The revival of Europe’s night trains: how they returned after nearly disappearing.

Imagine drifting off to sleep in one vibrant city, only to wake up in another; marveling at changing landscapes as borders slip by; being lulled to rest as the train clatters across the continent. It's easy to see why Europe’s night trains have long been a symbol of adventure and romance, immortalized by literary icons like Agatha Christie.

But not long ago, the reality of these iconic trains was far less enchanting. In fact, much of Europe’s night train network was slashed in recent years.

Between 2013 and 2014, key routes were discontinued: Paris to Madrid, Rome to Barcelona, Amsterdam to Prague and Warsaw, as well as Berlin to Paris and Kiev.

For many, it appeared that the golden age of night trains had come to an end.

Recently, night trains have made a strong comeback across Europe. On December 8, four major rail companies joined forces to unveil new routes connecting 13 cities across the continent.

Back on Track

Led by Austria’s ÖBB, along with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, France’s SNCF, and Swiss Federal Railways, the collaboration will introduce four new Nightjet routes over the next four years.

By December 2021, new connections will be operating, including routes between Vienna, Munich, and Paris, as well as Zurich, Cologne, and Amsterdam.

Two years later, a new sleeper service will link Vienna/Berlin to Brussels/Paris, and by December 2024, night trains will begin running from Zurich to Barcelona.

“These are fantastic routes,” says Monisha Rajesh, the author of ‘Around the World in 80 Trains.’

“Four new routes linking 13 cities – this will definitely simplify travel for many people.”

Rajesh shares that while she’d love to see an overnight service connecting Paris to Rome, she remains optimistic about the future of sleeper trains in Europe.

“They’re ideal because you skip the cost of a hotel stay.”

“You can finish work at a reasonable hour, enjoy dinner, head to the station, board the train, and wake up at your destination. It beats arriving at the airport in the middle of the night for a budget flight.”

“Trains take you straight to the heart of the city.”

The Romance of the Rails

“Murder on the Orient Express.” “Stamboul Train.” From Agatha Christie to Graham Greene, Europe’s iconic night trains have inspired countless writers, while the rest of us have always been drawn to their romantic charm.

But the reality was often far from glamorous, says Andrew Martin, whose book *Night Trains: The Rise and Fall of the Sleeper* explores the decline of once-charming trains that had become somewhat lackluster.

Despite this, Martin says that during the half-dozen trips he made across Europe in 2015, he “always had a memorable experience.”

“I traveled at a time when night trains were probably at their lowest point, but there was still a lingering sense of romance,” he recalls.

“France and Germany had abandoned many of their services, and budget airlines were pushing long-distance trains to the brink, but there were still signs of hope. Everyone I spoke to believed night trains would never fully disappear.”

“One economist and train enthusiast told me that night trains will endure because planes won’t be allowed to fly at night. Trains are more eco-friendly, save you the cost of a hotel, and still hold a certain romantic appeal.”

Adding up to a profit

It appears the forecasts were accurate, with Austria playing a significant role in the resurgence.

Rather than night trains falling out of favor, they’ve consistently remained quite popular with the European public.

According to Mark Smith from the train website *The Man in Seat 61*, the challenge was making night trains financially sustainable.

“You need specialized trains, they only operate once a day, and can’t accommodate passengers who want to board at odd hours – nobody’s boarding at 2 a.m.,” he explains.

Nicolas Forien, a member of *Back on Track*, a European network advocating for cross-border sleeper trains, argues that the services faced fierce competition from budget airlines, cars, buses, and high-speed trains. As travel times shortened, the need for overnight trains diminished.

“There was a lack of investment, and no new trains had been built for years. Governments neglected this segment of the rail industry, and as the existing trains aged, many routes were shut down,” he says.

“We’ve now reached a critical juncture – if we want to introduce new services, we need to make substantial investments.”

While countries like Germany and France gradually phased out their night routes, ÖBB saw an opportunity and stepped in to take over many of the abandoned Deutsche Bahn services, including routes from Munich to Rome and Berlin to Hamburg. Both Forien and Smith attribute the revival of these services to the Austrian rail network’s vision.

“The costs are high, but much of it comes down to attitude, commitment, and management focus,” says Smith, who commends ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä, who took the helm in 2016, for making night trains commercially viable again.

On Austria’s railways, “Nightjet” sleeper trains now account for almost 20% of long-distance traffic, a stark contrast to Germany’s 5%, where Deutsche Bahn allowed the services to fade away.

“Finding passengers isn’t the issue – in fact, it’s becoming easier as travelers grow weary of the airline experience and look for ways to reduce their carbon footprints,” he adds.

Train-bragging

In fact, the “flight shaming” movement, inspired by Greta Thunberg’s climate message, has gained momentum across Europe in recent years. In 2018, Sweden saw a 9% decline in domestic flights, while Dutch airline KLM ran ads urging people to fly less in the following year.

As a result, many Europeans are shifting their focus to the continent's extensive high-speed rail network.

“Train travel is so much more enjoyable than flying around Europe,” says Rajesh.

“With trains, you arrive directly at your destination and enjoy the freedom to move around – you can stretch your legs, grab a bite, change seats, or even get some work done. The journey unfolds around you. When flying in Europe, you miss out on all that.”

“While trains aren’t entirely carbon-neutral, they’re still a far more eco-friendly choice than flying.”

Although Europe’s high-speed trains often get the spotlight for the ‘flight shaming’ or ‘train bragging’ trends, night trains are also seeing a resurgence in popularity.

ÖBB has been quietly leading this revival, but even in the UK, sleeper trains to Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands – refurbished in 2018 and 2019 – caused a surge in bookings.

It’s not only the large national carriers opening new routes. Smaller operators are also getting involved in the night train revival. Swedish company Snälltåget already runs successful summer routes from Malmo to Berlin and plans to introduce a Stockholm-Copenhagen-Berlin service next year.

In the summer of 2020, Czech operator RegioJet, which already offers night trains between Prague and Košice, Slovakia, launched a sleeper service from Prague to the Croatian coast. With an impressive 90% occupancy, the trains began running daily instead of the planned three times a week. The service is set to return for the summer of 2021.

“It will have demonstrated how it’s done, and we may see more of this kind of success,” says Smith.

A post-Covid boom?

The Covid-19 pandemic has played a role, too. With aviation taking a hit – who wants to be crammed next to strangers? Trains offer better social distancing, says Rajesh. And night trains, where you can book an entire compartment to yourself, are even more ideal.

In 2024, ÖBB will launch ‘capsule’ sleeper carriages – four-berth rooms shared with other passengers, each featuring a self-contained ‘mini-suite’ with a lockable door that folds around the bed.

“For planes, the post-Covid recovery could be tough, which leaves room for trains – and especially night trains – to capture a larger share of the market,” says Forien.

Europe’s geography also supports the case for night trains, Forien explains, noting that half of France’s flights are either domestic or to neighboring countries.

“That’s roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), which is the perfect distance for an overnight train journey,” he adds.

“The distances between European capitals are mostly perfect for night trains. Europe could easily become a haven for overnight rail travel.”

The final destination

So, what does the future hold for Europe’s night trains? It might have seemed far-fetched just five years ago, but now, the outlook is promising.

“High-speed trains are fantastic for medium-distance travel, but given the choice, I’d rather spend 12 hours on a sleeper train than eight hours on a high-speed one,” says Mark Smith.

“The practicality of having your own bedroom on a moving train, coupled with the romance of waking up hundreds of miles from where you started – that’s not something you often get together,” he adds.

In fact, Smith believes the main hurdle is capacity – there’s only so much rolling stock available. “The short-term issue is how to expand the network fast enough with the current fleet to meet growing demand, driven by the reality of climate change and the newfound appeal of sleeper trains due to Covid-19,” he says.

The biggest obstacle? The cost. “To truly compete, we need to make trains cheaper than flying,” says Forien. Back on Track is advocating for a European-wide kerosene tax, which would raise aviation costs and help shift travel from planes to trains. Smith also calls for reduced fees for nighttime track access.

While Rajesh hopes to see a night train service on the Paris to Rome route (in addition to the Thello trains already running between Paris and northern Italy), Forien believes Spain and Portugal should be the next countries to add sleeper train routes.

It seems their aspirations could soon become a reality, as Forien believes political backing for sleeper trains is on the rise.

The French government is planning to revive the previously discontinued Paris-Nice and Paris-Lourdes-Tarbes routes by 2022.

In the meantime, 2021 has been designated the European Year of Rail, under the joint leadership of the outgoing German and incoming Portuguese EU presidencies.

The goal is to make “rail travel a compelling alternative to domestic flights and long drives on highways – through the expansion of cross-border high-speed and night train services,” according to German transport minister Andreas Scheuer.

Portugal’s minister for infrastructure and housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, concurs, stating: “I firmly believe that railways will form the backbone of our future transport networks.”

The magic of the night train endures.

"Every flight feels the same, but every night-train trip has stayed with me," says Andrew Martin. "They make you feel like you've been aboard for days, as there are so many moments and sensations to savor."

"They're always an adventure. I'm thrilled they're making a comeback," he adds.

For Rajesh, the success of companies like RegioJet shows the future: "People love them, they're enjoyable. The proof is in the results."