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New Sleeper train debuts—Brussels/Amsterdam->Berlin (extending to Prague in 2024)

A new train company is capitalizing on the EU's liberalization of the train market, similar to what OBB has done with its NightJet trains, and has launched sleeper service between Berlin and Amsterdam. This video mentions that they plan to extend that route to Prague and later add a Paris/Barcelona route.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gkjn7c14rM

Posted by
552 posts

Is it maybe Brussels to Berlin, and Amsterdam to Berlin? That would seem to make more sense. ??

Posted by
1516 posts

This train runs Brussel - Antwerpen - Rotterdam - Den Haag - (some other stops) -> Berlin. With the idea to continue to Prague.
OBB nightjet is also planning a Brussel - Berlin service, so there will be a choice...

Posted by
5369 posts

It is a fantastic reintroduction of a long lost overnight train link with convenient connections by Eurostar to and from London, and connects at Berlin for Poland and the Baltic countries.
No one is intended to use it for Amsterdam to Brussels, it is for longer distance travel. Although for those of us with long memories there did used to be a Paris to Brussels to Amsterdam sleeper train which was very useful in pre Thalys days.
It is wonderful that the sleeper (rather than couchette) cars are 1950's Budd Cars which by all accounts are far better than the modern Caledonian Sleeper Cars.
That the demand is there is proven by the fact that most of the Sleeper (not Couchette) berths are already sold out for months ahead.

Posted by
9460 posts

Scudder said it correctly in the title and misstated in their post - it's Berlin- Brussels, not Amsterdam - Brussels (as noted in the linked article and all the other news on this endeavor).

Here's a video that a person who took the inaugural service posted.

https://youtu.be/1mloyqiti90

And a good old-fashioned newspaper article

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/may/29/berlin-to-brussels-night-train-renaissance-gathers-speed-new-european-sleeper

Posted by
5369 posts

The same company is also planning a Brussels to Barcelona route - another of Europe's great long lost sleeper routes, which was formerly to Madrid on trains which changed gauge to Spanish broad gauge as you slept at the Border.

Posted by
1516 posts

I don't think there ever was a Brussels - Barcelona night train. There was a Paris - Barcelona, and a Paris - Madrid until quite recently.
There was also a Barcelona - Milan/Zurich train until recently that was once subject to a funny mistake where the Zurich section ended up in Milan and vice versa :-)

In my youth the route to Spain was buy night train to Port-Bou/Cerbere, where you changed then for a Spanish day time train.

The main problem those night train startups have is finding the rolling stock. Hence the old couchettes, and those Budd carriages from the 50ies. The compartments are nice and roomy, allowing for example for two persons to sit by the window. I travelled on these when they were used on the (sadly withdrawn) Brig -Bern - Basel - Brussels sleeper. The problem with those old cars however is their lower maximum speed, and the fact that they no longer meet modern safety standards, which means that for example it will be impossible to use them on any new routes across the Alps. It is also for that reason that ÖBB is buying new night trains. Their old ones do not meet the new fire safety standards that are needed to run, for example, through the Gotthard tunnel, and the new tunnels under construction in Austria.

What the EU should do is create a night train pool. Just order a bunch of night train cars from Siemens or Stadler, and make them available at a reasonable cost to anyone that wants to startup a new service. Should make it possible for people with good ideas to get something rolling. There certainly is interest.

Posted by
10118 posts

All these new long-distance routes mentioned in the comments make a lot of sense with the EU's commitment to lowering green house gases. I never got a good night's sleep in those old couchettes or even the 1st class beds, but this is the time to recommit.

Posted by
2267 posts

Whoops! As noticed by other commenters, it's Brussels/Berlin. I've corrected the post to match the title.

Posted by
6227 posts

That looks pretty interesting and really not terribly expensive, depending on what options you choose. I was checking out the website - https://www.europeansleeper.eu/en - and it looks like it would be a fun trip.

I've gotten interested in train travel lately. :)

Posted by
5369 posts

Wengen's idea of a night train pool is a great idea- whether it would really work is anyone's guess. There actually used to be something like it- the TEN pool- where all the railways collaborated.
If we got the Channel Tunnel sleepers back from Canada that would help with the fire coding issues, and released the stock from the withdrawn hotel trains France to Italy, France to Spain and Spain to Portugal- all of which was modern stock, that would all help.

This one train opens up a vast part of Europe, as far as Finland, via Trans Baltica and Lux Express, by surface transport- without having to fly. Berlin and most of Germany is now 24 hours away for me by surface transport.
Incalculably better for the environment than flying.

Posted by
14481 posts

Absolutely fantastic !

That Brussels to Berlin route is very welcome news. DB's City Night Line used to do the Amsterdam to Berlin night route until it was abolished in Dec 2015. Fantastic that it is returning with an additional night route to Prague.

All these night routes attest to the popularity of night trains among residents in Europe.