Aurora (train)
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type |
Trans Europ Express (TEE; 1974–75) Rapido (1975–87) City Night Line (CNL) |
| Locale | Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark |
| First service | 26 May 1974 |
| Current operator(s) | CityNightLine |
| Former operator(s) | Ferrovie dello Stato |
| Route | |
| Start | Rome / Basel |
| End | Reggio di Calabria / Copenhagen |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification |
3000 V DC (Italy) 15 kV 16,7 Hz (Germany & Switzerland) 25 kV 50 Hz (Denmark) |
The Aurora was a domestic Trans Europ Express in Italy linking Rome with Reggio di Calabria. The train was named after the Roman goddess of dawn, referring to the train's early morning departure from Rome.
Trans Europ Express
The Aurora was based on existing first-class only Rapidos running between Rome and Naples. In 1974 the service was extended to Reggio di Calabria and upgraded to Trans Europ Express.[1] The southbound service used the schedule of Rapido 893, the northbound service the schedule of Rapido 882 already running from Reggio to Rome.[2] Despite the scenic route along the Tyrrhenian sea between Naples and Reggio di Calabria, loading figures on this stretch were very low and consequently the Aurora was downgraded to a two-class Rapido after only 371 days as TEE on 1 June 1975.[1] On 1 June 1980 the service was extended to Palermo using the train ferry to cross the Strait of Messina. On 30 May 1987 the rapido Aurora was withdrawn from service.[3]
| TEE 89 | country | station | km | TEE 88 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:20 |  Italy | Roma Termini | 0 | 22:05 |
| 08:54 | Italy | Napoli Mergellina | 209 | 20:21 |
| 09:04 | Italy | Napoli Piazza Garibaldi | 214 | 20:11 |
| Italy | Salerno | 268 | ||
| Italy | Maratea | 407 | ||
| Italy | Lamezia Terme | 546 | ||
| Italy | Gioia Tauro | 638 | ||
| Italy | Villa San Giovanni | 675 | ||
| Italy | Reggio Lido | 682 | ||
| 13:55 | Italy | Reggio Calabria | 684 | 15:25 |
CityNightLine
Later CityNightLine revived the name for its train which services the Basel-Copenhagen route:[4]
The stations served by the Aurora are:
| Outward journey | Return journey |
|---|---|
| Basel SBB | Koebenhavn H |
| Basel Bad Bf (Basel German Station) | Roskilde |
| Freiburg (Brg) Hbf | Ringsted |
| Offenburg | Odense |
| Karlsruhe Hbf | Kolding |
| Mannheim Hbf | Padborg |
| Frankfurt (Main) Süd | Flensburg |
| Fulda Hbf | Neumünster |
| Neumünster | Fulda |
| Flensburg | Frankfurt (Main) Süd |
| Padborg | Mannheim Hbf |
| Kolding | Karlsruhe Hbf |
| Odense | Offenburg |
| Ringsted | Freiburg (Brg) Hbf |
| Roskilde | Basel Bad Bf |
| Koebenhavn H | Basel SBB |
References
- 1 2 Das grosse TEE Buch p. 120
- ↑ La Légende des TEE p. 352.
- ↑ La Légende des TEE p. 353.
- ↑ CityNightLine's official listings on this Line
Works cited
- Hajt, Jörg (2001). Das grosse TEE Buch (in German). Bonn/Königswinter: Heel Verlag. ISBN 3-89365-948-X.
- Mertens, Maurice; Malaspina, Jean-Pierre (2007). La Légende des Trans Europ Express (in French). Vannes: LR Presse. ISBN 978-29-036514-5-9.
