The trend that almost no one would have predicted five years ago, the revival of night trains and sleepers across Europe, has become a wave, with demand for new service pulling new players into the market.
A new service from Brussels to (likely) Prague is in the works, with stops in Amsterdam, Berlin and Dresden is in the works for next year, a partnership between RegioJet, owned by Czech railways, and a new company European Sleeper. Early evening departures from both ends would allow passengers to wake in the morning at their destinations.
The companies plan to start with three connections a week, eventually building up to daily service. The trains will offer coach as well as sleeping berths, and will offer WiFi and coffee. Prices have not been set, but are expected to be competitive with flying.
King of the market these days is Austria’s state railway system, ÖBB, the exception to the ‘almost no one.’ It built its Nightjet service by acquiring Deutsche Bahn’s old City Nightline routes and trains, and has been expanding the network ever since, and is now in the process of acquiring new rolling stock, both as replacement and expansion. The new service is looking mainly at routes where it will not be competing.
