New sleeper services will run from Paris to Berlin next year

The resurgence of sleeper trains on the continent hit a kink in the tracks in September, when the Austrian state operator ÖBB announced that it would be axing its two Nightjet services – Paris to Vienna and Paris to Berlin – from 14 December. ÖBB cited the French government’s ending of subsidies, dealing a blow to the night-train renaissance. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. European Sleeper has told the Guardian that it will be taking over the route from Paris to Berlin, with the first train to run on 26 March 2026. The train will operate three times a week with departures likely to be from Paris Gare du Nord on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and the return service from Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The current Nightjet service departs Paris Gare de l’Est just after 7pm and winds east via Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Halle before arriving in Berlin around 8.30am. European Sleeper intends to make the journey via Brussels, with precise route details and timings currently being confirmed with infrastructure managers in France, Belgium and Germany. “I think Nightjet’s existing market will certainly be interested in travelling on European Sleeper,” said Chris Engelsman, the company’s co-founder. “We will also be able to extend the ridership as we offer higher capacity than the Nightjet. ÖBB operates 12 coaches from Paris but it splits to Vienna and then Berlin. On the other hand, we have 12 to 14 coaches that will run entirely to Berlin, with a capacity of 600-700 passengers.” The news is certainly welcomed by Oui au train de nuit!, a French campaign group who in September took to the platforms of Paris Gare de l’Est in their nightwear and threw a pyjama party to protest against the cuts to the sleeper services out of Paris. “This is a partial victory for the 91,000 people who signed our petition,” said Nicolas Forien, spokesperson for the group. European Sleeper, a Dutch cooperative, ran its inaugural service from Berlin to Brussels on 25 May 2023 and the route was extended to Dresden and Prague a year later. The company has already carried over 230,000 passengers on more than 750 night trains and has been a key player in the sleeper-train market, which has not quite seen the spike in services some had hoped for, owing to a lack of rolling stock equipped with sleeper berths and cross-border complications. The company has also received mixed reviews as a result of technical glitches, sudden downgrades and delays. But, overall, many passengers have enjoyed the mishmash of old carriages and no-frills nostalgia offered by the firm, while embracing the idea of the journey itself being as important as the destination. According to Engelsman, German-rented coaches for the new route were made in the 1990s. “They are quite similar to the comfort level on the Nightjet at the moment. Our sleeper coaches on the Prague service are relatively old – from as far back as 1956 – but we will not use them on this route. They will be newer.” And the key question: will there be a dining car? “Not from the start,” Engelsman said. “We would love to have a dining car but, in terms of profitability, it is a challenge and we would need that specific type of coach. It’s difficult to break even on sales of meals and drinks. The rental costs of the coach and staff costs are very high.” Prices for the European Sleeper from Paris to Berlin will start from €59 or €69 for a couchette compartment. Tickets will be available from 16 December 2025