Istanbul-Sofia Express


The Istanbul-Sofia Express is an international passenger train operating daily between Istanbul, Turkey and Sofia, Bulgaria. The train runs from Halkalı station in Istanbul, west to Sofia [Central Station] in Sofia. The first train departed Halkalı station at 22:40 on 21 February 2017, carrying 22 passengers. The Istanbul-Sofia Express is the successor to the Balkan Express, which operated between Istanbul and Belgrade, Serbia until June 2013.

Overview

Train 493/81031 departs Sofia Central Station at 21:00 each day, while its counterpart, train 492/81032, departs Halkalı station at 22:40 each day. These two trains meet at Kapıkule, on the Turkish/Bulgarian border, where customs and passport control takes place. During non-DST days, the train enters/leaves Turkish time and leaves/enters Eastern European Time, setting the clock forwards/backwards by one hour after crossing the border.
Between Istanbul and Dimitrovgrad the Istanbul-Sofia Express runs together with the Bosphorus Express. From Dimitrovgrad, the Bosphorus Express disconnects and heads north to Bucharest, Romania.

Route

The Istanbul-Sofia Express operates on routes owned by the Turkish State Railways and the Bulgarian State Railways.