Acropolis (train)
| acropolis | |
|---|---|
| Train type: | International long-distance train |
| Countries: |
 Germany Austria Yugoslavia Greece .svg){kind=small} 
|
| First drive: | 1967 |
| Last drive: | 1991 |
| Former operator: | DB , ÖBB , JŽ , OSE |
| route | |
| Departure station: | Munich |
| Intermediate stops: | Villach , Ljubljana , Zagreb , Belgrade , Kosovo Polje , Skopje and Thessaloniki |
| Destination station: | Athens |
| Railway line: | Tauern Railway |
| Route length: | 2050 km |
| Travel time: | 37.5 hours |
| Cycle: | Every day |
| Train numbers: |
up to 1970: D 904, D 905 from 1970: D 290, D 291 |
| Furnishing | |
| Class (es): | Sleeping car , couchette cars , passenger coaches 1st class and 2nd class |
| Catering: | Dining car |
| Technical specifications | |
| Rolling stock: |
Passenger carriages: until 1978: sleeping car: CIWL, all other carriages: DB, local dining cars at JŽ and OSE from 1978: additional cars from JŽ and OSE locomotives: (only usual) DB: 110 , 111 ÖBB: 1010 , 1042 , 1044 JZ: to electrification: 661 electric locomotives 3 kV: 342 , 362 , 363 electric locomotives 25 kV: 441 , 442 , OSE: various diesel locomotives |
| Gauge (s) : | Standard gauge |
| Power system (s): | 15 kV 16 2 / 3 Hz 3 kV DC 25 kV 50 Hz Diesel |
The Acropolis (also known as Acropolis Express called) was a between Munich and Athens traffic forming distance train , which after the city fortress in Athens was named. It was operated jointly by the Deutsche Bundesbahn , the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the Yugoslavian Railways (JŽ) and the Greek State Railways (OSE) and drove from Munich via Villach , Ljubljana , Zagreb , Belgrade , Skopje and Thessaloniki to Athens. The train, classified as an express train in Germany , was run under the train numbers D 290/291. In Austria and Yugoslavia, the "Akropolis" was classified in the Express (Ex) train type .
history
The Akropolis-Express was introduced in 1967 as a supplement to the already operating Balkan trains. While the Hellas Express, which has been running from Dortmund to Athens since 1963, was primarily an offer for guest workers from Greece and Yugoslavia , the Acropolis was intended to serve German tourists. The train was introduced at the request of the Greek State Railways, which also insisted that the Deutsche Bundesbahn provide the cars.
In addition to seating cars, the Akropolis initially had couchette cars from DSG and a sleeping car from CIWL . From 1972 the sleeping car was omitted and from the winter timetable 1978/79 additional couchette cars were provided by the JŽ, which only operated as far as Yugoslavia. In the 1970s, the train's seated cars were mainly provided by DB and JŽ, with only DB cars going through to Greece. In the 1980s, the OSE also provided some of the wagons.
After the Hellas Express and the Istanbul Express , the Acropolis was one of the longest-running train connections that operated from West Germany.
With the beginning of the Yugoslav wars , the connection was discontinued in 1991.
successor
For travelers from Germany and Austria, there has been no direct connection to Greece since 1993, they had to change at least once. In February 2011, as part of a legally resolved restructuring program, cross-border rail passenger traffic to and from Greece was stopped altogether, but resumed in May 2014 with trains to Sofia, Skopje and Belgrade.
Walkway
From the 1978/79 timetable, unlike most long-distance trains to Greece, the Akropolis no longer used the electrified main line between Belgrade and Skopje via Niš in Yugoslavia , but the less well-developed connection via Kosovo Polje ( Albanian Fushë Kosova ), a railway junction to the west from Pristina , the capital of Kosovo . The route via Niš was still served by the trains in the direction of Bulgaria – Turkey and the Hellas Express. Attica also drove via Niš instead of Kosovo Polje.
Due to the design of the schedule with morning departure in Munich or Athens, only one overnight stay on the train was required on the entire route, as can be seen from the example of the summer schedule in 1988 (not all stations are specified):
| D 291 on / off |
railway station | D 290 on / off |
|---|---|---|
| 08:14 from | Munich central station | 10:41 pm on |
| 09: 52/10: 10 | Salzburg Hbf (border station Germany / Austria) | 20: 24/20: 47 |
| 13: 06/13: 09 | Villach Westbf | 17: 35/17: 37 |
| 13: 46/14: 14 | Jesenice (border station Austria / Yugoslavia) | 16: 05/16: 55 |
| 15: 10/15: 30 | Ljubljana | 14: 35 / 14.55 |
| 17: 50/18: 15 | Zagreb Gl Kol | 11: 50/12: 15 |
| 21:17 from | Vinkovci | 8:57 from |
| 23: 14/23: 48 | Belgrade | 05: 58/06: 38 |
| 02:15 from | Kragujevac | 03:20 from |
| 06: 26/07: 05 | Kosovo Polje | 22:50 / 23.30 |
| 08: 34/09: 00 | Skopje | 20: 29/21: 10 |
| 11: 00/12: 41 | Gevgelija (border station Yugoslavia / Greece, exchange EET / MZ) | 18: 30/18: 22 |
| 14: 27/15: 00 | Thessaloniki | 15: 58/16: 40 |
| 17: 17/17: 29 | Larisa | 13: 21/13: 40 |
| 22:30 on | Athens | 08:30 from |
Web links
- Express train Acropolis. In: World of the model railway.
literature
- Dēmētrēs Margaritopoulos: Akropolis Express, Ekdoseis Kochlias 2004 ISBN 960-8228-87-5
- The freedom train . In: Hidden Europe . No. 8 ( hiddeneurope.co.uk [accessed June 9, 2019]).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ex 290 Acropolis. In: vagonWEB. Retrieved June 9, 2019 .
- ^ Hans Sölch: Chronology. In: Train Worldexpresses. Retrieved June 9, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Express train Acropolis. In: World of the model railway.
- ↑ http://www.drehscheibe-foren.de/foren/read.php?17,5287758,5288317#msg-5288317 Extract from the DB train training plan 1978
- ↑ http://www.drehscheibe-foren.de/foren/read.php?30,4001523 Photo of the "Akropolis" from 1981
- ↑ International access offers on the website of the Greek Railways OSE (in English). Retrieved September 12, 2015 .
- ↑ Deutsche Bundesbahn: International Course Book, Summer 1988, Tables 23020, 23200, 23222, 23600