1276i

INTERNATIONAL SUPPLEMENT TO BLN 1276 4 MARCH 2017

BRANCH LINE NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

This newsletter covers the World outside the British Isles from information
supplied by members.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or of the Society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS TEAM:-
International Editor (to whom all email and postal contributions should be sent):
Paul Griffin, 7 School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, COVENTRY,CV8 3ZZ
Email: [email protected]
Deputy International Editor: Derek Woodward, 68 Church Street, Matlock, DERBY, DE4 3BY

___________________________________________________

The station of Monopoli is midway between Brindisi and Bari and is at km 689.16 (the distance from Bologna). The picture, taken
from a passing train shows a curious structure on the platform labelled (rather indistinctly) Posto di Blocco no. 11 Km 689+16. A
Posto di Blocco is a signal box controlling a block section. This one appears to have been a late addition to the station,
presumably to increase capacity on the line, but is now used for displaying trophies!

EUROPE
[079] Europe - Steam train to steam boat
A member posed the question in BLNI 1273 ‘Is there anywhere other than Kingswear and Mariefred
where it is possible to interchange between a steam train and a steam boat on a regular basis’? The
answer appears to be yes – though the ‘regular basis’ may need clarifying.

There are two sites in Switzerland at which steam boats and steam trains are scheduled to connect.
The BLS paddle steamer DS Lötschberg operates two round trips daily from Interlaken to Brienz
between 20 May and 24 September where interchange is possible with the BrienzerRothornBahn.
RigiBahnen operate steam trains between Vitznau and Rigi Kulm on 9 dates this summer (June 4, 18,
July 2, 16, Aug. 1, 6, 20, Sept. 3, 17) and several steamers call at Vitznau daily throughout the summer.
Does this count as regular?
Two possibilities have been suggested in Germany.SächsischeDampfschiffahrt paddle steamers make
one return trip from Dresden to Meissen on Tuesdays to Sundays and Holidays between 2 May and 15
October which calls at Radebeul. This stop is described as being for the Lößnitzgrundbahn, which is the
steam operated narrow gauge line to Radeburg, but it is not clear whether this is near enough to count
as an interchange. Is any of our members able to say how far the pier is from RadebeulOst station?
It was also suggested that a paddle steamer sometimes connected with the Chiemseebahn. However,
according to the ChiemseeSchifffahrt website, this vessel, the “Ludwig Fessler” had its steam engine
replaced by a modern diesel engine in 1972/3. In the Netherlands transfer is also possible at
Medemblik, end of the steam operated heritage line from Hoorn, onto the MS Friesland bound for
Enkhuizen. Is any of our members able to confirm whether or not this vessel is steam powered?

[080] Belgium - Fares for older passengers
(BLNI 1275.064) We have now been informed that these tickets have increased in price to € 6.20.
Also, this offer is not available on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 July to 20 August, or on Friday 21 July
or Tuesday 15 August which are public holidays.

[081] Czech Republic – Praha Metro visit
A British enthusiast living in the Czech Republic recently participated in one of DPP's (Praha public
transport) behind the scenes trips to Zlicin depot and the B / yellow line. After taking the connecting
bus from outside Zlicin metro station they were deposited in the depot area where there was a brief
look at the fire service area. Then on to the depot where they were split into two smaller groups. After
a talk about the depot operation they boarded the nostalgia set 1083/4, one group in each coach,
using the basic platforms at the cleaning road. As this track is not electrified, one of the depot shunters
hauled the nostalgia set out of the shed. They then continued under their own power the approx 1km
to Zlicin metro station, then on the B line to Florenc, including a setting back at Smichov into the
reversing siding, then reversed at Florenc in the middle road which is part of a single track through
connecting line to the C line. After this, the train returned to the Zlicin depot area where there was a
double shunt via the south headshunt to access the triangle on the south side. They then went round
the three sides of the triangle which is part of a link to Praha-Zlicin railway station on JR122 used to
transfer stock. After this they triple shunted via both the south and north headshunts to get back into
the cleaning road, coasting in this time without assistance. On the night of 28/29 April DPP are running
an overnight metro excursion, which includes the connection between the B and C lines. Details of this
and DPP depot excursions can be found at:http://www.dpp.cz/historicka-souprava-metra/

[082] France - Challerange after all, but for how long?
Despite pessimism reported in BLNI 1259.245 Chemin de Fer de Sud-Ardennes (CFTSA) did run to
Challerange on 13 August 2016. The first six kilometres to the Vivescia grain silo atAlland'huy, which

sends out 50,000 tonnes of grain by rail each year, has been refurbished as part of the most recent
agreement with the Champagne-Ardenne region for maintenance of freight routes. Another silo (at
Monthois) sends out less than 40,000 tonnes annually, which is insufficient to justify maintenance of
the additional 34 km of track to Challerange. Owing to the limited revenue, SNCF will not maintain this
section beyond 2018. This will be a big problem for the CFTSA as they may not be able to run to
Challerange in future and their depot at Attigny (km 10) might no longer be usable.

[083] France – Good news for Cévenol and Aubrac
On 14 December 2016, Alain Vidalies, Minister of Transport, and Carole Delga, President of
OccitaniePyrénées-Méditerranée Region announced that an agreement had been reached concerning
the daily TET (TET = Train d'Equilibre du Territoire ) services "Cévenol" (Clermont-Ferrand - Nîmes) and
"Aubrac" (Clermont-Ferrand - Béziers). From 1 January 2018, Occitanie Region will become
responsible for the "Cévenol" express which will become a TER (Clermont-Ferrand to Nîmes). As
compensation, Occitanie region will receive 3 new Alstom Coradia Liner trains with a value of €30M.
The State will also contribute an unspecified operating subsidy and jointly finance with Occitanie
repairs to the ligne des Cévennes for a total of €43M to consolidate the infrastructure. This is stated to
be a unique financing arrangement. In addition, the two parties agreed to jointly manage and finance
the daily Clermont-Ferrand - Béziers "Aubrac" express for an experimental period of two years from 1
January 2017. The deficit will be shared equally during this period. At the end of two years, the State
will decide what to do. Presumably the "Aubrac" will remain an "intercité" which is a surprise as most
observers expected the train to be withdrawn. Commentary: There remain a number of uncertainties.
The communiqué is silent about any possible future contributions and responsibilities of Auvergne
Rhône-Alpes for the "Cévenol" and the "Aubrac". There is no news of any funding to improve the
infrastructure between Neussargues and Béziers. It is uncertain what stock will be used for the
"Aubrac". The elections for a new President of France and a new government in the spring will no
doubt result in a fresh look at these decisions. Courtesy of the SNCF Society.

[084] Germany – Threatened lines reprieved
Operation of the following lines has been put out to tender, so they can be considered to be
reasonably secure for now.
235 Zittau - Bischofswerda and 236 [Zittau -] Großschönau – Seifhennersdorf: Now re-tendered until
2031.
269 Stendal - Tangermünde: Contract awarded to HanseatischeEisenbahn GmbH until Dec. 2022.
340 Bernburg - Calbe(Saale) Ost [- Magdeburg]: Tender advertised for services until Dec. 2025.
551 Weißenfels - Zeitz and 569 Merseburg – Querfurt: Current contract extended until Dec. 2019.

[085] Germany/Denmark – The second part of a multi-country InterRailgrice
The 13:55 TGV from Strasbourg to Frankfurt was known to be temporarily scheduled via EGTRE listed
DE16/602 avoiding both Mannheim Hbf and Heidelberg Hbf, plus DE16/510, line 3651 from
NeuIsenburg to approach FrankfurtHbf via the curve to Abzw Forsthaus. From Frankfurt (Main) the
first opportunity to continue north was taken on an ICE towards Hamburg, with more required track
en route as planned engineering work had closed the high speed line north of Göttingen with
diversions onto the old route via Kreiensen. Additionally on arriving at Hannover Hbf it was
remembered that the tram route outside the west side of the station is to be diverted and closed by
2018, so a quick exit to ride to/from Aegidientorplatz and Goetheplatz and then an empty IC starting

from Hannover simply meant a 1½ hour later arrival in Hamburg Hbf for the booked Hotel. En-route
the new curve at Uelzen was observed being used by an SBB hauled freight.
Next morning required an early start to fit in the reopening to Fehmarn-Berg on the way to Denmark
via the 2 hourly Puttgarden train ferry, with more unexpected new track on the way, albeit almost of a
microgrice nature. This came about as the Puttgarden service is one of two, two car DMUs which split
in the passing loop at the junction for the short 1.7km branch to Neustadt (Holst), the front DMU’s
destination. (Does scheduled splitting away from a station happen anywhere else in Europe?). Once
the front DMU had departed, square B1 on page 13 of your correspondents 2007 Schweers & Wall
railmap of Germany shows a small red link between the two passenger lines here as the connection is
a few hundred metres in length, and the northbound Puttgarden train duly used it.
The extensive rail yards at Puttgarden and Rødby Færge on the Danish side are now derelict with all
freight going via the Storebælt link, so after an unusual photographic session on the train ferry with
the 3 car DSB DMU surrounded by lorries, then a thorough passport check, the private line to Nakskov
from Nykøbing (Falster) was visited on the way to a night in Åarhus. The Odder branch would be the
target the next morning so the last daylight of the previous evening was spent photographing the
Grenå branch (travelled previously) where it runs at the roadside through Åarhus Docks as that was
also closing on 26 August for tram conversion. Your correspondent did not know beforehand if this
docks routing would be retained or replaced by the planned tram loop through the north east part of
the City, and the only literature found when in Denmark gave details of the bus replacements and the
anticipated reopening dates of Åarhus – Lisbjerg in May 2017, Åarhus – Odder in August 2017 and
Åarhus – Grenå in October 2017. The clue for the new tram section is the mention of Lisbjerg as this is
not on the route of the DSB railway and further web research has now found the schemes website
confirming there will be a new 12km long, 15 station tram loop built between Skolebakken (two tram
stops north of Aarhus main station) and Lystrup, plus a one stop branch in Lisbjerg to Lisbjergskolen,
and the DSB docks routing will also be retained and doubled in part.
http://www.letbanen.dk/rejse/rejsetider/
Considering that the DSB Odder – Åarhus – Grenå services used platform 7 on the south side of Åarhus
main station, it is perhaps surprising that as trams they are being relocated to a new Platform 0 and a
converted platform 1 on the north side. This will be closer to the city centre exit, but also means that
the tram line has to cross two sets of DSB lines to the west of Åarhus station to reach the
Odderbranch. The scheme website and Google Earth confirm the construction of a new tram flyover
400m west of the Ringgadebroen road bridge over the line to Frederikshavn, followed by conversion of
an existing siding underneath the København line, so it is assumed that this was forced by a need to
place the tram depot within the substantial railway yards on the north side. A photo of the flyover is at
http://www.letbanen.dk/anlaeg/banegraven/ and a 2016 image on:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ringgadebroen/@56.1483496,10.1825472,376m/data=!3m1!1
e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x464c3ff139be3733:0x164816afd170ba6!8m2!3d56.1483496!4d10.1847359
The DSB operated Odder branch has 16 stops in its 25km length so will be well suited to rapid
acceleration trams, and before 08:00 even the 2 car DMU heading away from Åarhus was busy with
commuters, many to/from intermediate points, so its conversion looks to be a sound plan. The rest of
the day was taken up on Arriva and DSB services via the Nørre Nebel branch and Esbjerg polishing off
lines in Jutland to get to Sønderborg ready to join the railtour partway through the next day.
The European Rail Gen Yahoo Group gave notice of a Danish Nohab Diesel Tour run by MY Veterantog
on Saturday 20 August which attracted the separate attention of three BLS Members as it included a

branch the 2016 Ball European Atlas shown as out of use. The organisers’ literature quoted numerous
part fare options so although knowing in advance that they would meet on the train, all joined at
different places following different itineraries! The tour started from Odense and first headed for the
EMU only branch to Sønderborg which was where your correspondent stayed the night before. He
walked to the station early to make sure he was on the right side of a lifting river bridge separating the
town centre from the station. A wise precaution as the bridge was raised for numerous sailing boats
just after the tour arrived. The tour’s departure was then delayed almost 25 minutes due to problems
with the points on the rarely used run round loop before heading for Vojens and the tour highlight, the
12km branch to Haderslev.

Haderslev Vest and the NOHAB class MY locomotive runs round to propel the train to Haderslev BY

Passenger services had ended as long ago as 2 January 1974, allegedly temporarily due to the oil crisis,
with freight serving a Brewery at Haderslev BY station continuing until late 2004. The Brewery is still
producing beer and could be visited by tour participants whilst the diesel and stock did an additional
round trip to Voyens and back for locals. But first the diesel ran round at Haderslev BY station and
propelled an additional 1km to the end of the tracks at a single track platform just before a tarmaced
level crossing and the harbour at HaderslevHavn. Track on the branch is still in remarkably good
condition and for anyone interested is apparently traversed 4-5 times a year by charter services such
as this one. http://www.haderslevbanen.dk/index.htm

Haderslev Vest, where the locomotive will run round and propel the train to Haderslev BY

Haderslev BY is in the centre of the town and is now the end of the line. This used to continue across the road where the
photographer is standing, to the eastern side of the town and riverside docks.

[086] Greece – Replacement for part of main line to open this year
Reconstruction of the Athina to Thessaloniki main line, including doubling, realignment and
electrification has been taking place for many years. A new line is under construction between
Tithorea and Lianokladi, including the 9 km long Kallidromo tunnel. According to the magazine Today's
Railways this section is expected to open in June 2017, with the closure of the scenic line via Bràlos.

[087] Italy - Recent observations on the railways of Italy
Civitavecchia – This is the cruise ship port for Rome. Although originally intending to make the journey
to Roma by service train, being his first visit our member joined an organised tour which worked in his
favour as he discovered he was using a PSUL! On joining the coach alongside the ship he assumed they
would go to the main line station in Civitavecchia but no, they were dropped off at a very basic
platform, still well inside the port, to join 2x single Fiat diesel railcars of some vintage. After a few km
they passed under the mainline then ran parallel to it before joining it about 1.5km south of the main
line station. (See EGTRE Civitavecchia – Civitavecchia Marittima IT16/127. Ed.).
Once on the mainline the railcars proved to be pretty nippy and fairly smooth, though they had a
tendency to exaggerate pointwork. It was about an hour’s run to Roma San Pietro, where they ran
though the station before setting back into platform 1. Why? This is a four platform junction station,
and although the platforms are parallel, they are basically separate with the junction points at the City
end and no facing connection from Civitavecchia, and platform 1 is nearest St. Peter’s with direct
access to the road. They detrained here - a ten minute walk to St. Peter’s Square. On the return
journey they set off in the ‘wrong’ direction, reversed and crossed over to the correct line.
Naples – The tramway is out of use being replaced by an underground Metro system. Construction
work is often disrupted by archaeological finds or in one case the collapse of a building into an
excavation! Much track and catenary remains intact, but sections suddenly disappear under tarmac. It
also appears that at least one trolley bus route survives as our member had a fleeting glance of one
from the tour coach.

[088] Poland – EGTRE unusual lines guide now on line
The EGTRE unusual lines guide has now been updated for the current timetable, with no less than 96
entries for Poland. EGTRE also has similar online guides for other European countries.
See http://egtre.info/wiki/Poland_-_Lines_with_Obscure_or_Sparse_passenger_services

[089] Spain – Plans to improve port access
On 9 January 2017 the Spanish Government unveiled plans to improve rail access to ports. Freight
traffic moving to and from ports by rail is expected to reach 15.8 million tonnes in 2016 and 16.2
million tonnes in 2017. Major projects include a new rail connection to the Port of Barcelona at the
southern end of the docks complex. Using an FGC alignment, ADIF will be responsible for building a
single-track electrified connection able to accommodate 1 000 mm, 1 435 mm and 1 668 mm gauge
freight trains at a cost of €30.7m. At Ferrol, €95m is to be spent on a single-track 1 000 mm and 1 668
mm gauge branch to the outer port. Civil works will include a 5.6 km tunnel and a 600 m viaduct.
Traffic of 500 000 tonnes a year is forecast, including containers, coal and grain.

Port facilities at La Cabezuela in the Bay of Cádiz are to be connected to the ADIF network by means of
4.65 km of new infrastructure, which will be a continuation of the short branch to Universidad station
from the Sevilla to Cádiz route. The single-track non-electrified line to the port boundary is expected to
cost €20m to build.

[090] Spain - Vitoria-Gasteiz Tramways
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the "capital" of the Basque Autonomous Community, hence the bi-lingual name.
Despite a population of only 250,000 it boasts the second new tram system in the Basque region
opened initially in 2008 and extended twice since then. The latest extension in 2012 was just two
stations over 0.8km to the terminus at Abetxuko. The system is now a Y-Shape with the base at
Angulema, a nowhere in particular spot about 10 minutes walk from the main station where trams
simply draw forward, crossover and return. The line divides after Honduras serving two branches of
similar length to Abetxuko and Ibaiondo where the depot is situated just beyond the final tram stop. In
regular operation trams arriving at Ibaiondo crossover and return direct. However it seems likely that
trams coming into service will use the other side of the island platform and the other leg of the scissors
crossover, and coming out of service the direct chord to the right hand platform face. The rails have a
shine that suggests this pattern of usage. At Abetxuko there are simply two platform roads either side
of a narrow island platform, the outer appears to be always used, probably not least as it is a much less
severe curve, and the inner platform rails look rusty. The system can be comfortably traversed in 2-3
hours including walking to/from the station which is planned to be served by an extension but only
when the siting of the proposed AVE main line station is determined – if it ever happens! A day ticket
can be bought for €4.70 from machines on the platform. For a simple system it has a slightly weird way
of indicating destinations and direction. Trams heading for Angulema are single RED square, to
Ibaiondo two GREEN squares and Abetxuko three WHITE squares and on the principal stops there are
displays of the front of the Urbos 2 trams in these colours with numbers to indicate minutes to next
service. Additionally a small square turret atop the shelters glows with the relevant colour of square/s
with an adjacent number so the proximity of the next service can be determined some way off. One
oddity for a British visitor amongst the tricky looking Basque station names is to suddenly arrive into
Wellington! This is clearly a commemoration of the commander of the British and Iberian forces that
routed the French in this decisive battle in the Peninsular campaign in June 1813 leading to the end of
French rule in Spain.

[091] Turkey (European)/ Bulgaria – Bosphor Express reinstated
Bosphor Express, the overnight train between Istanbul Halkali and Sofia restarted on 20 February
2017. The train service had been by connected bus service in the Turkish section (Istanbul-Kapikule)
due to engineering works. The new service offers a faster service (travel time is 10 hrs) and more
comfortable sleepers and couchettes. Departure time from Istanbul is 22:40 (arrive Sofia 08:30 next
day) and from Sofia 21:00 (arrive Istanbul 07:00). Turkey’s new train operator, TCDD Tasimacilik, has
also announced that train services to Bucureşti and Beograd will start by summer. These services will
be given by coaches attached to the Bosphor Express.

On the 8 July 2007 the Bosphor Express is seen at Halkali in Turkey en-route from Sofia/ Bucureşti to Istanbul. Our member
joined the train at Bucureşti where it comprised just an open coach and a sleeping car, in which he was the only occupant
throughout the journey. The train was heavily delayed at Dimitrovgrad awaiting the late running portion from Sofia. The
locomotive is a Bosnian electric loco, then on long term hire to TCDD and took over the train from Bulgarian diesel 07124 at the
border station of Kapikule, something that will not be necessary now as the line to Sofia is electrified throughout.

REST OF THE WORLD

[092] Canada – Developments in Vancouver
There is considerable local discontent at recent increased use of the BNSF/CN Burrard Inlet line,
causing traffic congestion due to its level crossings with several major roads approaching Vancouver
city centre. This line connects the BNSF/VIA/Amtrak main line (at the triangular junction outside
Pacific Central station) with the Vanterm and Centerm port facilities on the south side of the harbour,
and the increase stems from re-routing of CN intermodal trains serving those terminals. Under joint
arrangements, these previously left the CN at Mission (Matsqui Junction) and took the CP/West Coast
Express route into the city. From 2 January, however, CN has been using its own main line to Thornton
Yard, with trip workings up to six times daily from there via Glen Yard and the level crossings to reach
the harbour terminals. CN has, incidentally, also recently outsourced its shunting operations in the
port to Toronto Terminals Railway, a jointly-owned CP/CN company which already provides shunting
facilities at Deltaport and Roberts Bank. Elsewhere, CP has announced its intention to abandon the

remaining 1.07 miles of the Van Horne Spur, which crosses the north arm of the Fraser River into
Richmond by the Marpole Trestle, out of use since fire damage in July 2014.

[093] India – Broad gauge network in Northeast extended
THE expansion of the broad gauge network in northeast India reached another milestone on 24
January, when the first broad gauge passenger train ran on the Agartala - Udaipur line in Tripura. Two
passenger services will operate every day except Sunday on the 44.8km line, which extends the
national 1676mm-gauge gauge network to the district of Gomati for the first time.
At the inauguration ceremony it was confirmed that by 2019 broad gauge tracks will be extended
from Udaipur to Sabrum, where a new bridge will be constructed across the Feni river to connect the
line to the Bangladesh Railways network. This will give Tripura a direct rail link to the Bangladeshi port
of Chittagong, which is just 75km from Sabrum.

[094] Israel – Haifa funicular closed by fire
A 1.8km funicular railway which passes inside Mount Carmel in the Israeli city of Haifa has closed
following a fire which broke out on the morning of 4 February and resulted in extensive damage to the
line's two trains and infrastructure. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the blaze as the line does not
operate on Saturdays to mark the Jewish Sabbath. Smoke was initially spotted at Paris Square station
and soon spread to almost all of the line’s six stations. The fire destroyed one of the two car trains and
a single car on the second train. The line is expected to remain closed for a few months for repairs, and
alternative bus transport has been offered to passengers. However, this does not match the line’s
journey time of 12 minutes between the top of Mount Carmel and downtown Haifa.

[095] New Zealand – Another South Island line closure
(BLNI 1274.060) A second line on the South Island has been indefinitely closed after a scrub fire badly
damaged a major viaduct on the line linking Christchurch and the West Coast. The bridge is located in
the South Island high country between Cass and Springfield on the Midland line. The intense fire
warped the bridge’s steel structure while several other bridges as well as sleepers along sections of the
track have also been damaged. A full assessment of the damage will take some time while repairs to
the line will be extremely difficult due to the rugged terrain with the area only accessible via the line.
The line carries coal and dairy products as well as the Tranz-Alpine passenger train.
The Christchurch to Picton main line also remains closed after an earthquake struck the Kaikoura
region in November 2016, cutting the line in several places with huge landslips.

[096] Turkmenistan/Afghanistan - New railway opens
Turkmenistan has opened a railway link to Afghanistan to boost exports of fuel as the gas-rich but
cash-strapped nation seeks to ease its dependence on China and Russia. The former Soviet republic
mostly exports natural gas and its revenues have dwindled after Moscow, once the main buyer, halted

purchases this year, leading to a shortage of foreign currency in the isolated desert nation. The volume
of gas sales to China, the current main buyer, is limited by pipeline capacity.
Initial discussions for the railway project began in 2008, and a framework agreement was signed when
Afghanistan’s then President Hamid Karzai visited Ashgabat in May 2011. Afghanistan lacks indigenous
capabilities for railway construction, and Turkmenistan agreed to take on responsibility for surveying,
designing and constructing the entire route, with the section within Afghanistan to be considered as a
donation to the country. Construction was launched by the presidents of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan
and Tajikistan with an elaborate ceremony in Atamyrat on 5 June 2013.
The civil works were undertaken by staff from construction train No 2 from Amyderya, with the track
laid by staff from Mary. The formation has been raised several metres above surrounding ground to
protect the line from flooding, and shrubs planted to mitigate the effects of drifting sand. Two bridges
were built in co-operation with Ukrainian company Altcom, one 256 metres long at 15 Years of
Independence Lake and one 363 metres long over the River Karakum. A ceremony at Akina on 30
October 2016 marked the laying of the final rails. The line was officially opened by the Presidents of
Turkmenistan and Afghanistan who ceremonially tightened a golden bolt on 28 November 2016.
The first freight train on the new line comprised 46 wagons carrying flour, grain, cement, urea and
sulphur. There is a fuel terminal near the border at Ymamnazar, and Turkmenistan anticipates that the
line will carry exports to Afghanistan which currently go by lorry including oil and gas, cement, grain
and transit traffic including humanitarian freight. Afghan exports include fruit. On the Afghan side, the
link goes to the Aqina dry port in the Faryab province, but there are plans to extend it 35 km further to
Andkhoy, the first significant town in Afghanistan. The line also forms the first section of the proposed
TAT Railway corridor from Turkmenistan via northern Afghanistan to Tajikistan, sometimes referred to
as the Lapis Lazuli Corridor. In the longer term this could link up with other projects to provide a route
between China and Iran.
The new line is the second cross-border railway between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, after a short
Soviet-built line to a freight terminal at Towraghondi north of Herat. There is also a line from
Uzbekistan to Mazar-i-Sharif, and construction of an Iranian-backed 1435 mm gauge line to Herat is
underway. Pakistan is undertaking studies for long-planned extensions of its network from Chaman to
Spin Boldak and for a line from Torkham to Jalalabad.

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RAILTOURS AND DIVERSIONS OVER NON-PASSENGER LINES

This is provided as a service to members and details must be checked with the organisers.

Germany – Seasonal services on freight line this summer
BayernBahn operate trains 7 May, 11 June, 2 July, 3 September and 15 October on the freight only
branch from Landshut to Neuhausen. Trains depart ex Landshut 10:00, 12:00 and 15:40. Ex
Neuhausen at 11:00, 14:40 and 16:40. Journey time 40 minutes.