The Caritas Express - A train trip of a lifetime!

To mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the international Caritas network, the Vatican City State Railway Station will open its tracks for a special train trip to raise money for Caritas Internationalis’ humanitarian projects and to bolster Caritas’ response in emergencies.

At only 300 meters long, Vatican City is home to the shortest national railway system in the world with just one tiny station, no registered rolling stock and no railway workers. It’s rarely used, but on Saturday 21 May 2011, the “Caritas Express” will run from the Vatican City Station behind St Peter’s Basilica to Orvieto in Umbria, a journey of 100 kilometers, on the eve of what is also the 19th General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis.

Three first-class historic “Caritas Class” carriages and two second-class “Internationalis Class” carriages will carry members of the general public, officials from the Vatican and Ferrovie dello Stato (the Italian State Railway system), representatives from the Caritas Internationalis network, diplomats from embassies to the Holy See, journalists and train enthusiasts.

If you're lucky enough to be in Rome this weekend or have friends and family who are, donations are being sought to hop aboard the historical trip of a lifetime. For more information and to book, please visit the Caritas Express Q&A on the Caritas Internationalis website.

Photo credit: The Vatican Station taken by Jacob Winter/Caritas