Connecting Europe Express, a joint EU train that will stop in almost every country on the continent, departed from Lisbon’s train station on September 2 and arrived in Paris on October 7, reaching more than 100 cities during that time.
The train will stop in all 26 member states and more, covering 20,000 kilometers and 33 border crossings, and will allow travelers to reach their European destinations using an environmentally friendly train option.
A press release issued by the European Commission states that Connecting Europe Express was launched as part of the European Year of Railways 2021 and was created in collaboration with 40 partners.
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Velean said the railways are a solution to climate change and economic recovery after a pandemic.
“The railways have shaped our rich common history. But the railways are also the future of Europe, our way to mitigate the effects of climate change and accelerate economic recovery after a pandemic, as we build a zero-carbon transport sector,” said Commissioner Velean.
In addition, Andreas Matti, Director General of the Austrian Federal Railways, said that the project would raise awareness of green travel and that the common railway sector was vital to achieving the EU’s climate goals.
“CER members are committed to making the Green Agreement a success. We need to continue to shift freight from road to rail, provide efficient services for daily passengers and expand international long-distance passenger rail services by offering day and night services,” said Matti.
In addition, Connection Europe Express will include three main trains; Iberian train, Baltic train and standard train.
During this five-week event, a variety of events are planned for railway enthusiasts, such as a live debate on the official website.
“In the coming weeks, Connecting Europe Express will be a permanent conference, laboratory and forum for public debate on how to make rail transport an attractive mode of transport for both passengers and business,” added Commissioner Velean.
The conference buses were provided by various European railway companies, such as MAV (Hungary), which will present a traveling exhibition organized by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the Shift2Rail joint venture.
Other coaches include a conference coach (provided by SNCF, France), two seated coaches provided by DB, Germany and SBB, Switzerland, and a restaurant coach from FS, Italy. The standard train conference will also include a sleeping car provided by ÖBB, Austria. The Iberian train will serve the Spanish operator Renfe, and the Lithuanian LTG will serve the Baltic train.
Earlier, Erasmus By Train, an initiative of European students, offered Erasmus + to provide a free travel ticket for students wishing to travel on green waters.
Environmental travel practices include transportation on non-carbon vehicles, such as bicycles, or using less pollutants, such as shared cars and non-stop flights.