The word ''Mediolanum'' has been used to name three distinct international

express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes a small number of stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, allowing faster service than local trains that stop at most or all of the stations alo ...

s that have run to and from

Milano Centrale Milano Centrale ( it, Stazione Milano Centrale) is the main railway station of the city of Milan, Italy, and is the largest railway station in Europe by volume. The station is a terminus and located at the northern end of central Milan. It was o ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy since 1957. The focus of these trains on the city now known as Milan reflects the fact that

Mediolanum Mediolanum, the ancient city where Milan now stands, was originally an Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important Roman city in northern Italy. The city was settled by the Insubres around 600 BC, conquered by the Romans in 222 BC, and ...

is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word for ancient Milan.

History

The first ''Mediolanum'' was a first-class-only

Trans Europ Express The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...

(TEE). It linked

München Hbf Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, Germany, with Milano Centrale, via the Brenner railway. Introduced in 1957, it was operated by the

Deutsche Bundesbahn The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB (German Federal Railway) was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remaine ...

(DB), the

Austrian Federal Railways Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

(ÖBB) and the

Italian State Railways Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...

(FS).

TEE Mediolanum - sign in the side of train car, 1982

On 3 June 1984, the train was downgraded from a TEE to a two-class

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

, but was extended north from Munich to Dortmund ( Hbf), in place of an IC train previously named ''Nymphenburg'', on the same schedule as the latter had used."Summer services, 1984 (changes taking effect)". '' Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' (May 1–June 2, 1984 edition), p. 64; also pp. 66, 370, 376, 472. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. Now operating between Dortmund and Milan via Munich and the Brenner line, this second ''Mediolanum'' was operated by the same three operators, but only until 1987, when it was replaced by the EuroCity ''Leonardo da Vinci'', running on the same route and schedule."Summer services, 1987 (changes taking effect)". '' Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' (May 1–30, 1987 edition), p. 51; also pp. 67, 475. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. In 2001, ''Mediolanum'' was revived as the name of an InterCity, this time for train IC 253/254 between

Basel SBB Basel SBB railway station (german: Bahnhof Basel SBB, or in earlier times ''Centralbahnhof'' or ''Schweizer Bahnhof'') is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is E ...

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland, and Milano Centrale. The third ''Mediolanum'' was operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) and FS until 2004, when it was reclassified as a EuroCity and its operation transferred to

Cisalpino Cisalpino AG () was a railway company, referred to as CIS in timetables, operating international trains between Switzerland and Italy connecting Basel, Schaffhausen, Zürich, Geneva, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Livorno, and Florence. The company ...

Rolling stock

During its time as a TEE, the ''Mediolanum'' changed several times from using Italian cars to German ones or vice versa. Originally, it used FS

diesel multiple-unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

(DMU) trainsets of . In 1969, these were replaced by German (DB) diesel multiple units,"Stop Press" (changes taking effect). '' Cooks Continental Timetable'' (June 1969 edition), p. 6; also pp. 63–64. London: Thomas Cook & Son, Ltd. of class VT 11.5. In 1972, the train returned to using Italian FS cars, but now

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or g ...

-hauled instead of multiple-unit trainsets, with different locomotives over different portions of the route. In summer 1977, the train was once again using DB coaches,"Table 10: Trans-Europ Express Services." '' Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' (May 22–June 30, 1977 edition), pp. 69–70. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing."Table 10: Trans-Europ Express Services." ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' (August 1978 edition), pp. 69–70. remaining locomotive-hauled, but in autumn 1979 it returned to using FS coaches. When the TEE ''Mediolanum'' was using Italian cars, its restaurant car was operated by

Wagons-Lits Newrest Wagons-Lits, formerly (lit. ''International Sleeping-Car Company''), also CIWL, Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, or just Wagons-Lits, is a division of particularly known for its on-train catering and sleeping car services, as well as being ...

, and when it was using German cars, the restaurant was operated by the German Sleeper and Dining Car Company (DSG).

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links