The Bosphorus Express (), also known as the Trans Balkan Express (), is an international passenger train running between Istanbul, Turkey and Bucharest, Romania. It runs together with the Istanbul-Sofia Express as far as Dimitrovgrad upon entering Bulgaria, where the latter continues to Sofia. The train is jointly operated by three national railways: the TCDD Taà Âñmacñlñk (TCDD), the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), and the Romanian State Railways (CFR). The train serves several important cities including Istanbul, Edirne, Stara Zagora, and Bucharest.
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 Kapñkule, where a BDà ½ class-07 diesel locomotive becomes the motive power. At Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, the BDà ½ class-07 de-couples and either a BDà ½ class-43 or a BDZ class-45 electric locomotive couples onto the train. At Russe, the BDà ½ electric locomotive is exchanged with a Romanian class-65 diesel locomotive, which pulls the train to Bucharest.
ðstanbulâÂÂKapñkule
KapñkuleâÂÂDimitrovgrad
DimitrovgradâÂÂGorna Oryahovitsa
Gorna OryahovitsaâÂÂRusse
RusseâÂÂBucharest
Between Dimitrovgrad and Russe, one or two BDà ½ Coaches are added to the train for domestic travel.
The journey starts at in the suburb of Marmaray, from Istanbul's Sirkeci Terminal. After passing through Edirne it arrives at the town of Kapñkule on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. 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.