Through Continental Services.

Typical trains in the Riviera service are the “Blue and Gold” Calais-Mediterranean express, and the through Limited from Boulogne. The first-named train leaves Calais at 2.40 p.m. daily, on arrival of the steamer running in connection with the 11 a.m. express from London. Paris is left at 7.55 p.m., and Nice reached at 11.45 a.m. next day, or, roughly, 24 hours after leaving London. The Boulogne - Riviera through Limited has a departure from Boulogne at 5.53 p.m., following the London departure at 2 p.m. It reaches Nice at 2.40 p.m. the following day. In addition to the rail services, through road motors are now being operated between Boulogne and the Riviera, with through bookings from London. The service is run twice weekly. Passengers leave Victoria Station, London, by the 9 a.m. train on Tuesdays and Fridays. On the Tuesday service they travel by way of Paris, Dijon, Lyons, and Avignon, reaching Nice in five days. Those leaving on Fridays take four days on the through run to Nice, passing through Paris, Fontainebleau, Sens, Avalon, Autun, Grenoble, Digny, Grasse and Cannes. The cost of the four days' journey is £16 16s., and of the five days' trip £18 10s. The coaches seat eleven passengers, and convey light luggage free of charge.

International travel across Europe has been immensely facilitated in recent years. In a paper read before the Railway Students' Association of the London School of Economics, Mr. F. A. Brant, of the Southern Railway, threw much light upon the difficulties associated with the running of long-distance trains across Europe, and upon the elaborate machinery which is brought into play to arrive at international timings for the leading through services.

In order to bring about suitable connections and through services, there meets, every year, a group of experts known as the European Time-table and Through Carriage Conference. The time-tables operate for twelve months from page 19 May 15th, and it is in October that changes are worked out and agreed upon, the conference being held each year in a different country. The conference has a plenary session, at which important topics, such as the 24-hour system for time-tables are settled, but the detailed work is carried out in sectional discussions, the agendas usually embracing up to three or four hundred subjects. Through running across Europe is greatly facilitated by reason of the fact that the passenger stock of all countries, except Spain and Russia, is constructed to a common scale, and is capable of passing from one railway system to another. The operation of trains like the Simplon-Orient Limited thus becomes possible. This typical long-distance service operates between Paris and Stamboul, eighteen railways being concerned. The journey occupies about 64 1/2 hours, all-steel cars of the International Sleeping Car Company being employed in the train's make-up.