Train journey - Fall asleep in Berlin, wake up in Paris: The comeback of night trains in Germany
Transport experts have long been calling for more night trains across Europe as an alternative to air travel over long distances. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in particular are pushing the issue and are bringing more and more connections onto the tracks. Since this Monday, a night train has been running between the two European capitals for the first time in almost ten years.
ÖBB operates the connection in cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, the French state railroad SNCF and the Belgian NMBS/SNCB. The vehicles of the so-called Nightjet come from the Austrian group. They are staffed and operated by all participating railroad companies. The night train will now run three times a week between Berlin, Paris and Brussels. The connection is planned to run daily from October 2024. Passengers will arrive at Paris Est station.
Austria leads the way with night trains
After discontinuing its night train service in Germany in 2014, Deutsche Bahn has rediscovered the topic in recent years - driven by the discussion about the role of night trains in the transport transition and pressure from competitors. More and more other companies have recently been filling the gap left by Deutsche Bahn's night trains: The Dutch European Sleeper launched a connection between Berlin and Amsterdam this year. The Swedish rail company SJ has been offering a night train between Hamburg and Stockholm since the spring.
For its own services, Deutsche Bahn now cooperates exclusively with foreign rail companies such as ÖBB. So far, it has not operated its own trains. Critics therefore do not want to see a renaissance of night trains on the railroads. "It's hardly possible in the short term," says Dirk Flege, Managing Director of the pro-rail lobby group Allianz pro Schiene. "Even if DB were to decide today to re-enter the market with new vehicles - which the Pro-Rail Alliance would very much welcome - it would take at least four to five years before the service was finally on the rails."
No economical alternative to vacation flights
But Flege sees a need to catch up not only on the railroads, but also across Europe. "The new night train connection from Berlin to Paris and Brussels is the answer to the constantly growing demand from travelers," he says. "We would also like to see attractive direct night train connections from Germany to the UK, Spain and the south of France to make the journey even more comfortable."
One dampener for fans of the new night train between Berlin and Paris is probably the relatively high prices. The cheapest offer for a journey at the beginning of January currently costs just under 45 euros per person, albeit for a seat including reservation in second class. In the couchette cars, prices range from just under 100 euros (couchette seat in a compartment with six berths) to more than 600 euros (private compartment couchette car). In sleeping cars with beds, a journey costs between 165 euros for a journey in a compartment with three beds and 475 euros for a compartment with one bed (all prices as of December 11).
This is likely to be too expensive, and not just for many families. "It's certainly not a bargain, it's not for people who want to travel extremely cheaply," says Detlef Neuß from the passenger association Pro Bahn. The offer is primarily aimed at business travelers. "The price is not the main focus, but rather comfort and relaxed travel." Nevertheless, the new connection is a step in the right direction, emphasizes Neuß. More alternatives to air travel by rail are needed.
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Source: www.stern.de
