1327i

INTERNATIONAL SUPPLEMENT TO BLN 1327 27 APRIL 2019

BRANCH LINE NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

This newsletter covers the World outside the British Isles from information
supplied by members.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or of the Society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS TEAM:-
International Editor (to whom all email and postal contributions should be sent):
Paul Griffin, 7 School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, COVENTRY, CV8 3ZZ
Email: [email protected]
Deputy International Editor: Derek Woodward, 68 Church Street, Matlock, DERBY, DE4 3BY

West of Jihlava a long branch line runs south from Kostelec to Slavonice. After 10 km is the request stop of Hodice with the old
station building now the home of Jiří Holoubek and his family. The house itself is full of railwayana, but it is the garden alongside
the platform that may catch the eye of the passing traveller. Mr Holoubek has made this into a museum (železniční tratě
Kostelec-Slavonice) dedicated to the railway line and full of exhibits collected over the years. It is open by arrangement with the
man himself, free of charge. The picture shows part of the ‘museum’. The station platform is over the fence on the left.

Correction to BLNI 1326.130
The seven EC trains daily between Milano and Genève or Basel changing locos at Domodossola are in
fact EMUs. Buchs in Switzerland has loco changes in the middle of the night as well as a daytime train
pair – EC163/164 Zurich – Graz & vice versa which change from SBB traction to ÖBB traction.

[146] Austria – Salzburger Lokalbahn to extend into city centre
At present services of the Salzburger Lokalbahn from Lamprechtshausen and Ostermiething terminate
at underground platforms beneath Salzburg Hbf. The wall at the end of the tunnel was made especially
thin to facilitate a future 750 metre extension into the city centre at Mirabellplatz. Local politics meant
the project went no further, but the recent change in political power in Salzburg has resurrected the
project and a letter of intent was signed by the city of Salzburg, the province of Salzburg and Austria’s
Federal Ministry of Transport on 25 March 2019. In the longer term, a further extension to Salzburg
South is proposed.
[147] Austria - Weinviertel-Landesbahn to close in December
The Weinviertel-Landesbahn is the name given to inverted ‘Y’ shaped line from Obersdorf to Gross
Schweinbarth and Bad Pirawarth, and from Gross Schweinbarth to Gänserndorf, a total of 35km of
non-electrified single track railway.

Map courtesy of Europeanrailwayatlas.com

S-Bahn services S2 and S7 call at Obersdorf on the line north to Mistelbach, but there is no physical
connection between the main line, which is at a high level, and the low level station where trains to
Bad Pirawath depart. In the east Gänserndorf is served by S1 services from Wien, on the line north to
Břeclav. The Weinviertel-Landesbahn has long been a candidate for closure and an audit report which
identified only 700 passengers per day using the line, where 2000 passengers per day were needed to
break even, has led to the announcement of closure with bus replacement. Some bus services will

start in September and train services will end at the December timetable change. A petition has been
started and it seems that the line is also referred to as the Bahnlinie Schweinbarther Kreuz. A search
on this name will produce a number of news articles and videos.
From Bad Pirawath two lines ran roughly northwards. One (the Lokalbahn Gänserndorf-Mistelbach)
ran to Mistelbach. Mistelbach to Gaweinstal Brünnerstraße closed in 1988 and Gaweinstal
Brünnerstraße to Bad Pirawath in 2004, the closure of the latter section being offset by the immediate
reopening of a section of the former Stammersdorfer Lokalbahn from Bad Pirawath to Sulz
Museumsdorf (formerly called Sulz-Nexing) which used to continue to Zistersdorf. This in turn closed
in 2010, leaving Bad Pirawath as the northern terminus. There is no freight, so it seems likely that the
line will be lifted.

View of the Landesbahn platform at Obersdorf from the high-level platform (an island) on the Laaer Ostbahn. The line used to
continue under the Laaer Ostbahn (where the station had previously been called Obersdorf-Pillichsdorf), and the Landesbahn
station was further to the west; when it was cut back (in 1988) the station was relocated to this location, immediately to the
east of the main line and giving good interchange – a slight kink in the track is just visible where the track was realigned to
accommodate the new platform. The old trackbed towards Stammersdorf (terminus of a Wien tram line) is now a cycle path.
Picture taken 14 October 2010.

Sulz Museumsdorf, which closed in December 2010 having reopened in December 2003. The track at the other side of the
island platform is partly buried.

View from about 100 metres further on at Sulz Museumsdorf, showing the closed line onwards to Zistersdorf (closed in
May 1988).

[148] Czech Republic – Seasonal trains
If you missed the track from Svojšín to Bor which lost its regular ČD service in December, you have
another chance as Plzensky kraj is supporting a GWTR DMU service over the line on Saturdays only,
mid-May to the end of September. www.facebook.com/pg/kptrailcz/about/?ref=page_internal
For the second year there are regular DMU specials over the freight branch to Velké Popovice
including a Kozel brewery tour. Reservation essential.
http://old.cd.cz/zazitky/kam-na-vylet/1978-kozel-expresem-na-pivo-do-velkych-
popovic?fbclid=IwAR1RyOoz_Wiv-ZDk2vXnn6pIGUjAdWnwQthOkprRYezFh9oE2D4CjJp9IaY
Railway Capital is again working DMUs at weekends over three non-passenger lines in the warmer
months. www.railwaycapital.cz/jizdni-rady
DOUPOVSKÁ DRÁHA from 30 March 2019. Timetable :T6 Kadaň - Podbořany/Kadaňský Rohozec
JEMNICKÁ DRÁHA from 19 April 2019. Timetable: 243 Moravské Budějovice - Jemnice
HVOZDNICKÝ EXPRES - from 25 May 2019. Timetable: 314 Opava východ - Svobodné Heřmanice
[149] Finland – Bennäs triangle completed
BLNI 1304.175 commented that ‘that a north to south curve was under construction [south of
Pännäinen]. Approximately a kilometre long, the curve is expected to be completed this year. At
present all traffic to/from the south must reverse in the yard at Pännäinen, but this will no longer be
needed when the ‘Bennäs triangle’ is completed.’

Map courtesy of Europeanrailwayatlas.com

In fact completion was probably not in 2018 as the new curve opened for traffic on 25 February 2019
with the first train passing at 17:32. This is good news for those booked on the PTG Tour of Finland in
July as the new curve has been requested and, subject to permission, this will probably be the first
passenger train to use it.

[150] France - Train du Bas-Berry to operate into Valençay this year
SABA (Société d'Animation du Blanc-Argent) operate the Train du Bas-Berry, a metre gauge heritage
railway which in recent years has operated from Argy to Luçay le Mâle, but, as reported in
BLNI1236.249, had aspirations to operate all the way into Valençay where Centre TER, Blanc-Argent
trains terminate. That will happen this year as on 20 February 2019 an agreement was signed to allow
SABA to use the section from Luçay-le-Mâle to Valençay.

[151] France – Comines branch proposed for closure
The 20km branch from La Madeleine to Comines (France) seems destined to close in December 2019,
with a petition to prevent this currently in circulation. The present limited service runs from Lille with
four return trips M-F, two return trips on Saturdays and none on Sundays.
Threats of closure are not new to this line, but the transportrail website has an interesting article on
the line dated 19 March 2019 showing pictures of rotting wooden sleepers holding up 60 year old rails
as well as other dilapidated infrastructure. A 40km/h speed limit applies. The site claims that while the
trains route is well populated more trains cannot be run due to capacity constraints between Lille and
La Madeleine. Several studies have been made into tram or train-tram conversion, but nothing has
come of them so far.
http://transportrail.canalblog.com/pages/lille---comines-ou-le-ch-ti-train-fantome/37184108.html

[152] Germany - Nordrhein-Westfalen: Reopenings update
The extension of the S28 Kaarster See - Düsseldorf - Mettmann Stadtwald to Wuppertal, which is
partly over an existing freight line, partly new construction and partly over existing passenger lines, is
on target for December 2019. However the electrification of the existing line will not be complete, so
diesel units will run between Kaarster See and Mettmann Stadtwald, and electric units between there
and Wuppertal Hbf. A through electric service is not expected until December 2021.
The new branch of the S9 from Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord to Recklinghausen over the Hamm-
Osterfelder-Bahn freight route is also on schedule for December 2019, but the three intermediate
stations at Herten Mitte, Herten-Westerholt and Gelsenkirchen-Buer Nord (main line platforms) will
apparently not be open for a further two to three years. Herten, with a population of 61,000, is one of
the largest towns in mainland Europe currently without a railway station.
A 5km extension of the RB20 Stolberg (Rheinland) - Stolberg Altstadt line to Breinig is also expected to
open in December 2019, subject to the infrastructure being ready. Stolberg to Breinig is unusual in that
the last 3km of the branch has no freight service, so it's not a freight-only line with an occasional
passenger service. It's a passenger-only line with services once or twice a year. The German language
wikipedia page reports that "In 2018, on the 24th and 25th of November, as well as on the Advent
weekends, rides on the Euregiobahn between Stolberg Hbf and Breinig were again held."

[153] Germany - Dannenberg Ost to Lüchow up for sale
Deutsche Regionaleisenbahn GmbH have put up for sale the railway from Lüchow (km 15.5) to
Dannenberg Ost (km 35.8). The 20.3 km long, single-track and non-electrified branch line in Lower
Saxony has a line speed of 50 km/h, but the route is currently technically locked and without train
traffic. Regular passenger traffic was discontinued in 1975, but until 2014 there was still occasional

tourist traffic. Freight traffic was discontinued in 1997. Any purchaser will need to invest almost €3M
on level crossings, bridges and other infrastructure. The future does not look good.

[154] Germany - New EGTRE entry for Offenbach (Main) Hbf - Offenbach (Main) Ost
This 1.7km connecting line links the main Frankfurt (Main) - Hanau line at Offenbach Hbf with the S-
Bahn line at Offenbach Ost. Early on Monday mornings throughout 2019, certain S8 trains between
Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Offenbach Ost are diverted to run to/from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf high level via
Frankfurt (Main) Süd and this line. Departures from Offenbach (Main) Hbf are at 00:38, 01:12 and
01:38 (all MO) and from Offenbach (Main) Süd at 23:58 SuO, 00:27 MO and 00:58 MO.

[155] Germany – Schwarzbachbahn restoration progressing
The Schwarzbachbahn was a 750 mm narrow gauge railway in Saxon Switzerland. It began in
Goßdorf-Kohlmühle station on the Sebnitz Valley railway (Bad Schandau to Sebnitz) and ran along the
valley of the Schwarzbach to Hohnstein. The line was opened in 1897 and closed and dismantled in
1951 in order to supply material for the Berlin Outer Ring. Since 1995 the Schwarzbachbahn Society
has endeavoured to rebuild a section of the line and run it as a museum railway. The former station in
Lohsdorf has been redecorated and new tracks laid there. The society has its headquarters in the
station building at Goßdorf-Kohlmühle. In February 2019 the society received the nature conservation
permit for the repair of the infrastructure in the section towards Unterehrenberg and started
vegetation removal immediately. There is a long way to go yet before any reopening, but the society is
debt-free for the first time in 15 years and has a good volunteer force.

[156] Germany – Exciting times on the Warnetalbahn
The Warnetalbahn (line 1940) runs 15.2km from Salzgitter Bad to Börßum, and was mentioned in BLNI
1326.127 when freight trains resumed on part of the line after 30 years.
Now comes the news that heritage trains are working over the full length of the line again, with the
platform in Börßum now accessible by a pedestrian tunnel from the DB station. Two train pairs
operate on 20 April using steam engine 41 096, but apart from draisine days, no other dates are
currently published.

[157] Germany - High-speed renewal
DB will also begin the renewal of the country’s high-speed network, which first began operation in
Spring 1991, with work on the Hannover – Würzburg and Mannheim – Stuttgart routes due to take
place between 2019 and 2023. Work on the Hannover – Würzburg line will take place in four stages:
Hannover – Göttingen: 11 June to 14 December; Göttingen – Kassel: 23 April 2021 to 15 July 2021;
Fulda – Würzburg: 2022; Kassel – Fulda: 2023
Work on the Mannheim – Stuttgart line will be completed over 205 days with a total closure between
10 April 2020 and 31 October 2020.
It is also planned to partially double and to electrify where required the local Wolfsburg - Stendal -
Spandau line (the "Lehrter Stammbahn") and increase the speed limits to allow long-distance trains to
use it while the high-speed line is renewed. Additional connections are planned between the high-
speed line and the Stammbahn to allow diversions onto and off it at more points. A third or even
fourth line is planned to be reinstated between Ribbeck and Bamme where currently all traffic uses

the high-speed line. Work is in two stages: first between Nahrstedt and Gardelegen and in the area of
Schönhausen, between 2024 and 2027, second the remainder of the line between 2027 and 2034.

[158] Italy – Line being reinstated near Salerno
In March a member joined the 10:11 service from Nocera Inferioire to Salerno via Codola and Mercato
S. Severino. There were only two other passengers and no addition to this number until Valle di
Mercato S. Severino where four more passengers joined the train. At Mercato S. Severino, where the
train reversed, a number of passengers joined the train for the journey to Salerno. Between Nocera
Inferioire and Codola the track is in a very poor state of repair with several 10km speed restrictions.
The line crosses a very minor road necessitating an FS employee to attend in a van to place a chain
across the road! On approaching Codola, he was surprised to find major works taking place on the
OOU line to Sarno via Lavorate. New ballast and rail had been installed along with new electrification
posts, but no wiring. The rails were very shiny. At Codola station, the island platform had been
refurbished with new electrification posts installed and several tracks re-laid. Even more surprising was
electrification posts installed as far as Castel S. Giorgio-Roccapiemonte and the track all the way to
Mercato S. Severino has been ‘fettled’. The line at the Sarno end is still in situ but no sign of any
refurbishments.
The works would suggest that the line between Sarno and Codola is being reinstated for traffic from
Sarno direct to Mercato S. Severino. No sign of any freight so could this be a new passenger service
with the section between Nocera Inferiore and Codola being closed? Currently it is a very limited
service between Nocera Inferiore and Mercato S. Severino.
By coincidence another member travelled the line via Codola in the same period, also noting the new
works there, and has subsequently been trying to find out more about the project. It appears that the
entire line between Benevento and Salerno is being electrified and included in the project is the line
from Mercato-San Severino to Codola plus reinstatement of Codola to Sarno in order to provide a
more direct and faster link for trains from Avellino towards Roma. He have seen a suggestion that this
is targeted for completion next year but is rightly sceptical as to whether this can be achieved!

[159] Luxembourg – A report from a very impressed member
Despite being a small country Luxembourg has its own rail company and network CFL (Societe
Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgish). Luxembourg Gare with its imposing clock tower is the
fulcrum of the network with lines radiating off in all directions and inevitably into other countries given
its small size. They had a day trip across the border to the medieval town of Trier in Germany and CFL
Bombardier ‘Dosto’ double deck EMUs provide all the trains between Luxembourg, Trier and onto
Koblenz following the Mosel Valley.
A very new tram network links the old city with the new business district (more extensions to follow)
but an extremely interesting feature is the interchange at Pfaffenthal where a very modern double
track extra wide funicular links the heavy rail station on the valley floor with the tram line which
crosses the valley on the viaduct way above. CFL run the funicular and all CFL trains that stop at
Pfaffenthal are timed to include the funicular ride which takes about 30 seconds (around four minutes
allowed in total).
Another day out was to the beautiful castle at Vianden which was very accessible by public transport:
train and bus with an integrated timetable and ticketing. They took a train northbound hauled by an
electric locomotive complete with a full complement of SNCB coaches heading ultimately for Liège.

Interestingly the bus connection is provided at a town called Ettelbruck which was an important
location in the Second World War Battle of the Bulge. (Because of the Nazi counter attack in this
famous battle Luxembourg has the unusual distinction of being liberated twice.) An electrified branch
line runs from Ettelbruck to Diekirch, an EMU shuttle service providing the traction on this single track
line which the bus to Vianden paralleled most of the way. A small functional station is provided at
Diekirch with a run round facility which suggests evidence of previous loco hauled workings. Older
class 2000 EMUs dating back to 1990 provide the traction on the branch (as well as for other local
services). A double deck Dosto provided their train back to Luxembourg Gare.
So all in all a great place to visit. Very interesting attractions but a fascinating public transport network
(very cheap and possibly going totally free from 2020 if the Government keep to an election
commitment).

[160] Poland - It is an ill wind that blows no good…
A four day long weekend was planned to take in some of this year’s diversions starting with an
overnight Warszawa – Szczecin to do Szczecin Gumience to Szczecin Glowny via Wzgorze Hetmanskie
followed by the Zdroje – Podjuchy curve which our member had missed last August due to a 7 minute
late running connection. The weekend was to be that of Saturday 9 March, the last day before the
latest timetable change. However a reissued timetable pdf in February showed two other temporary
opportunities ending on 9 March so a rapid re-think was made and Szczecin abandoned (thanks
EGTRE) to head for Kraków instead where Kraków Mydlniki to Kraków Płaszów via Kraków Olsza was
successfully griced. Kraków Mydlniki is being rebuilt along with the rest of the Katowice line and the
junction for the airport branch is currently lifted with bustitution.
Our member now travelled to Zduńska Wola via Łódź to do the two curves to Zduńska Wola Karsznice.
Łask to Sieradz is also being rebuilt and single line working in use over the southernmost track, thus
the manoeuvres to Karsznice were to cross conflicting trains as a glorified passing loop. After an
overnight in Gliwice the highlight on Sunday 10 March was the re-introduced weekend service at 06:46
from Gliwice to Wisła Głębce via Knurów, Leszczyny, Rybnik, Żory, Chybie and the curve to Chybie
Mnich (3 bits of rare track on one train). How nice to see working coal mines and plentiful rail freight.
The train was, unsurprisingly, almost devoid of passengers.
EGTRE had alerted our member to the route of the weekly Nice – Moscow sleeping car train from
Chałupki (Mondays only) non-stop to Warszawa via the Kędzierzyn-Koźle avoiding curve, Rudziniec
Gliwicki to Toszek Północ and the Lubliniec avoider. He had allocated Monday 11 March to travel from
Olsztyn to Braniewo but this working was a juicy prospect for which he would be willing to sacrifice
Braniewo. But would it be possible to get a reservation for an internal Polish journey on this train?
Several attempts at different booking offices all proved negative – the train is just not even on the
system - so he resigned himself to failure, but it was still possible to do the Kędzierzyn-Koźle avoider as
the overnight Przemyśl to Świnoujście now conveys a 4 coach portion (IC60456) which detaches at
Katowice and runs to Racibórz via the Kędzierzyn-Koźle avoider where it sits from 01:39 to 02:55 to
join up with a Nightjet from Budapest and Wien, before retracing its route via Kędzierzyn-Koźle station
on to Wrocław and Berlin. While waiting at Kraków our member noticed some horrendous delays with
the arrivals from Gdynia being 413, 296 and 212 minutes late. Feeling glad not to be joining a train 7
hours late he smugly joined an on-time departure. Hubris! The train ground to a halt a few yards short
of Nędza station, thankfully after doing the Kędzierzyn-Koźle curve, two stops short of Racibórz. There
was now a howling gale blowing, even rocking the coaches and it was no surprise when the conductor

announced a long spiel of which the only words he understood were “locomotive” and “pantograph” –
the locomotive had de-wired! After a long wait the other portion arrived from the south and coupled
on the rear. Our member knew he would miss his planned 10 minute connection at Wrocław but was
not worried as he had a default of catching the 8:35 to Olsztyn which gave a whole hour to connect to
the Braniewo departure. But the train did not move for a whole 2 hours until 05:30, then it was held
outside Kędzierzyn-Koźle, noting firemen trying to remove two large fallen trees from a road. The train
ran through Kędzierzyn-Koźle then stopped and reversed onto another track and sat there another half
hour with a re-engine taking place and the prospect of the 08:35 from Wroclaw slowly fading away. At
06:40 (booked time 03:29) the train finally departed – backwards! Disaster! The line to Opole must be
blocked – wires down or trees on line and the train was heading back to Gliwice. But then the miracle
– at Rudziniec Gliwicki the train was diverted over the freight line to Toszek Północ (and Lubliniec), the
very line he had been trying to do on the Moscow sleeper and on the very same day! Braniewo was
lost but our member happily settled for this and eventually pulled into Wroclaw at 09:48, 4hours 40
minutes late. He still had to go to Olsztyn for a non-refundable hotel , so what was the next train? It
was the 08:35, still not arrived from Katowice. Other long distance services were also heavily delayed.
So leaving at 10:06 could it make up half an hour in a six and a half hour journey? Alas no, it stayed 90
late all the way and just to prove God likes a laugh, just as the train arrived in Olsztyn Zachodnie, the
Braniewo bound DMU pulled into the far platform 25 minutes late. Our member would never have
made it through the subway in time, but at least the storm got him an unexpected happy result.

[161] Romania - Roşiori Nord to Costești closing in May
Transferoviar Călători have announced that seven services will be withdrawn from 14 April, with
complete closure to passenger services from 20 May 2019.

[162] Romania - Route 928 Jimbolia – Lovrin closed
West of Timișoara by the Serbian border is Jimbolia, from where a line goes north to Lovrin. This lost
its passenger service in March 2015 but had been considered open, but with no traffic. In March 2019
it was announced that the line was closed because of the theft of material and encroaching
vegetation.

[163] Ukraine/Hungary – Mukachevo visited
A correspondent travelled the recently reopened standard gauge line from Záhony to Mukachevo on
Sunday 24 March, starting the day from Nyíregyháza. This is his account in his own words.
‘Amazingly for a Sunday morning the hotel breakfast started at 06:00! So it was coffee and ham and
eggs, before departing for the station. 480014 took me to Záhony on 6230, the 04:55 Püspökladány to
Záhony. There I joined the ticket queue to purchase a ticket to Mukachevo. This was easily done and
cost 1184 HUF (about £3). 32512 0835 Záhony to Mukachevo was formed of loco 418145 two coaches
and loco 418153. Hungarian Border and ticketing formalities were done before joining the train. I was
directed to the front coach, whilst everyone else was directed to the rear one! The reason for this
became apparent at Chop. They were all going to Chop and detrained for their Ukrainian border
formalities. The rear coach and engine were detached to work back to Záhony too. My border
formalities were done on the train - well I was on the train and my passport taken to an office! No one
else joined the service so it was me and the two sets of train crew for the trip to Mukachevo. The
standard gauge route is much slower than the broad gauge route. At Mukachevo the train terminated

in a recently built bay platform south of the station. The locomotive propels the coach out to the yard
to run round. I walked up to the main station via a mini market for a kiwi flavoured ice cream!’

The train from Záhony has terminated in a newly built platform south of the mainline platforms at Mukachevo.

REST OF THE WORLD

[164] Cuba – De-electrification of the Hershey Railway underway
As predicted in an earlier BLNI, removal of catenary and wiring has been authorised between
Casablanca (the Havana terminus) and Guanabo but with no indication as to whether services will
resume with diesel power.
The section out of service between Margot and Matanzas has not been authorized for de-
electrification yet but is expected to follow soon. Traffic on both ends of the Hershey Railway is limited
to freight trains these days. At the Havana end it provides access to the oil refinery and at the
Matanzas end it provides access to the gypsum loading point at San Antonio. The Playas de Este
branch and the Guanabo-Margot section of the main line along with the Jaruco branch are reported to
be safe for now. The Caraballo branch and Santa Cruz del Norte branch are also pending authorization
for de-electrification. Both of these branch lines are only for freight, as one provides access to the
Boris Luis Santa Coloma sugar mill system and the other to the Rum factory. The only passenger
service operating regularly is between Jaruco and Hershey Talleres. Less regular is the service on the
main line between Playas del Este-Hershey-Canasi-Margot, apparently because of staff shortages -
very few employees remain on the Hershey.

[165] Dominican Republic – The Santo Domingo Metro
The first line of the Santo Domingo Metro opened to the public in 2009. The system now comprises
two lines, the second opening in 2013. Lines run roughly North-South and East-West making it the
biggest metro system in the Caribbean at almost seventeen miles.
Operated by Alstom Metropolis units powered by OHLE at 1500V DC the system operates from 06:00
(06:30 Sunday) until 22:30 (22:00 Sunday). All trains call all at all stations and during our members visit
in January both lines operated at around a 6-7-minute frequency.
The ticketing system supplied by Thales produces thick card smartcards sold at ticket offices at each
station. A single journey costs RD$35 (53p), a return RD$55 (83p) for any distance and include the five-
kilometre-long cable car ride that provides panoramic views of the less touristy parts of the city.
Exceedingly good value! There are also multi trip tickets available for 10 or 20 journeys at slightly
lower prices per journey. The receipt itemises the card as costing RD$15 and then the journey charged
separately. As the card is printed on the reverse at the time of issue with the total fare paid he
presumes this separation must be for internal accounting procedures. It also shows that the ticket is
valid for three years.

The system is double track throughout, and the line continues northwards at Mama Tingo so may
indicate opportunity for further extension.
Also located in Santo Domingo, the Botanical Gardens boast two “Dotto” style trains to transport
visitors from the entrance to the renowned Japanese gardens. One of them looks like it has not moved
for some time whilst the other was noisily in service on the day of our members visit.
Outside of Santo Domingo there remain a few railways of differing gauges for passenger and freight.
He was able to see extensive freight yards in La Romana but frustratingly nothing moving and no
opportunity to explore further.

[166] USA - Lackawana Cut-Off project continues to attract funding
The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) has been awarded a $400,000 state
grant for engineering services needed to continue track and structure construction for the Scranton-
to-New York City Lackawanna Cut-Off passenger-rail restoration project. New Jersey Transit is now in
the construction phase of the Lackawanna Cut-Off project between Port Morris and Andover, New
Jersey.
“The remaining 21 miles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania will require state and federal funding to
complete the full restoration of the famed Lackawanna Cut-Off trackage and complete the through
route which will be instrumental in taking cars and congestion off of Interstate 80 in New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, especially during peak travel periods”, said PNRRA President Larry Malski.