EXPRESS TRAIN IN 26 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
The year 2021 has been declared the European Year of Railways and one of the ways to celebrate it is the Connecting Europe Express train, which will cross almost the entire continent as part of a campaign to promote rail travel.
This special train will travel 26 countries for 36 days by rail, with stops in over 70 cities inside and outside the EU.
20,000 kilometers across Europe
At each of the planned stops, events will be organized dedicated to the importance of railway communication, its environmental friendliness, safety and economy.
The Connecting Europe Express will travel 20,000 kilometers, cross 26 countries and visit 70 cities.
While details about the program for each city have not been disclosed, it is generally clear what this 20,000-kilometer journey will be like.
What will the journey be like
The starting point will be Lisbon on September 2, and two days later, on September 4, the train will arrive in Madrid. From there he will move to France, and passing through the south of France, the express will visit the Italian cities of Milan, Genoa, Rome and Verona.
The journey continues across the Alps to Austria (via Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna, among other cities), Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Greece.
Arriving at Athens on September 15, the Connecting Europe Express will turn back to the Carpathians to travel through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, and then through Poland.
Way to Northern Europe
In the Polish city of Trakishki, the express will run along the southern edge of the Baltic Sea with scheduled stops in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Upon returning to this city, the train will turn south and head to Slovenia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and after stopping in Berlin, it will make another turn to get to Copenhagen, heading for Stockholm.
One of the densest and most modern rail networks in the world
The return to Hamburg marks the moment the express will visit the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, ending their journey with an arrival in Paris on October 7, 2021.
The entire route represents the combined efforts of various railway operators on the continent, not all of which are in the EU, but connected in a single network, where three different types of gauge are still used.
According to European Transport Commissioner Adina Valean, Connecting Europe Express is a “symbol of connectivity” and the initiative is a reminder of the steps to be taken to make rail “the preferred mode of transport for Europeans.”
Sustainability and wide network
The European Commission recalls that the 201,000 km European rail network is one of the densest in the world and nearly surpasses that of the United States (203,000 km).
Equally important is the fact that rail travel offers the most environmentally friendly travel option, producing only 0.4% of harmful emissions (while cars account for 71.8%, civil aviation – 13.2% and sea transport – 14 ,one%).