This may be a new trend in Europe.....

The Lusitania was a night train I took from Lisbon to Madrid. Not only did it get me to Madrid on an overland route that —even today— remains time-consuming and a hassle—it spared me the cost of overnighting at a hotel which I would otherwise have had to do. I had my own private sleeping compartment with a bed, sink. toilet and hot shower. It was absolutely luxurious as far as train travel goes.
Even if train companies need to raise the price of overnight trains, I know there’s a huge market for train travel that serves as both a travelers’s mode of transport to their next destination at night— a time when you cannot sightsee anyway— and also serves as their hotel accommodation.
Night trains are a traveler’s dream.

This is actually not a new service at all. The train just got new rolling stock, that is all.

News would be if Spain and France got proper night trains again. Then we could talk about a revivial.

We traveled Venice to Vienna is a private compartment (almost 9 years ago) and loved it! I would dearly like to see more routes and would build a trip around a particularly attractive one. Paris to Rome, anyone?

A very nice nighttrain we took was from Palermo to Milano. We had a private compartment, and when we left Palermo it was still in day mode. We had stocked up on bread, cheese, sausage, fruit and a nice bottle of wine at a market in Palermo, and then enjoyed a nice picnic on the train. We were lucky in that our compartment faced the sea side.

Then in Messina we got put on a ferry, and during the crossing we could go on deck, while the steward made up all the beds. Then on the main land we went to sleep, and woke up in Milan, where we arrived spot on time...

Of course night trains have been around forever, but OBB has really made an effort over the past decade to develop and expand the service. It is helped by the ability for them to operate all over the continent and not just Austria, or routes that originate or terminate in Austria.

I still have not tried one, considered it for Munich to Amsterdam, but it just didn't make sense with my schedule, and I really do not make long hops (try to limit my travel days to around 4 hours) or I still look at flying (like a recent Malaga to Cologne leg).

I take it the ride has improved from the old days, back then, seemed there was lots of stops, starts, banging around, resulting in night trains being more sleepless than sleep.

I had also seen where other companies are jumping into the market. European Sleeper proposed an Amsterdam to Barcelona route, the French still run a sleeper to Barcelona, and many have been clamoring for Renfe to restart its Trenhotel service, especially into Portugal.

And SNCF in France has revived a few. So yes, it is a growing option.

IMHO, night train travel may increase some, but it certainly isn't for everyone. It is still a long train ride usually and unless you sleep as well on that train as you do in a hotel room, chances are the following day will be a tiring day. Flying long distances still out performs train travel because of cost and speed. To each his own in their pursuit of adventure. 5 hour trains are about my max.

Thanks for posting.

Night trains are certainly popular in Europe and can be expected to gain in such popularity since more more countries are pouring money into this option of traveling.

Using the last 2 trips regarding night trains , that of the summer of 2023 and this summer's trip as evidence , I had one common experience...unluckily....ie, on both of these trips a night train departure I wanted to take turned out to be sold out on that date. More than just coincidence, isn't it?

My observations on who are these night train passengers filling up the night seats in the general seating area or compartments, they're all Europeans, 99.9 % of various nationalities, no anglophones. Other than white Europeans, the remainder are Asian.

Pre-pandemic I never experienced when taking a summer night train peak season with all the 2nd class seats in the general seating area sold out

the French still run a sleeper to Barcelona,

The French don't run a sleeper to Barcelona. There hasn't been one on that route for some time. The current state of train travel between Spain and France is a scandal.

SNCF runs a few overnight trains, but the only accommodation are couchettes. They only run them to appease some politicians.

Nightjet trains are good. Although they have issues too. One main issue is that as soon as you try to run a train to France you run in to a lot of resistance from the railways there.