Train Bucharest - Istanbul Halkali in Empty CFR Sleeping Car

Riding Train 461 "Bosfor" from Bucuresti Nord to Istanbul Halkali;
Train travels via Videle, Giurgiu Nord, Danube Friendship Bridge, Ruse, Gorna Oryahovica, Dimitrovgrad, Edirne and Cerkezköy;
It passes the border between Bulgaria and Turkey at Svilengrad and Kapikule;
Train is operated jointly by Romanian Caile Ferate Române, Bulgarian State Railways BDZ and Turkish State Railways;
Total journey takes 18 hours and 4 minutes;
Through cars Bucharest - Halkali are attached to train 461 "Romania" between Bucuresti and Gorna Oryahovica;
At Dimitrovgrad the cars are attached the train 493 "Balkan", going all the way to Halkali;
I was the sole passenger in the Sleeping Car and got a assigned a deluxe sleeper cabin with an ensuite shower and toilet;
Sleeping Car WLABmee is operated by CFR Calatori from Romania;
Registration of this modernized DWA car is 61 53 71-70 019-1;
A seperate TCDD couchette car is also operating between Bucharest and Halkali;
A bus replacement service takes passengers from Halkali to Istanbul Sirkeci Station;
A TCDD E68000 (E 68 014) electric locomotive by Hyundai Rotem carried the train between Kapikule and Halkali;
İstanbul - Sofya Ekspresi
Bükreş - Halkalı
Bosfor Ekspresi
Разписание "Босфор" Букурещ - Халкали
Разписание "Балкан" - София - Халкали

[@Quapadople]

24:47 The feeling and the sound of the old tracks is fantastic...

[@vladtkach2123]

From Ukraine with love! Lovely countries, nice video! Thanks

[@TheRooverdoor]

My compliments for the train ride with original sound.

[@user-st2ti4wy1w]

35:07- Tarnovo. My town. I love Tarnovo. ❤

[@stefanioangagea7016]

I*m happy you enjoy the trip and cause you like our national rail transport CFR.All the best from Romania :)

[@gerhardanton8759]

you make me laughing about RO... ....

[@dariuszrajczyk5667]

Brawo ! Świetnie udokumentoana relacji podróży koleją !

[@T0mahawk3r]

Wow the trainsystem in Turkey looks really modern compared to the other 2 Countries.

[@AndreiIvanescuOficial]

So beautiful! Thank you so much for the video!

[@Tracks777]

I enjoyed your video :) Keep it up!

[@Baha490]

This is an excellent job, thank you so much !, I really enjoyed your video.

[@wintelcore]

Great vídeo! Greetings from Spain!

[@scheduller763]

Looks like you are absolutely alone in the whole train.

[@likeasong63]

Another awesome video. Beautiful scenery. Well done, sir.

[@adilizolluoglu5129]

🇹🇷I LOVE 💝TCDD💝 🇹🇷 Excellent Video👍💯

[@Kardasi]

I will watch the Video tonight!Awesome Channel Dude.I am Greek and i am coming from the Tri-Border Area in Greek Thrace. So i have been to Svilengrad and also to Edirne and Istanbul. Man during the first 2 minutes of your Video,watching Eastern Trakya gives me Goosebumps for Historical reasons.

[@tractorsmachinesro1405]

Amazing rail work...Big like from Romania...Thumbs UP!!!!

[@CaptainBaseball]

The pool at the end is nice :)

[@bob18fan29]

Some vids you can take you eyes off and not really pay attention to, BUT yours are outstanding!!!!! Keep your eyes glued to the screen as not to miss anything. Sure hope your site takes off big, good luck,

[@paulfrankye]

At 31:42 it's like you've gone back to 1998 with those cars...

[@DavidAndrei16]

great video !!

[@hilldoggydogg635]

Hello to Romania from the Slavic lands to the West! Nice nature. I want to buy a danube cruise badly.

[@silviubogdan2024]

Romanian is not slavic...we are in the est but we are not slavic!!!Latini!!

[@ag6371]

Bulgaria is slavic though

[@hilldoggydogg635]

@@silviubogdan2024 I know that. I said I was from West of Romania, not from Romania.

[@vasilicastoica4802]

Felicitări Prietene 👏👏

[@jorahman5085]

Thanks for the info

[@deepalib3096]

The route is so beautiful

[@D445Scilla]

Bellissimo video

[@AlexONL]

Nicely done!

[@nineteenfifties7700]

Can I use parts of this video for my video in which I will read aloud a poem?

[@YPO6]

Nice summer days.

[@yogiaol]

I´m from Bulgaria, nice country and video :-)

[@marcosdomingos2633]

@yogiaol do you know about the connections from Sofia to Istanbul? Is it entirely by train? Or also partially by bus? I'm doing this trip in two weeks :)

[@yogiaol]

There is a train connesction from Sofia to Istanbul-Halkali station. Halkali station is in west part of Istanbul. rail.cc/en/night-train/sofia-istanbul-d-493/309

[@doc7austin]

+yogiaol yes, this is the Sofia - Istanbul train in my video

[@user-gk8gg1zt7l]

Good video, like

[@granskare]

ah, my town Istanbul....I was in Turkey in the late 1950s :) ah, Ceaucascue's old palace in Bucharest - nice to see it used. Glad Istanbul Sirkeci Station is still there.

[@tuncsoydemir6831]

Thanks god it is still there. But not in use any more.

[@ag6371]

They are renovating it hence trains have to terminate at Halkali

[@Ostruszak]

Great document, thank you! For someone can be strange to buy private room in sleeper for not sleep but making video all night long. But the result is fantastic, you help many people to create journey like that. For me only lack of anything about border controls - is still in Kapikule necessary to go to station building with documents etc? Those trains are much more than just economic way of travel, they are some symbol of relationships between all those countries. Even if this was last year of realise sleeping car by CFR, still TCDD carry this connection by sending (half june to half october) 1 (yes, one!) couchette car to Bucharest. I'm affraid that new timetable (in 2020 start from Buc.Nord at 11:00 - night train...) can kill this route, but specially Turks believe that finish of great railway modernization in Istanbul together with ready new tracks in Bulgaria can keep it alive. I hope so ;)

[@izlainihashimlyne6032]

there was 1 asian food stall nearby the bucharest train station. the guys are myammar who cooks super delicious malaysian & korean food. even they speak good malay!! i was sooo surprised to meet them and taste the nasi goreng kampung they cooked well! after 1 months not touching rice! what an experience. u guys should try! i just went there last months.

[@dederuhiyat1450]

What is the name of that food stall?

[@izlainihashimlyne6032]

@@dederuhiyat1450 blessing asian. Its walking distance from north centrul gara de nord station. And is halal

[@dederuhiyat1450]

@@izlainihashimlyne6032 thanks,

[@kaffeice7]

real nice

[@michaszuty5035]

You must have an exclusive experience with this trip! :)

[@drksoft3882]

Hello Big Like Tis Video Love Railway. Alex From Romania Cosntanta Bleak Sea

[@georgeneagu6526]

Alexandru sava , eu sunt din Mangalia Jud. Constanța. Să-ți spun ceva. Ministerul transporturilor vrea ca toate trenurile internaționale să circule pânã la Constanța , ca să aducă turiști străini cu trenul la mare. =D =D =D. De aceea se modernizează coridorul IV de la Curtici până la noi in Constanța. =D =D =D =D

[@emdiesel63]

This video. Constantsa Black Sea. Nu te supăra de întrebare: ce vârstă ai?

[@AndreiIvanescuOficial]

@@emdiesel63 analfabetule! Incultule!

[@ag6371]

WLABmee built in the 1990s refurbished in the 2000s

[@MsEdy09]

Nice Greetings from romania and the uk

[@frankrogerbuaroy1779]

Nice video.

[@rangifamilyontour4371]

That is very nice. Good movie.

[@Steady76]

The train speed in Romania and Bulgaria is just staggering ..!;) But Turkey looks like a quite high developed country,almost like a Western country,very nice!

[@ag6371]

That's due to locomotive changeover

[@beagle-gp3ht]

sure buddy 🤣🤣

[@adisoft1991s]

Big Like!

[@ag6371]

0:53 That lighting is epic

[@Mariozocker11]

Nice video! I'll do an interrail trip through east europe soon and I'm looking forward to it. I have one question. Can you tell me the name of the song in the beginning? I like this song! :D Thank you!

[@daciatravel.647]

Nagyon jó videó Gratulálok! Magyarországról.

[@aflamaimult5482]

I'm from Romania, Nice video!

[@dandavid9983]

O pula, săracilor 🤪

[@shaoh7239]

i like your video

[@user-ex5ox1zc8m]

Thanks for video. Amazing...)) How much time is journey from Bucharest to Instanbul?

[@danielyoung6630]

smooth

[@andr33amia91]

Wow nice... can i know please what camera do you used for this video? Thanks indeed🎈

[@felixonrails]

I'm really looking forward to travel between Switzerland to my heart city Istanbul by train once it resumes operations

[@VellfireChauffeurGafa]

Love to do this too

[@CreatorPolar]

Ah so that’s why the legendary BALKAN isn’t on any timetables

[@user-we8ly2ns6c]

Awww shame to see this so empty, I went on it back in 2013 and it was great fun with some lovely scenery. But we were in an old turkish coach with no air conditioning in the middle of summer, not this one.

[@uzaku7372]

Cars changed since then...

[@user-we8ly2ns6c]

Uzak Ufuklar ah good, are they more modern now?

[@uzaku7372]

James Lobont 👌

[@ag6371]

The CFR coaches do have air conditioning, but the windows can be opened.

[@amtrakharry]

Great video !!! Always enjoy your train trips. Looks like and amazing trip. Was there any food service on the train? Thank you...:):):)

[@doc7austin]

no food service at all; you'll need to buy some food beforehand and take it onboard; the train stops for 90 minutes in Gorna, but I didn't see any open restaurant or supermarket around it

[@amtrakharry]

Thank you! Great video! The picture quality was excellent! What kind of camera were you using???

[@doc7austin]

+amtrakharry just a normal iPhone

[@erkinalp]

You can stay in the car while they are shunting in the summer, in the winter, they are separate trains.

[@amath-dr7uk]

Once there were express trains with sleepers/couchettes running weekly from Munich to Istanbul(1985)...those trains were killed of by low cost airlines between Western Europe and Turkey...what you travelled on is marginal trains on thin routes...

and bus..İstanbul-Munchen

[@SmokeyBCN]

As low cost airlines struggle and costs and convenience get worse, such services might come back into regular use.

[@doc7austin]

flying shorter routes is becoming more and more a hazzle (airports way outside of cities, taxi mafia at airport, security circus, high fees for baggage check in etc etc etc)

[@ismailbasak9594]

Çok güzel video

[@jfmezei]

Have trains returned to Istanbul Sirkeci or was the stop at Haklali made permanent? As of 2021, Google satellite still shows tracks going to the station. Also, was there a restaurant car on the train? Did you bring snacks on board for journey, or buy from stations along the route during stops? Also, I know this is far back, but was the bridge over the danube between Romania and Bulgaria electrified? The track on the Romanian side doesn't seem to be heavily used. Yet, Google Street view of the bridge shows a LOT of truck traffic. As a main route between Europe and Turkey (and eventually China), I would have expected the rail lines to be of much higher quality and capacity.

[@fankitonkizonki]

Last stop is at Halkalı in İstanbul. To go to the center of Istanbul (such as Sirkeci), you can take "Marmaray" (will start from the same station, different rail)" which is an inner city suburb train.

[@anna_an548]

Здравствуйте! Подскажите, сейчас ходит этот поезд из Стамбула в Бухарест? Спасибо за видео

[@Mukund415]

Hardly saw any human beings inside the train or at the stations except for the final bus transfer. How long can they afford to keep the system going? I wonder - BTW a map along side would have been useful with stations marked?

[@russiandrivers9986]

It's a shame that they don't go all the way to Istanbul and stop at Halkali. Who wants to take the train just to end up stuck in traffic in a bus?

[@paddybm3245]

Why does the train not terminate at Sirkeci? Would be such a great experience to arrive in that beautiful station in the center. I hate bus transfers.

[@uzaku7372]

Because of renovation, it will restart from/to Sirkeci...

[@ag6371]

The TCDD TVS2000 coaches look very modern even though they are from 1993

[@kalyanaraman1117]

have you traveled in South America particularly Andes ? Please try that .

[@kalebhushan1021]

This is such a wonderful video. I am going to take this trip in early Dec 2018. I understand I will have to break the trip at Ruse and then take the through train to Halkali, am I right? So just D461 from Bucharest to Ruse and the through train from Ruse to Halkali right? Again thank you so much for this video.

[@barvdw]

I believe you'll have to chage a little more often, but still be in bed at a decent hour in Dimitrovgrad. Could you tell your experiences?

[@erginozcan9167]

Nowadays, Halkali - Kapikule restoration has started. Turkish part of Bucureşti Nord - Istanbul Halkalı will break for next years. Re-opening day? Maybe 2119.

[@dmitriinikolaev917]

Interesting.And what price was for the ticket? It look's like this trains is not very popular for travellers of for usual people if it's so empty.

[@doc7austin]

I've paid EUR 106,60 for the ticket including a double sleeper reservation; the tickets were issued by German Railways, hence, there is a the non-discounted fare; Romanian Railways CFR sells the same for only EUR 73

[@marcosdomingos2633]

I'll be doing this trip as well, but from Sofia to Istanbul. I can't wait for uy

[@Vikasslytherine]

Great video! What's the name of the soundtrack in the beginning? Thanks!

[@doc7austin]

its on youtube: qatar airways inaugural to auckland

[@Vikasslytherine]

I found it, thanks! :)

[@russiandrivers9986]

It takes 45 minutes by plane, almost 20 hours by train. What's strange is that the service from Sofia, which is further away, takes just 12 hours.

[@predaionut3105]

D Daniel dacă mai erau si călători în el te mai credeam...

[@erkinalp]

pro tip: do not take the connecting coach if you are going to Florya. There is BN1 which stops in there.

[@railenthusiastabhishek1527]

8:34 that's looks like a former SNCF FRET locomotive

[@ag6371]

BB 15000

[@gabrieln509]

How much did it cost?

[@Isadorka1]

That was a waste of time - got a 3 second glimple of the sleeping car. WOW.

[@bob18fan29]

This must be a state funded line, as no one rides this train, what a shame.

[@yutubedisk4314]

How much is the ticket for one person??? Bucarest-Istanbul

[@dederuhiyat1450]

Dear, if I travel from Istanbul to Bucharest,Do i need to have Bulgarian visa?I have only schengen visa

[@ivo19761976]

in 55:o2 same diesel locomotie used yellow-turkey,gray-romania,red-bulgaria

[@erkinalp]

yellow one is electric locomotive. turkish diesel locomotive is de 24 000 class and colored red.

[@TheWai20050623]

This sleeper train which year services?

[@EquuleusPictor]

As a remark, for the first 2 hours the train travels 70 km in 2 hours on a mostly non-electrified line. This is Romania !

[@ellebelle8515]

The best part is to experience the train trip of past years- at a slower pace- if you have the time.

[@mihaileu8279]

hey you guys,Andreea Giambrone she is right.voi habar nu aveti despre ce vorbiti.Un maratonist pensionat,i-ar fii dat 4 ore avans trenului si fara prea mare efort,ar fi ajuns cu doua ore inainte.voi habar nu aveti cum sunt trenurile in Europa.Cel putin in Italia si Franta,merg ca la zidul mortii.La fel de adevarat este si faptul ca sunt bine intretinute,atat trenurile cat si terasamentele.Are dreptate Andreea,nici in 3050,n-o sa fie Romania in Europa,asta daca nu va baga gringos la inaintare,impotriva rusilor.Dar nu mi-e frica.Romanii au mana buna.I-au tradat ei pe nemti si uite ce s-au ales.Frunte ninsa,mana intinsa.

[@drksoft3882]

Train At 5:05 Bucharet To Constanta Beach Black Sea

[@elcunadito]

it was expensive ?

[@amath-dr7uk]

Ceascescus folly that Palace...

[@hummus6471]

What was the price?

[@GreenCroco1]

The best part of the vid is the Turkish part.. I am from Patagonia.. :)

[@doveskyler9021]

Sorry but you are selfish :)

[@katmen24]

giurgiu and ruse so memories , i was there in komunist regime 16 times by our car...... thnak you for this video

[@crtfbrebu3682]

cool video i'm in romania

[@Sv_gamez]

Me when they get a seat in the impossibility rare sleeping car with a modern paint job: wait what? That's impossible.

[@Arco326]

I have tried the Bosfors express several times in 2012, 2013 & 2014. The connections between Instanbul Sirkeci (train station) and Halkali is by a bus. I had to endure many hours of travel in a bus while paying for a train 'Boshors train' (2012, 2013, 2014). All of the Bosphors train express departing at 10pm from Sirkeci station (Istanbul) is a bus and not a train. Very disappointing.

[@barvdw]

Yeah, but it should be somewhere this year the line is restored. And taking a bus from Halkalı is already more reasonable than from Çerkezköy, as they've done, too. At a certain moment, because of engineering in Bulgaria, you had to take a bus there, too. Buy a sleeper ticket, travelling in said sleeper between Bucharest an Gorna Oryahovica and having to take a bus transfer to Dimitrovgrad, again some hours of train to the border where you're ordered to get off in the middle of the night, boarding again, but not for too long, because still in the middle of the night, you have to transfer to a bus again in Çerkezköy...

[@onurmutlu6503]

Now there is a fast train (Marmaray) route with lesser stops between Halkalı-Gebze(far Anatolian Side) passes through under the Bosporus.

[@kulczycki31]

A gdzie jakiś bufet? Tyle godzin bez posiłku? NIE JADĘ!

[@Raf-lk6vr]

TARE/COOL

[@nwmortis9086]

Esti roman?

[@EverydayInUa]

why nobody else on train?

[@08halit]

what was the cost

[@TheCyclopek]

Was the bus transfer from Halkal to Sikreci included in price?

[@doc7austin]

+Cyclopek yes it was

[@marcosdomingos2633]

doc7austin how did you like the bus trip? I'm taking almost the same route as u did but from Sofia to Istanbul.

[@doc7austin]

+Marcos Domingos the bus trip was not nice; full, small bus with no air conditioning

[@ag6371]

That bus should at least have windows that are opened

[@rathindrachattopadhyay2538]

How much fare?

[@itsonlycapnkirk]

That is sad if you were the only passenger, it means obviously that that service will soon be cancelled.

[@barvdw]

It's quite popular in the height of Summer, with lots of youngsters wit Interrail passes taking this train, but this train is not running in Winter because of that.

[@ahmedkhan-tr6mp]

You r not giving displayed information in this video,why?

[@LeoBrcek]

No passport control ať Bulgaria?

[@bumerangsydney]

Why no comments? :)

[@halisekis6613]

hey in halkali have you passport kontroll ??

[@doc7austin]

+Halise Kis Turkish Passport control (entry and exit immigration) happens in Kapikule

[@SONSON-fk3jk]

Turkiye 🎉