Berlin-Paris night train returns after nine years
A night train linking Berlin and Paris returns to service on Monday, nine years after the service was cancelled.
It is run by Austrian operator ÖBB, a pioneer in bringing back night trains as Europeans look for low-carbon travel alternatives.
"The service starts on December 11th from Berlin with three trips per week before becoming a daily service in October 2024," said ÖBB spokesman Bernhard Rieder.
The train will leave Berlin at 8.18pm on Monday evening and arrive in Paris at 10.24am.
The maiden voyage will leave from Berlin's main station with ministers from Paris and Berlin, as well as the chiefs of the train companies in attendance to wave it off.
The overnight connection returns nine years after the previous service was stopped.
Night trains lost out to competition from budget airlines and high-speed trains at the beginning of the century, with many services closing.
But the sector has experienced a renaissance as passengers and policy makers look for a cleaner alternative to air travel.
The new trains offer the option of deluxe sleeping compartments some with built-in showers and toilets.
The trains will make stops in Strasbourg, Mannheim, Erfurt and Halle.
ÖBB will make Mannheim a hub for night trains, where its Brussels-Vienna and Paris-Vienna services also currently make stops.
READ ALSO: What to know about the new cross-border services between Austria and Germany
Passengers heading from Brussels and Paris to Berlin and Vienna will board different carriages on the same train, with the carriages rearranged in Mannheim to travel to their destination.
The same will happen in the other direction.
France and Germany also plan to introduce a fast train service between their two capitals, set to come into operation in the autumn of 2024.
READ ALSO: 6 European cities you can reach from France by high-speed train
Tickets for the Paris to Vienna night train, or the 'ÖBB nightjet', can be purchased online at the SNCF website for a starting price of €29.
France has been gradually expanding its domestic night train services, as taking the train becomes more popular with travellers concerned about the environmental impact of flying.
On Sunday the newest service was launched - between Paris and Aurillac in central France.
OUI au #traindenuit ! 🌙🚆 pic.twitter.com/q86kC7VgbI
— Clement Beaune (@CBeaune) December 10, 2023
Without public money train companies would be hard pressed to offer competitive prices for a bunk in the sleeping car.
The challenges have not prevented private companies from entering the market however, such as the Dutch company European sleeper, which launched a Berlin-to-Brussels service earlier this year.
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It is run by Austrian operator ÖBB, a pioneer in bringing back night trains as Europeans look for low-carbon travel alternatives.
"The service starts on December 11th from Berlin with three trips per week before becoming a daily service in October 2024," said ÖBB spokesman Bernhard Rieder.
The train will leave Berlin at 8.18pm on Monday evening and arrive in Paris at 10.24am.
The maiden voyage will leave from Berlin's main station with ministers from Paris and Berlin, as well as the chiefs of the train companies in attendance to wave it off.
The overnight connection returns nine years after the previous service was stopped.
Night trains lost out to competition from budget airlines and high-speed trains at the beginning of the century, with many services closing.
But the sector has experienced a renaissance as passengers and policy makers look for a cleaner alternative to air travel.
The new trains offer the option of deluxe sleeping compartments some with built-in showers and toilets.
The trains will make stops in Strasbourg, Mannheim, Erfurt and Halle.
ÖBB will make Mannheim a hub for night trains, where its Brussels-Vienna and Paris-Vienna services also currently make stops.
READ ALSO: What to know about the new cross-border services between Austria and Germany
Passengers heading from Brussels and Paris to Berlin and Vienna will board different carriages on the same train, with the carriages rearranged in Mannheim to travel to their destination.
The same will happen in the other direction.
France and Germany also plan to introduce a fast train service between their two capitals, set to come into operation in the autumn of 2024.
READ ALSO: 6 European cities you can reach from France by high-speed train
Tickets for the Paris to Vienna night train, or the 'ÖBB nightjet', can be purchased online at the SNCF website for a starting price of €29.
France has been gradually expanding its domestic night train services, as taking the train becomes more popular with travellers concerned about the environmental impact of flying.
On Sunday the newest service was launched - between Paris and Aurillac in central France.
OUI au #traindenuit ! 🌙🚆 pic.twitter.com/q86kC7VgbI
— Clement Beaune (@CBeaune) December 10, 2023
Without public money train companies would be hard pressed to offer competitive prices for a bunk in the sleeping car.
The challenges have not prevented private companies from entering the market however, such as the Dutch company European sleeper, which launched a Berlin-to-Brussels service earlier this year.
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