As part of the European Year of Rail 2021, a special EU train will criss-cross the continent from 2 September to 7 October 2021, stopping in over 100 cities, making 33 border crossings, and travelling over 20 000 kilometres: The Connecting Europe Express! Departing from Lisbon on 2 September, this special train will travel across 26 European countries before reaching its last stop in Paris on 7 October.
Criss-crossing 26 countries, it will trace many of the routes that bind us together, connecting countries, businesses and people. It will showcase the unifying force of rail.
Its role as mentioned on the website of the project, is to make us better understand the challenges that European rail has to overcome in order to become the mode of choice for passengers and businesses alike.
Railway companies from different EU Member States are providing rolling stock to configure this train.
A variety of activities will put rail in the spotlight throughout 2021 across the continent, to encourage the use of rail by both people and freight and to contribute to the EU Green Deal goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. The Connecting Europe Express will be one of the European Year of Rail’s most emblematic initiatives.
