The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-30

When the tourist again comes into
his own in Europe he will find many
changes In once familiar railway
routes. changes which the makers Of
the red guide books issued from a
Leipzig press never imagined could
take place. Many international
trains stalled by the war almost FIVE
years ago at hostile frontier will
not resume their old routes, and others
must await the development of peace
to be restored to their former uses
and popularity.
All the most important European
expresses, the tourists trains de
luxe" ceased operation with the be-
ginning Of the war. Some Of these in
the territory Of the Allied nations are
gradually being restored. The most
famous Of them all, the Orient Elk
press, by a decision Of the Commits
sion on the International Regime of
Ports, Waterways and Railways at
Paris. energies under new name,
the Simplon-O Orient Express. The old
Orient Express was Europe's proud
est achievement in luxurious long
distance travel. 1t was made up
every other day in Paris for Its Jour-
ney to Constantinople; Its route was
across France to Strasbourg. thence
by way Of Munich. Vienna, Budapest
to the Balkans, and then through
Belgrade and Sofia to Its destination.
Its route. with the exception of the
compa ratively short distances in
France and Serbia, was through the
territory of the Central Powers or of
nations In alliance with them In the
war, and as the majority Of the stock
was held In Vienna, the control was
with the Central Powers.
The new Orient Express Is in the
hands of the Allies. Its terlnini are
the same; but Its route Is entirely
outside German or Austrian territory.
1t crosses France and Switzerland,
passes through the Simplon tunnel to
Milan, then goes east through Trieste
md Agmm to Belgrade. and on to
Constantinople. At Paris the train
connects with trains from London and
Brussels, at Milan with trains for
Rome and Naples, at Vinkovec, a
junction point north Of Belgrade,
with trains for Bucharest and Con-
stanza, the Rumanian seaport, and
Mt Belgrade with trains over the new
Grecian railway to Athens. 1t thus
forms a strong line of communication
between France and England and the
Allied nations Of southern Europe.
No railway route was more truly
international in character than the
Orient; 1t connected eight important
capitals and formed q link between
people Of diverse races and nationali.
ties. 1t was for this reason a strong
factor in International politics. and
1t became a Balkan corridor" from
the Central Powers to the Bosp0rus
and the main line OF their advance
toward the East. The Allies seek tc
restore the railway to Its original
function as a carrier and to make II
a link In the highways Of trade and
commerce that will reach into south.
ern and central Russia. into Asia
Minor. India and the Orient.
But there are other great interna.
tional routes besides the Orient whose
fate remains yet to be decided. The
fast north and south trains OF France
the South Express to Madrid and
Lisbon, and the Peninsular Express
from London to Brindlsi are already
recovering from the effects OF the
war. But the famous strain de luxe
from Paris to Carlsbad and Marien'
bad must still halt at the border
And 1t will be some time before the
express from Berlin over the Bren,
ner Pass-it was once so popular al
ibis lime Jf' the year as 70 -neceSsi
tate bookings weeks in advance
that carried Its passengers to- the
French Riviera and southern Italy
will take up its former route. An
other of Europe's great trains that
will await developments is the old
North Express, which was made ur
at Berlin of trains from Paris ant
Ostend and streaked It TO Warsaw and
then either northward into Scandna
via or eastward to Petrograd and
Moscow, to be feeder to the Trans
Siberian Railway. 1t may be a prob
lem to western Europe how to reach
this northern land without n sea voy,
age or without crossing Germany. But
II can await n solution .BOlshevism
Is not making Russia attractive
enough to inspire Mt present any
strong desire to go there.
The theoretical time between +; and
3 o'clock this morning was the zero