Fantasy Ferroviaire

Trains as they should be…

ADIÓS FLIGHT SHAME

Pre-pandemic, half of Europe’s air passengers were flying on routes of less than 3000km already connected by rail- what needs to improve is the provision of direct night trains, especially over longer distances.

Inspired by the best science fiction, my timetables use real-life constraints (existing infrastructure capacity, rolling stock and locomotives). They are limited to 200kph even on high-speed lines.

The fantasy element is to assume political will to ensure technical interoperability, cooperation, and investment in rolling stock for long-term sustainability rather than the environmentally destructive model of low-cost aviation.

EN 2: PARIS-ISTANBUL

Next stop: Sirkeci station

Two core night trains (reinstated Paris-Venezia and new Beograd-Sofia) are connected by new daytime EC services Venezia-Beograd and Sofia-Istanbul to give daily direct sleeping cars from Paris to Istanbul and Thessaloniki via 5 European capitals.

Portion working provides overnight services from Paris to Milano, Firenze, Roma and Skopje.

Key shunts are at Milano C (terminating and Roma T sleeping cars detached), Venezia SL (EuroCity day train attached), Zagreb (terminating sleeping cars detached), Beograd C (day train detached, sleeping cars to Skopje, Sofia and Istanbul attached), Niš (Skopje/ Thessaloniki cars detached), and Sofia (terminating sleeping cars detached, EuroCity attached).