Sud-Express

The Sud- Express is a European night train travel between France, Spain and Portugal. He emerged from the same luxury train.

History

Luxury train

The Sud- Express was designed in 1884 by the founder of CIWL, the Belgian Georges Nagelmackers as part of a continuous connecting Saint Petersburg- Paris - Lisbon and reversed from 1887. He used it as the Paris Gare d'Austerlitz - Lisbon Santa Apolonia. The continuation of this trans-European connection formed between Paris Gare du Nord and St. Petersburg, the Northern Express. In Lisbon consisted Following steamship connections to South America. The Sud- Express was one of those times exceptionally fast and convenient connection. By 1900 he was regarded as the fastest train in Europe with an average speed of 91.2 km / h From inside the timetable period in 1935/36 in Paris succeeded in a direct connection to the North Express to and from Warsaw and Berlin produce.

Night express

After the Second World War, the connection was accepted as a night express back in the schedule. At times, perverted through couchette between Paris and Lisbon and Porto.

Today, the Sud- Express is a night train from Irun to Lisbon and vice versa from Lisbon to Hendaye with Talgo sleeper and couchette cars of the Spanish RENFE. The originally continuous connection to and from Paris was broken mid-nineties at the Spanish- French border and the French route portion of the link with a TGV and higher travel speed operated a train that does not lead, however, the name " Sud- Express".

The Portuguese state railway Comboios de Portugal calculated annual high losses with the Sud- Express, which was driven solely on the CP cost. Therefore, since October 2012 continues the Sud- Express in common with the official Lusitânia train to Medina del Campo, where the train is separated and continued to Hendaye. By combining the losses from eight to two million euros could be reduced per year. To save costs, the train since December 2013 also runs without on-board restaurant.

Incidents

On September 11, 1985, came at Alcafache on the Beira Alta - route to a head-on collision of the Sud- Express with a regional train. At least 113 people died.