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Bosphorus Express

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Bosphorus Express
Bosfor Ekspresi
The Bosphorus Express at Bucharest North station, 16 August 2019. The first car heads towards Sofia, and the 2 couchettes head towards Istanbul.
Overview
Service typeInterCity
StatusOperating
LocaleEuropean Turkey, eastern Bulgaria, southern Romania
Current operator(s)
Former operator(s)TCDD (Until 2016)
Route
TerminiHalkalı station, Istanbul
Gara de Nord, Bucharest
Stops8
Average journey time13 hours, 29 minutes
Service frequencyDaily each way
Train number(s)81032, 492, 464 (westbound), 81031, 461 (eastbound)
On-board services
Sleeping arrangementsPrivate sleeping room accommodations and couchette cars
Catering facilitiesDining car
Baggage facilitiesYes
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
ElectrificationIstanbul to Kapıkule and Dimitrovgrad to Ruse
Track owner(s)TCDD Istanbul-Kapıkule
BDŽ Kapitan Andreevo-Ruse
CFR Giurgiu-Bucharest

The Bosphorus Express (Bulgarian: Босфор експрес), also known as the Trans Balkan Express (Turkish: Bosfor Ekspresi), is an international passenger train running between Istanbul, Turkey and Bucharest, Romania.[1][2] It runs together with the Istanbul-Sofia Express[3] as far as Dimitrovgrad upon entering Bulgaria, where the latter continues to Sofia. The train is jointly operated by three national railways: the TCDD Taşımacılık (TCDD), the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), and the Romanian State Railways (CFR).[4] The train serves several important cities including Istanbul, Edirne, Stara Zagora, and Bucharest.

Stock

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The train is pulled by a variety of locomotives in each country. Today the train consists of three or four cars usually supplied by the three railways. There are two couchettes, either TCDD Intercity stock or CFR 40-31/44-31 stock, a single coach, either TCDD or CFR, and a CFR sleeping car. Since the train uses electrified and non-electrified track, locomotives pulling the train also change. From Istanbul, the train is pulled by an E68000 electric locomotive to Kapıkule, where a BDŽ class-07 diesel locomotive becomes the motive power. At Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, the BDŽ class-07 de-couples and either a BDŽ class-43 or a BDZ class-45 electric locomotive couples onto the train. At Russe, the BDŽ electric locomotive is exchanged with a Romanian class-65 diesel locomotive, which pulls the train to Bucharest.

Typical configurations

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İstanbul–Kapıkule

  • TCDD E68000 Locomotive
  • TCDD Couchette
  • TCDD Couchette

Kapıkule–Dimitrovgrad

  • BDŽ Class-07 Locomotive
  • TCDD Couchette
  • TCDD Couchette

Dimitrovgrad–Gorna Oryahovitsa

  • BDŽ Class-43 or BDŽ Class-45 Locomotive
  • TCDD Couchette
  • BDŽ Coach

Gorna Oryahovitsa–Russe

  • BDŽ Class-43 or BDŽ Class-45 Locomotive
  • CFR Couchette
  • TCDD Couchette
  • BDŽ Coach

Russe–Bucharest

  • CFR Class-65 Locomotive
  • CFR Couchette
  • TCDD Couchette

Between Dimitrovgrad and Russe, one or two BDŽ Coaches are added to the train for domestic travel.

Route

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The journey starts at Halkali station[5] in the suburb of Marmaray, 27 km (17 mi) from Istanbul's Sirkeci Terminal. After passing through Edirne it arrives at the town of Kapıkule on the Turkish-Bulgarian border.[6] The electric locomotive disconnects and is replaced with a diesel locomotive. Passengers need to disembark and cross the rail tracks to clear passport control. After the city of Gorna Oryahovitsa, the train arrives at the city of Ruse on the Danube river. A diesel locomotive once again takes over, and it crosses the Danube via the Danube Bridge and into the Romanian town of Giurgiu, stopping at the Giurgiu North Railway Station. Then it continues north to Bucharest. After circling the city, the train enters from the northwest into Bucharest North railway station.

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  • The Bosphorus Express at Sirkeci Terminal.
    The Bosphorus Express at Sirkeci Terminal.
  • The Bosphorus Express waiting to depart Bucharest.
    The Bosphorus Express waiting to depart Bucharest.
  • The old destination board on a TCDD couchette car.
    The old destination board on a TCDD couchette car.

References

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  1. ^ Rogers, Dayla (2011-10-29). ""The Bosphorus Express" or "What I learned after spending the night shaped like a question mark" | Istanbul to Budapest -". Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  2. ^ Allen, Robert (2003-04-12). "To the banks of the Bosphorus". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  3. ^ "Uluslararası Trenler".
  4. ^ "Bosphor Express (Bucharest Istanbul train)". Rail Turkey En. 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  5. ^ "Bosphorus Express". www.interrail.eu. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  6. ^ "Night train Istanbul - Bucharest D 81032/492/464/460/462/1094 Bosphorus Express (Bosfor)".
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