Balkan Express (train)

Balkan Express
The Balkan Express at Dimitrovgrad, with a BDŽ Class 07 locomotive.
Overview
Service typeInter City
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleSoutheastern Europe
First service1991[1]
Last service2013
SuccessorIstanbul-Sofia Express
Former operator(s)
Route
TerminiSirkeci station, Istanbul
Main station, Belgrade (2000–2013)
Keleti station, Budapest (1991–2000)
Average journey time21 hours, 55 minutes
Train number(s)490/491 (1993–2013)
412/413 (1991–1993)
On-board services
Class(es)2nd, 1st
Disabled accessLimited, due to older equipment
Seating arrangements
  • Open coach car
  • Couchette car
Sleeping arrangements
  • Couchette car
  • Sleeping car
Baggage facilities
  • Overhead racks
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification

The Balkan Express (Turkish: Balkan Ekspresi) was an international overnight passenger train that ran between Istanbul, Turkey and Belgrade, Serbia, via Sofia, Bulgaria. The train began operations in 1991 from Istanbul to Budapest, Hungary, but was cut back to Belgrade after 2000. Service was discontinued in March 2013, when Sirkeci station closed for the construction of the Marmaray commuter rail network. In 2017, the Istanbul-Sofia Express was inaugurated as a successor to the Balkan Express, although the route was shortened to Sofia.

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