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Bullshit Meter

Sofia-Thessaloniki trains to return

  • Jon Worth

Jon Worth

02 Feb 2026 • 1 min read
OSE diesel locomotive in Thessaloniki
Jon Worth's Rail Story Bullshit Meter Sofia - Thessaloniki train to restart "next year" (so 2027) 220 025 Bullshit Complete B ilshit Meter Not Bullshit VERDICT Good idea, don't believe it It is operationally possible, but the question is really if anyone wants to try. The route is slow, electrified only Bulgarian side, and Greek side requires a reverse at Strymonas. Maybe 1x a day, from December 2027? Verdict date: 02.02.2026

So Sofia-Thessaloniki #CrossBorderRail is meant to re-open "next year"

It's operationally possible (it used to run), but given how slow it is, and the mess of Greek railways and the poor financial state of Bulgarian ones I don't believe it yet

News: https://www.railtech.be/nl/spoorbouw/2026/02/02/spoorverbinding-sofia-thessaloniki-keert-volgend-jaar-terug-na-decennialange-onderbreking/

There is a solution to connect Saarbrücken and Luxembourg by train. But France has to play its part too.
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There is a solution to connect Saarbrücken and Luxembourg by train. But France has to play its part too.

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There is definitely a more positive spirit around cross border rail between Netherlands and Belgium. But could there be a direct Eindhoven - Bruxelles train, as Thierry Aartsen suggests? Don't get me wrong: this is a good idea. The question is how you do it, and indeed if
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Rising fuel costs due to the Iran conflict give European railways an opportunity - can they seize it?

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Go back a couple of short years to the months prior to the 2024 European Elections, and railways were trying to set their political direction. This was is in CER's manifesto (PDF): "the regulatory framework today is not fair, with railways carrying many costs and obligations not
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