DB And PKP To Expand Cross-Border Rail Services Between Germany And Poland
The title of this post, is the same of that as this article on Railway=News.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
From mid-December 2025, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and PKP Intercity (PKP) are expanding their joint long-distance rail services, increasing the number of direct daily connections between Germany and Poland by more than 50 percent.
Starting on 14 December, 17 daily train pairs will operate across the border, up from the current 11. The additional capacity will provide a two-hourly service on the Berlin–Warsaw route, with seven trains in each direction.
I did a lot of this route, when I did a Home Run From Krakov.
I feel this German-Polish route will attract a lot of passengers, as it serves three excellent Polish cities Gdansk, Krakov and Warsaw, where you can spend a few days and it connects you to Berlin.
Back To The Dark Ages In West Virginia?
This article on WBOY is entitled West Virginia Senators Aim To Revitalize Coal Industry.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
If you’re tired of rising utility bills, you are not alone. West Virginia senators say they share the same feelings and believe the answer is right under our feet.
Revitalizing West Virginia’s coal industry and bringing down utility costs for customers is the goal of two pieces of legislation originating in the Senate.
A resolution known as the Coal Renaissance Act aims to keep current coal operations running as well as open up new opportunities for the industry, expanding mining in West Virginia.
According to Senators in support of the act, the optimum capacity factor for coal plants to run at is 69%. Currently, industry leaders say that number is down to around 30% to 40%.
A new bill known as the Reliable and Affordable Electricity Act incentivizes utility companies to rely on West Virginia coal.
There is also going to be a Senate bill, that will abolish tax breaks for wind farms.
In the UK, it is my belief, that coal died with the Aberfan disaster in 1966, which is described in this first paragraph of the disaster’s Wikipedia entry.
The Aberfan disaster (Welsh: Trychineb Aberfan) was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry, killing 116 children and 28 adults as it engulfed Pantglas Junior School and a row of houses. The tip was the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB), and the subsequent inquiry placed the blame for the disaster on the organisation and nine named employees.
I do have memories of coal mining in my brain.
- As a young child, I can remember being driven past the Kentish collieries and seeing the blackened landscape of the Garden of England.
- Newspapers of the 1950s and 1960s published, their share of mining disasters.
- In the 1980s, I drove through coal mining country in the United States and was appalled at all the fumes and smoke from the coal-fired power stations and the trucks delivering coal. Nothing as civilised as a merry-go-round train was used.
- In 2015, I visited Katowice and wrote An Excursion In Katowice. The air was thick with coal smoke from the coal-fired power stations.
I also remember at the Jobs Fair, when I left Liverpool University in 1968, seeing the recruiter from the National Coal Board sitting there alone, as if he’d got the plague. Graduates had decided, that no way, were they going to work in the coal industry.
The West Virginia senators, should be certified, if they want to bring back coal.
From Katowice To Prague
There was only one direct train I could catch from Katowice to Prague and that left at 12:22. So after my short tram trip around Katowice, I gave myself plenty of time to have salad before I got the train to Prague.
The journey went smoothly, if not at a great speed and with a half hour changeover between the Polish and Czech crews.
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An Excursion In Katowice
Katowice is one of those places that has stuck in my mind, because of a mining disaster in the 1950s or 1960s.
I took a walk around the station, followed by a tram trip for a short distance from the station, a relaxation in a park for half-an-hour or so and then a return to the station for my train to Prague.
It is a typical modern city, that is like many you see over Europe. Unlike Krakow, there weren’t that many older buildings.
But like me, if you need to change trains in the city, there are many worse places to stretch your legs, perhaps take an excursion on a tram or get yourself something to eat and drink.
What helps in Katowice is that the well-equipped station is linked to the main street, where the trams run, by a very modern shopping centre. I struggled at first to find a ticket machine, but as in many countries, you buy tickets from the tobacconist. But as it’s Poland, the first younger person, I asked, gave me directions in perfect English.
The Toilets In Katowice Station
When I saw the toilets, I just had to take pictures and they deserve a section of their own.
In some ways, these facilities are a great reason to choose Katowice as a station to change trains.
I think they cost me about twenty pence to enter.
They give the phrase going to the loo, a whole new meaning. Apparently 2theloo is a Dutch idea and company.
From Krakow To Katowice
This was an early leg, as I wanted to get to Katowice in time to have a look round before my train left at 12:22 for Prague.
The journey was pleasant enough in an electric suburban train.
The Anonymous Widower 