Trans Europ Express
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Kraftwerk album, see Trans-Europe Express (album)
The Trans Europ Express is a former international train network in Europe.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
The TEE (Trans Europ Express) network was set up in 1957 following an idea of Ir. F.Q. den Hollander, president-director at that time of the Dutch railways company (NS). It was a network jointly operated by the railways of Germany (DB), France (SNCF), Switzerland (SBB-CFF-FFS), Italy (FS) and, of course, the Netherlands. (Note: although some trains operated through Belgium from the beginning, the railway company (NMBS/SNCB) joined only in 1964. Luxembourg (CFL) also did join at a later date.
Initially, the system was a completely diesel network. Because of the many different kinds of electrical specifications (voltages and current types - alternating current and direct current) used in the different countries it was thought at that time that this would greatly speed up border crossing.
Moreover, at that time many border crossing sections were not yet electrified. In 1961 with the introduction of the Swiss trainsets that accepted 4 kinds of current this principle was abandoned.
[edit] Modification of service
Originally the idea was to promote only international routes as TEE routes. This idea was abandoned in 1965 with the introduction of the French le Mistral and the German Blauer Enzian. The reason to abandon this principle is very clear — there are many much longer national routes than some of the international TEE routes.
[edit] Growth
The network grew in the course of the years, adding three more countries: Spain (RENFE), Denmark (DSB) and Austria (ÖBB) until its height in 1974. But of these three only RENFE became a TEE member, the other two countries had TEE's running through them but the rail administrations never were members. From that time more and more former TEE trains got replaced by other trains giving the same kind of service but allowing also 2nd class. In 1979 DB completely restructured the network with the coming of the new national IC services, resulting in successively less TEE services and more IC services in the course of time.
[edit] The End
By 1984 most services were abandoned, leaving only some national services in (mostly) Italy and France and a very few international services. Most trains were replaced by a new international intercity network with the name EuroCity which provides both 1st and 2nd class service.
[edit] List of the TEE-trains
| train number | Name | Routes | time of services |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEE 92/93 | Adriatico | Milano C - Bari | 03.06.1973 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE 8/9 | Albert Schweitzer | Dortmund - Strasbourg | 02.06.1980 - 27.05.1983 |
| TEE 78/79 | Ambrosiano | Milano - Roma | 26.05.1974 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE | Aquitaine | Paris Austerlitz - Bordeaux | 23.05.1971 - 30.05.1984 |
| TEE | Arbalète | Paris Est - Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 02.06.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 88/89 | Aurora | Roma - Reggio di Calabria | 26.05.1974 - 31.05.1975 |
| TEE 14/15 | Bacchus | München - Dortmund | 28.05.1979 - 30.05.1980 |
| TEE 66/67 | Bavaria | Zürich HB - München | 28.09.1969 - 21.05.1977 |
| TEE 84/85 | Brabant | Paris Nord - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid - (Amsterdam CS) | 26.05.1963 - 02.06.1984 |
| TEE 90/91 | Blauer Enzian | Hamburg-Altona - München | 30.05.1965 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE | Capitole (du matin) | Paris-Austerlitz - Toulouse-Matabiau (morning train) | 27.09.1970 - 23.05.1982 |
| TEE | Capitole (du soir) | Paris-Austerlitz - Toulouse-Matabiau (evening train) | 27.05.1970 - 29.09.1984 |
| TEE 83/84 | Catalan-Talgo | Genf-Cornavin - Barcelona | 01.06.1969 - 22.05.1982 |
| TEE 22/23 | Cisalpin | Milano Centrale - Paris-Lyon | 01.07.1971 - 21.01.1984 |
| TEE 68/69 | Colosseum | Roma - Milano C | 03.06.1984 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE | Cygnus | Milano - Ventimiglia | 30.09.1973 - 27.05.1978 |
| TEE 42/43 | Diamant (I) | Dortmund - Antwerpen | 30.05.1965 - 29.05.1976 |
| TEE 80/81 | Diamant (II) | München - Hamburg-Altona | 27.05.1979 - 27.05.1981 |
| TEE | Edelweiss | Amsterdam - Zürich HB | 02.06.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 26/27 | Erasmus | München - Nürnberg - Den Haag | 03.06.1973 - 31.05.1980 |
| TEE | Étendard | Paris Austerlitz - Bordeaux | 26.08.1971 - 30.05.1984 |
| TEE 82/85 | L' Étoile du Nord | Paris Nord - Amsterdam CS | 02.06.1957 - 26.06.1984 |
| TEE | Faidherbe | Paris Nord - Lille - Tourcoing | 02.10.1978 - 29.05.1987 |
| TEE 16/17 | Friedrich Schiller | Dortmund - Stuttgart | 27.05.1979 - 19.05.1982 |
| TEE 14/15 | Gambrinus | Hamburg-Altona - Köln - München | 29.05.1978 - 27.05.1983 |
| TEE | Gayant | Paris Nord - Lille - Tourcoing | 02.10.1978 - 30.05.1986 |
| TEE 50/51 | Goethe (I) | Frankfurt/Main - Paris Est | 31.05.1970 - 31.05.1975 |
| TEE 24/25 | Goethe (II) | Frankfurt/Main - Dortmund | 27.05.1978 - 27.05.1983 |
| TEE 58/59 | Gottardo | Zürich HB - Milano C | 01.07.1961 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE | Heinrich Heine | Frankfurt/Main - Dortmund | 27.05.1979 - 27.05.1983 |
| TEE 78/79 | Helvetia | Zürich HB - Frankfurt/Main - Hamburg-Altona | 02.06.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 88/81 | L'Ile de France | Paris Nord - Amsterdam CS | 02.06.1957 - 28.05.1981 |
| TEE | Iris | Zürich - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid | 26.05.1974 - 30.05.1981 |
| TEE 30/31 | Jules Verne | Paris Montparnasse - Nantes | 28.09.1980 - 30.05.1981 |
| TEE 60/61 | Kléber | Paris Est - Strasbourg | 23.05.1971 - 29.05.1987 |
| TEE | Lemano | Milano C - Genf-Cornavin | 01.06.1958 - 22.05.1982 |
| TEE | Ligure | Marseille-St-Charles - Milano C | 12.09.1957 - 22.05.1982 |
| TEE | Lutetia | Paris Est - Milano C | not known |
| TEE | Lyonnais | Paris-Lyon - Lyon Perrache | 09.02.1969 - 26.09.1976 |
| TEE 84/85 | Mediolanum | München - Milano C | 15.10.1957 - 02.06.1984 |
| TEE 86/79 | Memling | Paris Nord - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid | 29.09.1974 - 01.06.1984 |
| TEE 34/35 | Merkur | Stuttgart - Köln - København | 26.05.1974 - 27.05.1978 |
| TEE 10/11 | Mistral | Paris-Lyon - Marseille St. C - Nice-Ville | 30.05.1965 - 27.05.1978 |
| TEE | Mont Cenis | Lyon-Perrache - Milano C | 02.06.1957 - 30.09.1972 |
| TEE 40/41 | Molière (ex Paris-Ruhr) | Paris Nord - Köln | 02.06.1957 - 25.05.1979 |
| TEE 80/89 | L'Oiseaux Bleu | Paris Nord - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid | 02.06.1957 - 02.06.1984 |
| TEE 32/33 | Parsifal | Paris Nord - Dortmund - Hamburg-Altona | 29.09.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 26/27 | Prinz Eugen (I) | Bremen - Passau - Wien Westbf. | 25.09.1971 - 31.05.1975 |
| TEE 26/27 | Prinz Eugen (II) | Hannover - Köln - Franakfurt/Main Wien Westbf. | 01.06.1975 - 27.05.1978 |
| TEE 10/11 | Rembrandt | München - Stuttgart -Amsterdam CS | 28.05.1967 - 28.05.1983 |
| TEE 6/7 | Rheingold Express | Amsterdam CS - Genf-Cornavin (train) | 30.05.1965 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE 16/17 | Rheingold | Amsterdam - Frankfurt - Nördlingen - München (coaches of a train) | 23.05.1982 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE | Rheinpfeil | Dortmund - Frankfurt/Main - München | 30.05.1965 - 25.09.1971 |
| TEE 74/75 | Roland (I) | Bremen - Basel SBB - Milano C | 01.06.1969 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 90/91 | Roland (I) | Bremen - Frankfurt/Main - Stuttgart | 28.05.1979 - 29.05.1980 |
| TEE 78/79 | Rubens | Paris Nord - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid | 29.09.1974 - 27.05.1987 |
| TEE | Rhodanien | Paris-Lyon - Marseille St.C | 23.05.1971 - 29.09.1978 |
| TEE 28/29 | Saphir | Frankfurt/Main - Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid | 02.06.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 68/69 | Settebello | Roma - Milano C | 26.05.1974 - 02.06.1984 |
| TEE 62/63 | Stanislas | Paris Est - Strasbourg | 24.05.1971 - 25.09.1982 |
| TEE | Ticino | Zürich HB - Milano C | 01.07.1961 - 25.09.1982 |
| TEE 22/23 | Van Beethoven (ex Rhein-Main) | Frankfurt/Main - Amsterdam CS | 02.06.1957 - 26.05.1979 |
| TEE 94/95 | Vesuvio | Milano C- Roma -Napoli | 30.09.1973 - 30.05.1987 |
| TEE | Watteau | Paris Nord - Lille - Tourcoing | 02.10.1978 - 27.05.1987 |
| TEE 61/62 | LH 1001/2 | Frankfurt/Main - Düsseldorf Flughafen | 27.03.1982 - 01.06.1991 |
| TEE 63/64 | LH 1003/4 | Frankfurt/Main - Düsseldorf Flughafen | 27.03.1982 - 01.06.1991 |
| TEE 65/66 | LH 1005/6 | Frankfurt/Main - Düsseldorf Flughafen | 27.03.1982 - 01.06.1991 |
| TEE 67/68 | LH 1007/8 | Frankfurt/Main - Düsseldorf Flughafen | 27.03.1982 - 01.06.1991 |
- Train numbers and times of services represent the last day of service
- City names are in their respective country language
