The initiative is part of European Year of Rail 2021 by the European Commission, highlighting eco-friendly mobility and pushing for more EU citizens to opt for train travel.
The trip takes the train through 26 countries, covering over 20,000 kilometres and crossing 33 borders. The journey will be completed after 36 days.
The train will stop in Bettembourg on 5 October at 1.28pm, and will depart Luxembourg central station on 6 October at 10.36am. There are no tickets available to the public for the actual trips, but organisers invite people to welcome the train at the platform.
Along the route, various events are planned, and rail enthusiasts can also follow debates happening on board as well as conferences on EU infrastructure policy. This week, Luxembourg and Belgium once again reiterated the need to improve rail connectivity between Luxembourg and Brussels, a trip which currently takes three hours.
The Connecting Europe Express will comprise, in reality, three trains – the Iberian train, the Standard train and the Baltic train – that will meet along the route shown below:
Coaches are provided by different railway companies: One conference coach (provided by SNCF, France), two standard seating coaches (DB, Germany and SBB, Switzerland), a dining coach (FS, Italy) and a sleeper coach (ÖBB, Austria) will complete the standard train. The Iberian train travelling between Portugal and Spain has been provided by Spanish operator Renfe, while Lithuanian LTG is operating the Baltic train.
