Well before the hype of European Sleeper‘s Ostend – Prague and Ostend – Warsaw routes and of Moonlight Express‘ Barcelona – Perpignan – Brussels – Berlin dream, Sweden announced going for a night train from Malmö to Cologne and Brussels. But now, a French minister is implying a Paris – Brussels – Cologne – Copenhagen – Malmö sleeper train.
Train travel is living a momentum. At least on paper and in conversations, as there is still this COVID-19 reality and no-one has a crystal ball to predict how travellers will react to increasing ideological pressure on short flights.
But anyway, international train travel from high speed day trains to night trains are experiencing a hype.
Paris – Nice
This week, SNCF relaunched the Paris – Nice night train, attended by Prime Minister Jean Castex. The Paris – Nice has no beds but only couchettes. But the rolling stock is being modernised.
It was on this occasion that Minister Delegate for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari (LREM) this map of potential night train routes. Nothing firm yet, but these routes are being investigated.
Firstly, “Minister Delegate”? A Minister Delegate (ministre délégué) is a minister in the French government in charge of a specific issue within a ministry. They are placed under the authority of a specific cabinet minister or that of the Prime Minister. According to protocol, a Minister Delegate ranks between a Minister and a Secretary of State.
Djebarri’s supervising minister is Minister for Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili (Ecologist Group).
Malmö
Whatever. Look at the map. Have you seen the red line linking Paris to Brussels, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Malmö? That would be an interesting route and affirming Brussels as a night train hub.
ÖBB‘s Nightjet to Vienna, the European Sleeper, the Moonlight Express, the Ostende – Vienne Orient Experience, Paris – Malmö. And of course Thalys, Eurostar, Izy, inOui and Benelux services. The IBRU international train manager team will have work to do.
Other routes on the map are also promising.
- Paris – Bordeaux – Madrid.
- Paris – Rome.
- Paris – Venice.
- Paris – Vienna.
- Paris – Berlin.
- Barcelona – Zurich.
- Barcelona – Metz.
Related posts
- Moonlight Express wants a Barcelona – Perpignan – Brussels – Berlin night train.
- Ostende-Vienne Orient Experience plans tourist season night trains from Brussels and Antwerp to Salzburg, Innsbruck and Milan.
- Not only Prague: RegioJet European Sleeper preparing Ostend – Warsaw night train.
- European Sleeper announces Berlin and Prague as destinations.
- Moonlight Express to offer night train services between Brussels, Liège and Berlin from April 2022.
- The couchette and sleeping cars for the Ostend – Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin – Prague European Sleeper by RegioJet.
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- 2021, European Year of Rail.
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- European Sleeper to launch night train services from the Netherlands and Belgium in April 2022.
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- Venice Simplon-Orient-Express comes to Brussels in June 2021 and April 2022.
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- 2017 Eastern Europe, Balkan and Greece Rail Trip.
- 2018 Poland Trip.
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