Move

European Sleeper now rides from Brussels to Venice via the Netherlands, Germany and Austria

Posted by Timothy on

In the night from Wednesday 5 February to Thursday 6 February 2025, the Belgo-Dutch night train company European Sleeper operates its first service from Belgium to Italy for the 2025 ski season.

The train departs from Brussels, stopping in Eindhoven, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, and Bolzano / Bozen. It is thus linking Belgium to the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy. 

The timetable has reportedly been designed to align with European school holidays, the ski season in Austria’s Tyrol region, and the Venice Carnival, which runs from 14 February to 4 March. A stop in Verona has also been included for those seeking a Shakespearean getaway.

Chris Engelsman, co-founder of European Sleeper, described the launch as a significant milestone for the company. He emphasised that their mission is to reconnect Europe’s cities by night, providing travellers with more sustainable and comfortable travel options. With stops in major cultural and alpine destinations, the new route aims to capture the spirit of adventure and discovery.

Popularity of sleeper trains

The new service meets the increasing demand for direct overnight train connections in Europe. The online platform Trainline recorded a 147 per cent increase in night train bookings in 2023 compared to 2019. 

Austrian Ambassador to Belgium, Jürgen Meindl, commented ahead of the launch that today, not only the destination but also the journey itself has become an important consideration in travel planning.

European support

This growing interest in night trains is now receiving support from both government and European Union investment, and European Sleeper hopes to benefit from this backing. 

As one of the few privately owned international sleeper train operators in Europe, the company launched its first service in 2023, operating three times weekly from Brussels and Amsterdam to Berlin and Prague in Czechia. It is also working on an ambitious new project, supported by the European Commission, for a daily night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona in Spain.

However, there have been significant challenges. The Amsterdam-Barcelona service was initially planned for 2025 but was later postponed to 2026, and now may not launch until 2027. 

Despite strong demand and government support, establishing new night train routes in Europe remains a complex process.

Lack of rolling stock

The primary difficulties lie in securing rolling stock and coordinating international timetables, which must account for domestic night travel, maintenance works, and freight services. 

Engelsman explained that the Amsterdam-Barcelona project was selected as one of ten pilot projects by the European Commission to promote international passenger transport. 

However, the two main obstacles delaying the launch are securing a workable timetable through France and addressing the shortage of night train carriages. 

European Sleeper is actively working to acquire 30 to 35 carriages that comply with strict cross-border European regulations, but despite progress, these issues will prevent the service from launching as originally planned.

Complying with national regulations

These challenges are not unique to European Sleeper. Swedish Railways (SJ), which took over the Malmö-Padborg sleeper route at the Danish-German border in December, has also faced a complicated process in obtaining regulation-compliant rolling stock and managing another country’s infrastructure network, despite Sweden and Denmark maintaining relatively cooperative cross-border rail relations.

European Sleeper’s CEO has also criticised what he described as “incompetence” within France’s SNCF in securing a suitable timetable for night trains. 

Meanwhile, SNCF is dealing with its own issues. The French government recently announced plans to procure 180 new sleeper cars and 30 locomotives after selling off much of its fleet in the past decade. However, this new stock will only be sufficient to modernise existing routes, with no capacity for expansion. Additionally, the first of these new trains will not enter service before 2030.

Money talks

Funding remains a crucial issue. While demand for night trains is increasing, sleeper routes remain largely unprofitable. They do not operate frequently enough or carry enough passengers to generate significant revenue. Frequent timetable adjustments due to maintenance works, currently widespread across Europe, also contribute to delays and disruptions, further damaging their reputation.

SJ, for instance, has had to reroute its EuroNight service to Hamburg and Berlin by 100 kilometres due to maintenance works in Germany. ÖBB’s NightJet service faced similar issues over the summer, raising concerns that persistent disruptions could eventually weaken demand.

From Switzerland to Spain

Despite enthusiasm for night train expansion, investment does not always follow. ÖBB had announced plans in 2023 for a new sleeper service between Switzerland and Spain, with a Zurich-Barcelona route slated to launch in December 2024. 

However, this project appears to have been abandoned due to a lack of funding. An ÖBB spokesperson recently confirmed that while Switzerland had requested the NightJet link, the necessary financing had not been secured, preventing the connection from being offered.

Under Swiss law, a maximum of 30 million Swiss francs per year can be allocated to support international train services, but funding for night trains is considered optional. 

Even Switzerland, a country renowned for its rail infrastructure, is beginning to encounter financial constraints that limit the expansion of night train services. 

High-speed trains

Many European governments prioritise high-speed rail investments, which are more profitable, over sleeper routes.

These challenges have led to the failure of some night train start-ups. Midnight Trains, despite four years of effort, announced its closure last year without ever launching a single service. The company cited difficulties in sourcing second-hand rolling stock, securing financing, competing with legacy national operators, and navigating complex infrastructure managed by state-backed entities.

European Sleeper faces many of the same obstacles, making any successful launch of a new private international night train route a significant achievement. The company itself is a product of industry consolidation, having absorbed Moonlight Express in 2021 before either brand had begun operations.

Not further than Innsbruck

The inaugural European Sleeper service from Brussels to Venice will terminate in Austria, not reaching its Italian destination. The reason for the Italian access denial is currently unknown. Three further Venice-bound journeys are scheduled, with the current intention for them to reach Italy.

According to Chris Engelsman, the Italian operator informed them at 9 PM. the previous evening that entry into Italy would be denied. This unexpected news caused significant disruption. The train’s route was already shortened to Verona due to difficulties with train turnaround in Venice, with passengers scheduled to transfer to an ÖBB Railjet train there. The Italian denial now necessitates a transfer in Innsbruck instead of Verona. The Venice arrival time remains unchanged.

Engelsman stated that the reason for the Italian denial is under investigation. Contact has been focused on finding solutions for passengers. European Sleeper appreciates the ÖBB’s acceptance of the tickets, enabling passengers to continue to Venice without extra cost, though European Sleeper will receive an invoice for this.

The original Verona-Venice cancellation stemmed from the need for a second locomotive for train turnaround in Venice, which proved unfeasible. Despite initial difficulties with the Italian operator, Arenaways, Engelsman expressed confidence in their reliability.

Passengers have remained positive despite the changes. Engelsman suggested that staff were perhaps more concerned than the passengers, while acknowledging the negative impact on the company’s image.

Approximately half the passengers are travelling to Italy, and half to Austria. Some carriages are usually detached in Austria to reduce costs. Passengers are expected to arrive in Venice around 5 PM. The Railjet trains offer greater comfort than the European Sleeper carriages.

European Sleeper currently operates services to Prague and the new Venice/Innsbruck route. Four Venice and two Innsbruck journeys were planned. It is now confirmed that a maximum of three trains will proceed to Italy.

The increased winter rolling stock availability allows for this second service. Carriages are currently rented that are used in the Optima Express, the Austria-Turkey night train, during the summer.

The train departed Brussels with a forty-minute delay due to a door malfunction, but this was almost recovered in the Netherlands, according to Engelsman. During the interview with Treinreiziger.nl., he addressed a heating malfunction in a carriage, stating that passengers would be moved if the problem could not be fixed.

UPDATE 07.02.2025: Unsigned contract

The first European Sleeper to Venice did not reach its final destination due to the absence of a signed agreement with the Italian operator Arenaways. European Sleeper confirmed this to Treinreiziger.nl in response to a report from Ferrovie.it.

According to the Italian railway website, Arenaways stated that negotiations with European Sleeper had taken place but that a final agreement had not yet been reached. However, European Sleeper disputed this, stating that a final agreement was reached with Arenaways three weeks ago, but the signing of the contract had been repeatedly delayed.

The Belgo-Dutch railway company is eager to finalise the agreement. European Sleeper has stressed that it is not assigning blame and hopes the issue will be resolved swiftly to ensure that the remaining journeys can proceed as scheduled. Whether this will be achieved in time for the next journey remains uncertain. Since November 2024, Renfe has held a 33% minority stake in Arenaways.

On Wednesday evening, the first night train departed on the Brussels–Innsbruck–Venice route. However, due to the unsigned agreement, the train terminated in Innsbruck, where passengers transferred to a Railjet service to Venice. They arrived at their final destination shortly before 5 PM.

A total of four journeys were initially planned between Brussels and Venice, but only three now remain. Additionally, two journeys are now scheduled to terminate in Innsbruck instead of Venice.

More on night trains and transcontinental train travel