The former Siberia Express carries German experts to China and bypasses Russia A luxury train with a luxury cabin and a lounge car left Duisburg on October 18, and another similar train is due to reach its peak on November 4. It is a kind of German think tank on wheels: about 100 politicians, businessmen, artists and scientists are supposed to talk about the train and connections between Europe and Asia. Among them are the former Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern, the former Vice Chancellor of Germany Philip Rössler, the head of Deutsche Telekom Tim Hotges, the former President of Armenia Armen Sarkisian, the former Foreign Ministers of Serbia and Uzbekistan, Vok Jermik and Vladimir Norov. The trip was organized and paid for by Jovanka Porsche, head of the think tank Vienna Global Neighbors. "Our routes for the future initiative does not exclude anyone - on the contrary, it is intended to unite. (..) The course we chose is not a gesture against Russia; We cannot imagine Europe without Russia. On the contrary, we strive to hear and understand the diverse perspectives we meet along the way," she told DW. In total, three luxury trains travel along the route: one from Duisburg to Istanbul, the second from Samarkand to Almaty, the third from the border of Kazakhstan and China to Xi'an. From Istanbul to Samarkand, the participants fly by plane; At the border with China, change to another train. Each train can only accommodate 30 people at a time. Most of them travel only part of the route, making room for new passengers. The second section via Central Asia (October 26-30) features the former Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express. Its logo preserves the double-headed eagle. The train used to carry foreign tourists along the Trans-Siberian Railway, but due to the war against Ukraine and the sanctions, it no longer travels throughout Russia.

The former Siberia Express carries German experts to China and bypasses Russia A luxury train with a luxury cabin and a lounge car left Duisburg on October 18, and another similar train is due to reach its peak on November 4. It is a kind of German think tank on wheels: about 100 politicians, businessmen, artists and scientists are supposed to talk about the train and connections between Europe and Asia. Among them are the former Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern, the former Vice Chancellor of Germany Philip Rössler, the head of Deutsche Telekom Tim Hotges, the former President of Armenia Armen Sarkisian, the former Foreign Ministers of Serbia and Uzbekistan, Vok Jermik and Vladimir Norov. The trip was organized and paid for by Jovanka Porsche, head of the think tank Vienna Global Neighbors. "Our routes for the future initiative does not exclude anyone - on the contrary, it is intended to unite. (..) The course we chose is not a gesture against Russia; We cannot imagine Europe without Russia. On the contrary, we strive to hear and understand the diverse perspectives we meet along the way," she told DW. In total, three luxury trains travel along the route: one from Duisburg to Istanbul, the second from Samarkand to Almaty, the third from the border of Kazakhstan and China to Xi'an. From Istanbul to Samarkand, the participants fly by plane; At the border with China, change to another train. Each train can only accommodate 30 people at a time. Most of them travel only part of the route, making room for new passengers. The second section via Central Asia (October 26-30) features the former Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express. Its logo preserves the double-headed eagle. The train used to carry foreign tourists along the Trans-Siberian Railway, but due to the war against Ukraine and the sanctions, it no longer travels throughout Russia.