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The ''Edelweiss'' was an international
express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes few or no stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, providing faster service than local trains that stop at many or all of the stations along their ...
. For most of its existence, it linked the Netherlands with Switzerland, via Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Introduced in 1928, it was named after a mountain flower, the Edelweiss (''
Leontopodium nivale ''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss () ( ; or ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is a non-toxic plant. Its leaves and f ...
''), which is associated with
alpinism Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
and the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
, and regarded as a symbol of Switzerland. From its introduction until it was suspended in 1939 upon the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the ''Edelweiss'' was a
luxury train A luxury train is a premium Passenger train, passenger rail service. Some luxury trains promote tourism in destinations across a region, while others (such as the ''Maharajas' Express'') take passengers on a ride through a single country. Luxur ...
operated by the
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (; ) is a Belgian-founded French company known for providing and operating luxury trains with sleeping car, sleepers and dining cars during the late 19th and the 20th centuries, most notably the ''Orient Express''. Founded by Georges Nagelmacker ...
(CIWL), and ran between
Amsterdam CS Amsterdam Centraal station ( ; Railway stations in the Netherlands, abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international Rail transport, railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passeng ...
in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, the Netherlands, and Luzern station in
Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
, Switzerland. After the war, the ''Edelweiss'' was revived, initially as an ordinary express train between
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium, and
Basel SBB Basel SBB railway station (, 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 Europe's busiest intern ...
in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, Switzerland. In 1957, it became one of the first of the 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) trains, with its southern terminus moved from Basel further southeast, to
Zürich HB Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...
in
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, Switzerland. In 1974, the northern terminus of the ''Edelweiss'' was moved south, from Amsterdam to Brussels."Summer services, 1974" (changes due to take effect). ''
Thomas Cook Continental Timetable The ''European Rail Timetable'', more commonly known by its former names, the ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', the ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' or simply ''Cook's Timetable'', is an international Public transport timetable, timetab ...
'' (March 29–April 25, 1974 edition), pp. 70, 465. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. On 27 May 1979, the ''Edelweiss'' was reclassified as a two-class express,'' Thomas Cook International Timetable'' (May 27–June 30, 1979 edition), p. 6. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. and on 6 April 1980 the train's Basel–Zurich section was dropped.''Thomas Cook International Timetable'' (March 1–April 5, 1980 edition), p. 98. Thomas Cook Publishing. On 1 June 1997, the route was re-extended from Basel to Zurich,"International services hanges tofrom June 1" (May 1997). ''
Thomas Cook European Timetable The ''European Rail Timetable'', more commonly known by its former names, the ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', the ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' or simply ''Cook's Timetable'', is an international Public transport timetable, timetab ...
'', p. 28. Thomas Cook Publishing. but the ''Edelweiss'' was discontinued on 29 May 1999, replaced by the ''
Jean Monnet Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet (; 9 November 1888 – 16 March 1979) was a French civil servant, entrepreneur, diplomat, financier, and administrator. An influential supporter of European unity, he is considered one of the founding fathers of t ...
'', which ran on the former train's schedule between Brussels and
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
only, not south of Strasbourg."Summer services hanges tofrom May 30" (May 1–29, 1999). ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', p. 3. Thomas Cook Publishing.


See also

*
History of rail transport in Belgium Belgium was heavily involved in the early development of railway transport. Belgium was the second country in Europe, after Great Britain, to open a railway and produce locomotives. The first line, between the cities of Brussels and Mechelen ope ...
*
History of rail transport in Luxembourg The history of rail transport in Luxembourg began in 1846 and continues to the present day. Origins The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg belonged to the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866 as a sovereign state. The relevant treaties still remained ...
*
History of rail transport in France Rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1823 to present-day enterprises such as the AGV. Beginnings France was slow in building railways, compared to Britain and Belgium, which had already demonstrated their value by 18 ...
*
History of rail transport in Switzerland The construction and operation of Switzerland, Swiss railways during the 19th century was carried out by private railways. The first internal line was a 16 km line opened from Zürich to Baden, Switzerland, Baden in 1847. By 1860 railways conn ...
*
List of named passenger trains of Europe This article contains lists of named passenger trains in Europe, listed by country. Listing by country does eliminate some EuroCity services from the list, but they are listed on the relevant EuroCity page for daytime trains and the EuroNight p ...


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * {{Trans Europ Express trains International named passenger trains Named passenger trains of the Netherlands Named passenger trains of Belgium Named passenger trains of Luxembourg Named passenger trains of France Named passenger trains of Switzerland Trans Europ Express Railway services introduced in 1928 Railway services discontinued in 1999