Nights on Tracks

Night trains used to characterise the evening scene at European railway stations. But then, unfortunately, many connections were cancelled between 2005 and 2015 (Gardner & Kries, 2024). There are many reasons for this. In addition to competition from low-cost airlines, profitability played a major role. Routes with low profitability were cancelled. A prime example of this is Deutsche Bahn (DB), which decided to exit the night train business in 2016 (Gleave et al., 2017). Furthermore, the European night train network is struggling with outdated rolling stock (Gardner & Kries, 2024).

All of this has caused numerous European routes to disappear literally overnight. The following examples are a selection of routes that no longer exist today:

The Swiss financial metropolis of Zurich was a central hub in Europe: Night trains to Barcelona, Rome & Venice and Bari brought numerous travellers into the warmth (Gardner & Kries, 2024).

In 1999, Belgrade was still a real paradise for night train travellers. Travelling to Vienna, Thessaloniki, Moscow and Istanbul by direct night train from the Serbian capital sounds like music to the ears these days (Gardner & Kries, 2024).

There used to be exotic connections from Germany too: Travelling by night train from Munich to Naples or between Dortmund and Athens sounds partly unimaginable nowadays (Allianz pro Schiene, n.d.). The latter night train connection was called the ‘Hellas Express’ and was launched in 1963. This connection was primarily intended for guest workers from Greece and Yugoslavia (Zorn, 2022).

Moscow was another jewel in the crown when it came to overnight train connections. From there it was possible to travel in your sleep as far as Sofia in Bulgaria (Gardner & Kries, 2024). The Russian capital was also connected to the German capital with a night train connection of almost 24 hours. The EN 441/14M was equipped with reclining seats, four-bed and two-bed compartments and deluxe two-bed compartments with shower/toilet. A dining car was also attached. The train left Berlin at 8:22 p.m. and travelled to Russia via Warsaw in Poland and Minsk in Belarus. Moscow was then reached the following day at 7:58 p.m. (rail.cc, n.d.).

In addition to the above-mentioned connection, Warsaw used to be an important starting point for other night train journeys. It was possible to travel to Vilnius and St. Petersburg while sleeping (Gardner & Kries, 2024).

As this list shows, there used to be a large number of exotic night train connections. On a positive note, night trains are currently experiencing a renaissance (Dömény & Dolinayová, 2021). It is to be hoped that some of the old connections will return to further revitalise the European night train network.

Source:

Allianz pro Schiene (n.d.). Die Rückkehr der Nachtzüge. Retrieved on 23.01.2025, from https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/themen/personenverkehr/nachtzuege/?utm

Dömény, I. & Dolinayová, A. (2021). Possibilities for Introducing a New Night Train Connection in Middle Europe. Transport technic and technology, 17(1), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.2478/ttt-2021-0002

Gardner, N. & Kries, S. (2024, 15. November). 25 years of European night trains. Retrieved on 23.01.2025, from https://www.europebyrail.eu/25-years-of-european-night-trains/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaa5jL0jOPfXUmAdfHOg3J2R2d2mHJBPcvdSHPVsWrzCBTw8g5NGuHx5oLo_aem_Aq3QHNoxO4HZmFq2KG7VUA

Gleave, S. D., Bird, G., Collins, J., Da Settimo, N., Dunmore, D., Ellis, S., Khan, M., Kwok, M. Leach, T., Preti, A., Ranghetti, D. & Vollath, C. (2017). Research for TRAN Committee – Passanger night trains in Europe: the end of the line?. European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2017/601977/IPOL_%20STU(2017)601977_EN.pdf

Rail.cc (n.d.). Nachtzug Berlin – Moskau EN 441/14M Strizh (EN 441/14M). Retrieved on 23.01.2025, from https://rail.cc/de/nachtzug/berlin-moskau-en-441-14m/508

Zorn, L. (2022, 10. May). Der grüne Weg nach Griechenland. Retrieved on 23.01.2025, from https://www.griechenland.net/tourismus/reportagen/35047-der-gr%C3%BCne-weg-nach-griechenland