Turkey is poised to join the Eurail Global and Eurail Select Pass when TCDD, the Turkish railway company, becomes a Eurail Pass member Jan. 1.
Although Turkey is accessible by train from Bulgaria, travelers should be aware that construction work will affect some routes until the fall of 2013.
Concurrently, Westbahn will be the first private railway company to join Eurail Group, providing hourly high-speed services between Salzburg and Vienna.
Finally, SNCF, the French national railway company, will withdraw from the Eurail Select Pass as of January but will remain available via the Eurail Global Pass and the Eurail Regional Pass.