between the two.

​

 

[185]

Worst and grimmest is Frankfurt Am Oder where the lovely Polish staff from PKP get off, and a pointless 1 hour long border (cant call it that) 'police' check by our friendly German Politzei holds the train up. They gleefully thought they'd "caught one" until the Austrian they'd dragged off found his ID card in his bag. The DB staff then do another full ticket check, and generally find problems that turn out to not be problems that the Polish staff had already put right two hours earlier. You do wonder - what was the point of Schengen?

 

[geoffk]

France is suspending Schengen for 6 months from Nov 1st, so it will be interesting to see what arrangements will in place here and at other rail border crossings in the country.

Is this because of the Ukraine situation and an increase in migration? They can only do this for 6 months at a time. There are lots of daily commuters to Geneva from adjoining parts of France and probably elsewhere.

 

[XAM2175]

You do wonder - what was the point of Schengen?

Covid and the various immigration issues have dented it a wee bit, indisputably.

Is this because of the Ukraine situation and an increase in migration?

The official rationales are published by the European Commission:

Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control

Learn which Schengen countries are currently reintroducing temporary border control in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code.

home-affairs.ec.europa.eu

(I would suggest however that this discussion isn't really in the spirit of this thread's topic)

 

[Cloud Strife]

Przemysl (PL/UA) is another former sleepy border town which has become a major focus for emigrants/refugees from Ukraine, although the actual border posts are some 15km to the east.

Przemysl is an odd one. The international station was only ever used for travellers departing from/arriving to Przemyśl, and to the best of my knowledge, this used to be only for long distance trains that had Przemyśl as an intermediate stop. Those staying on board were checked on board, so the station never saw any serious amount of use.

Then the direct Przemyśl-Lviv-Kyiv trains started, and for some inexplicable reason, border control was carried out on board by PL rather than in the international station. They couldn't find agreement with the UA side to use the station for joint PL-UA border control, which would allow trains to run directly to/from Przemyśl.

To the best of my knowledge, they brought the international station back into use to process refugees to avoid delays, but that's about it.

In terms of sad border stations, Irun/Hendaye must be worth a shout these days. I believe Varnsdorf (CZ) was recently demolished, but that was another prime example. And in PL, there are plenty on the CZ border: Lubawka, Kamienna Góra and Głuchołazy all bear testament to a previous era, as does Krzewina Zgorzelecka on the German border. Kunowice was relatively recently an excellent empty ghost station too, where I got yelled at by a security guard at midnight after going to have a look at the old station.

 

[duesselmartin]

Worst and grimmest is Frankfurt Am Oder where the lovely Polish staff from PKP get off, and a pointless 1 hour long border (cant call it that) 'police' check by our friendly German Politzei holds the train up. They gleefully thought they'd "caught one" until the Austrian they'd dragged off found his ID card in his bag. The DB staff then do another full ticket check, and generally find problems that turn out to not be problems that the Polish staff had already put right two hours earlier. You do wonder - what was the point of Schengen?

Totally contrary to my experience.
Checks have been implented on many borders years ago.

 

[Planesandtrain]

Not really a sad station in terms of service level but the rolling stock hasn't generally been updated in decades and the station left as it is: Simbach/Inn is well worth a visit as it has been preserved rather than a huge modernization program which took place on the other side of the Inn in Braunau. BR628's, BR218's locos with double deck stock serving the german side, and the Austrians bring in their old 5047's.

 

[Sm5]

Carlilse has seen better days, both North (Kingmoor) and South (Courrock), as well as the station back sidings, and Pettril bridge.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Edited to say: I see your edit crossed with my ressponse...

No worries!
Despite it being a bit sleepy, Latour-de-Carol is one of my favourite railway locations on the continent. I have a bit of a soft spot for it after riding Le Petit Train Jaune in 1999. I've arrived there on all three systems now, and departed on two (we only did the Yellow Train in one direction). When I went back 19 years later I was expecting more in the way of facilities and nearby amenities during the nearly two hour layover between the sleeper arriving and the first Barcelona train departing... probably didn't help that it was mid October, my previous trip was in the middle of summer so it seemed like less of a backwater.

The only other border station I've changed at is Cheb (CZ), but as the connections were much tighter there I didn't get chance to evaluate the station or surroundings.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The only other border station I've changed at is Cheb (CZ), but as the connections were much tighter there I didn't get chance to evaluate the station or surroundings.

If memory serves, Cheb was purpose built during Communist times, so the station is largely in use as it was then and doesn't really have the 'mostly abandoned' feel of other, much larger border stations.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If memory serves, Cheb was purpose built during Communist times, so the station is largely in use as it was then and doesn't really have the 'mostly abandoned' feel of other, much larger border stations.

Not that I'd know what to look for anyway, but I barely had time to look for any ghosts of the iron curtain. Heading from Nuremburg to Prague was a simple cross-platform change, and coming back the train from Prague was delayed- the DB connection was held and we were hurried through the subway onto the waiting DMU on the next island.

 

[duesselmartin]

Just seen Tirano RhB. Customs and passport booths closed. Certainly a simple station to its FS counterpart.
No refreshments, toilets after the theoretical ID check.

 

[MarcVD]

No worries!
Despite it being a bit sleepy, Latour-de-Carol is one of my favourite railway locations on the continent. I have a bit of a soft spot for it after riding Le Petit Train Jaune in 1999. I've arrived there on all three systems now ...

There are - or at least were - 4 systems in there, as the line to Puigcerda was double track, one UIC, and the other broad gauge. Nowadays only the broad gauge track is used and I think the UIC one is out of service. When I was there, long time ago, it was still usable and I have been on the only train of that year that used it. There were already talks about abandonment of the UIC track at that time...

 

[Cloud Strife]

Not that I'd know what to look for anyway, but I barely had time to look for any ghosts of the iron curtain. Heading from Nuremburg to Prague was a simple cross-platform change, and coming back the train from Prague was delayed- the DB connection was held and we were hurried through the subway onto the waiting DMU on the next island.

A quick check online and it seems that Cheb was never used for border purposes, so there wouldn't have been anything to see anyway. It seems that the railway border control was carried out at Pomezí nad Ohří instead (next to the border), but I'm not actually sure that there were passenger services crossing the border during the days of the Iron Curtain. I found one reference to the station in Pomezí nad Ohří reopening after 'tens of years' in 2008, so it is possible that there were simply no border controls carried out there.

Edit: found some more. So, passenger trains did use Cheb. The system worked in that railway border controls were carried out on platform 1 in Cheb, and the platform was sealed off during border inspections. It's probable that anyone boarding there would have been allowed to board first before the inspection took place, and then at Pomezí nad Ohří, there was a visual (external) inspection of the train before it was allowed to proceed across the border. Probably all the infrastructure related to sealing the platform in Cheb was removed quite quickly, as the Czech(oslovaks) seemingly weren't that bothered about sterile platforms after 1990.

 

[dutchflyer]

No, have to contradict this. My very 1st trip to the then CzechoSlovakia in communist times-with visa and all that, was via the very MAIN border point at the time, and about only rail-border to from BRD, and that was CHEB. Overnight train Frankfurt-Praha, the old style 6-seater compartmt with brown plastic seats so much used by DB (still Bundesbahn in those days). Cannot remember how exactly it was done, but took quite a while and only after that the train suddenly and to my surprise became quite full with locals, well used to that all.
Currently sit in the Metropolitan EC-train from Budapest, for me now till Bratislava, having had the MAV and ZSR conductors pass by and stopping at the 2 border posts Szob then Sturovo, the stretch we now pass is under reco for 2nd track. Will pass 2 more later created border posts-Kuty/Breclav etc. as Brno is final destination for today. Still on an Interrail, so not using my free senior Slovak railpass and in HU only he BKV free senior travel. Now passing a blue plastic ´laminatki´ goods train from Cargo Slovakia waiting for the track to clear.

 

[AdamWW]

There are - or at least were - 4 systems in there, as the line to Puigcerda was double track, one UIC, and the other broad gauge. Nowadays only the broad gauge track is used and I think the UIC one is out of service.

How does that make 4? The standard gauge line across the border is/was just an extension of the line towards Toulouse.

 

[Train Maniac]

Surprised no one has mentioned Dover Marine yet. There aren't even any trains anymore!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surprised no one has mentioned Dover Marine yet. There aren't even any trains anymore!

That's more of a gare maritime than a border station.

I could jokingly say Reston the way Sturgeon is going...

 

[Gloster]

At Flensburg the trains from Denmark used to terminate at a platform which, due to the loop, was actually on the south-eastern end of the station. Passengers in through coaches were dealt with in them, while those in the local coaches and also those coming off terminating local trains had to go through the border controls at the end of the platform. This was an efficient and clean but unwelcoming corridor through a dark coloured brick building. Inside it was just an open corridor with (if I remember correctly) yellowish tiles underfoot and yellow-beige enamel tiles on the walls. It was very much how I saw many of the official buildings put up in the 1950s: eminently fit for purpose but lacking any attempt to be welcoming.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If we are allowed gares maritimes, then there can't be much sadder than the train ferry station at Puttgarden, which has now closed entirely as it is being replaced by a fixed link, but has looked forlorn for years.

 

[Gordon]

The station is being rebuilt into a high-end hotel and a new basic station has been put up to serve the Spanish commuter line, there is a vague wish to reinstate the French line, how realistic that is though I don't know.

I stayed in the hotel aged 9 in 1969...

 

[Bletchleyite]

The station is being rebuilt into a high-end hotel and a new basic station has been put up to serve the Spanish commuter line, there is a vague wish to reinstate the French line, how realistic that is though I don't know.

The basic station on the village side has been there for years, hasn't it?

 

[Gordon]

I think its great border stations have been run down. Another set of new border stations are Buzet and Rakitovec in Croatia and Slovenia. The service is now down to just one train a day in the summer running between the two.

​

Quite hard to beat Nouvel Avricourt, built as a border station opened in 1875 but not used 'officially' as a border station since 1919. Closed 1969

, but I'm not actually sure that there were passenger services crossing the border during the days of the Iron Curtain.

On the contrary Cheb / Schirnding was the main railway border between Czechoslovakia and BRD (West Germany). It is in fact Schirnding that in this case is the 'sad border station' because Schirnding is a fairly small village.

 

[52290]

Quite hard to beat Nouvel Avricourt, built as a border station opened in 1875 but not used 'officially' as a border station since 1919. Closed 1969



On the contrary Cheb / Schirnding was the main railway border between Czechoslovakia and BRD (West Germany). It is in fact Schirnding that in this case is the 'sad border station' because Schirnding is a fairly small

village.

Here's a photo of Cheb station I took in 1970. I had arrived from Schirnding and was waiting to board this train to Chomoutov. Shortly after taking the shot I was approached by a soldier who indicated that I should put my camera away. I didn't argue.

 

[zwk500]

If we are allowed gares maritimes, then there can't be much sadder than the train ferry station at Puttgarden, which has now closed entirely as it is being replaced by a fixed link, but has looked forlorn for years.

If we're allowing these, then surely the saddest of them all is Newhaven Marine! Honourable mention to Stratford International which never actually got to the status of (quasi-)Border station.