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Night trains combine nostalgia with climate-consciousness. But the so-called night train revival in Europe is uncertain, say experts. <\/p>\n
Michael Buholzer \/ Keystone <\/p>\n
Taking a night train across Europe is romantic and climate-friendly, and demand is strong. Yet the much-touted revival of overnight lines is hampered by ageing rolling stock, patchy funding and overstretched infrastructure.\n<\/p>\n
This content was published on <\/p>\n
March 19, 2026 – 09:00\n<\/p>\n
Night trains combine nostalgia with climate-consciousness. A passenger who chooses to cross the continent in a sleeper car produces 28 times fewerExternal link<\/a> emissions than someone who opts to fly. Media attention on the lines has grown, startups have emerged, and governments have talked up their green-mobility ambitions.<\/p>\n But despite the excitement, night train services remain scarce \u2013 especially in central and western Europe. Tickets sell out months ahead, and reliability remains in question. High costs, fluctuating subsidies, ageing fleets (some carriages are nearly 50 years old) and operational hurdles have led to route cuts. Only a handful of countries \u2014 notably Austria \u2014 and a few startups are holding the network together.<\/p>\n The so-called \u201cnight train revival\u201d is uncertain, says Timo Grossenbacher, who runs the comparison platform night-ride.ch.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s on shaky ground,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere was a lot of hype about a renaissance, but the current situation doesn\u2019t show that.\u201d Declining subsidies and shifting political support make private investment difficult, Grossenbacher argues.<\/p>\n New \u2013 and scaled back \u2013 night train services<\/p>\n So far, 2026 has seen a flurry of announcements about new train services, though the path from plan to reality isn\u2019t always assured. Dutch-Belgian operator European SleeperExternal link<\/a> announced it will operate a thrice-weekly Brussels\u2013Cologne-Zurich\u2013Milan service from SeptemberExternal link<\/a>. But Swiss authorities say the crowdfunded company must first secure a domestic rail partner to operate in the Alpine country.<\/p>\n Austria\u2019s national railway company \u00d6BB continues to dominate the night train sector in Europe, running 20 international routes and maintaining the continent\u2019s largest sleeper fleet. It aims to doubleExternal link<\/a> its number of overnight passengers from 1.5 million to three million by 2030 and is investing more than \u20ac500 million (CHF451 million) in its new Nightjet fleet. Even so, only 24 of the planned 33 trains will be running by mid-\u20112026.<\/p>\n These lines rely heavily on subsidies. In December, \u00d6BB and its French partner SNCF cut Nightjet services from Paris to Vienna and BerlinExternal link<\/a> after France ended an annual \u20ac10 million contribution. The routes, launched only in 2021 and 2023, are \u201cnot economically viable without state subsidies,\u201d SNCF admitted. Grossenbacher says frequent, unannounced construction works in France and Germany also caused persistent delays.<\/p>\n \u2018Embarrassing\u2019 for Switzerland<\/p>\n Switzerland, long proud of its rail network, has also found itself in the spotlight. A planned Basel\u2013Copenhagen\u2013Malm\u00f6 night train due in April 2026 collapsed after parliament withdrew a promise of CHF10 million a year over five years \u2014 despite tickets already being on sale and enactment of a CO2 lawExternal link<\/a> supporting international night trains. The December vote was tight, with opponents arguing the money could be better spent elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cNight trains have something appealing and romantic about them,\u201d centre-right Radical-Liberal lawmaker Damien Cottier told Swiss public radio RTS. \u201cBut I\u2019m not sure we should be spending CHF50 million of public money to subsidise my weekend in Copenhagen or Malm\u00f6 \u2014 and that of others too.\u201d He argues Switzerland should instead focus on high-speed links to major European cities.<\/p>\n Environmental groups condemned the decision as \u201ccompletely incomprehensible\u201d during a climate crisis. The NGO actif-trafiC is preparing a popular initiative to revive the project through direct democracy.<\/p>\n Grossenbacher calls the episode \u201can embarrassing chapter\u201d for Switzerland: \u201cThe Federal Railways claims to be committed to greener travel, but their hands are tied. They must do exactly what policymakers tell them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n >>After the Swiss parliament cut funding for a Basel to Malm\u00f6 night train, Swissinfo journalist Kristian Brandt tried a similar route with his daughter. <\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Climate adaptation\n <\/p>\n We travelled from Switzerland to Denmark by train \u2013 the journey took 24 hours <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Mar 19, 2026 <\/p>\n There is no direct night train from Switzerland to Denmark. We tried to reach Scandinavia by rail anyway. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: We travelled from Switzerland to Denmark by train \u2013 the journey took 24 hours \u2018Improving existing lines\u2019 instead of expanding<\/p>\n Swiss Federal Railways currently operates a handful of international night routes through the EuroNight and Nightjet services with \u00d6BB, linking Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Prague.<\/p>\n But the Federal Railways says its international passenger focus is rather on new daily connections via high-speed routes.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as the further development of night services is concerned, the focus is generally on improving the quality of existing lines,\u201d Federal Railways spokesperson Sabrina Schellenberg told Swissinfo.<\/p>\n Around 600,000 passengers travel to and from Switzerland by night train each year, and demand \u201cexceeds supply, especially during public holidays, so early booking is recommended,\u201d Schellenberg said.<\/p>\n To address demand for better services, the company is investing in next-generation Nightjet trains such as the upgraded Zurich\u2013Hamburg service launched in late 2025, and extending a domestic weekend sleeper trial service<\/a> for 2026. It plans to introduce a night train service on the Bern-Zurich-Winterthur route this year.<\/p>\n \u201cNight trains are popular, but they are not profitable due to the high costs of rolling stock, track access charges and staff,\u201d admits Schellenberg.<\/p>\n Costly infrastructure<\/p>\n High costs remain the central barrier to establishing new night lines, experts say. Sleeper berths take up more space than seats, rolling stock is costly and scarce, and trains often sit idle during the day. Steep track access charges and staffing costs further squeeze margins.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s rolling stock shortage is particularly acute: after decades of underinvestment, few manufacturers remain and new sleeper cars are expensive. \u201cOnly \u00d6BB has purchased new equipment,\u201d notes mobility expert Vincent Kaufmann of the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). \u201cThere are just a few manufacturers and equipment is expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n Night trains remain \u201cthe best option for climate friendly long-distance travel,\u201d Greenpeace says, arguing the sector faces structural disadvantages \u2014 from incompatible signalling to divergent track gauges \u2014 while aviation pays no tax on kerosene. Rail operators pay energy taxes, VAT and high track access fees. <\/p>\n Greenpeace foundExternal link<\/a> that rail travel was pricier than flights in more than half of the routes it analysed last year.<\/p>\n Public enthusiasm high<\/p>\n Kaufmann believes Europe needs its own railway body to operate key long-distance routes \u2014 \u201ca modern equivalent to the Trans-Europe Express network of the 1970s and 80s,\u201d he says. Grossenbacher suggests the European Union could order 500 standardised trains and lease them at favourable rates to operators. A more immediate solution would be simply to reduce track access fees.<\/p>\n Public backing for a night train revival appears strong. A 2023 YouGov surveyExternal link<\/a> in Germany, Poland, France, Spain and the Netherlands found 69% of travellers would consider night trains, and nearly three-quarters said rail should be cheaper than flying on comparable routes. In Switzerland, a 2019 study showed strong interest in cross-border night trains<\/a>, with preferred destinations including Germany (60%), Italy (48%), Austria (41%), France (37%) and Spain (21%).<\/p>\n That enthusiasm is visible: 75,000 people signedExternal link<\/a> a petition to save the Paris\u2013Berlin and Paris\u2013Vienna Nightjet routes, and activists recently stagedExternal link<\/a> \u201cpyjama party\u201d demos across 11 European cities.<\/p>\n But enthusiasm doesn\u2019t always translate into stable demand. \u201cThe hard part is getting people to take night trains every day\u2014keeping a steady load across the whole week,\u201d says Thibaut Constant, cofounder of the new sleeper operator Nox. For now, the regular customer base remains niche: eco-conscious travellers, families, and groups of friends. \u201cYou can\u2019t fill a night train every day with that alone,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n SWI swissinfo.ch <\/p>\n Edited by Gabe Bullard\/Veronica De Vore<\/p>\n Articles in this story <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Night trains combine nostalgia with climate-consciousness. 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