European Sleeper inaugurated its night train service from Brussels in Belgium to Venice in Italy, via the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, in the night from Wednesday 5 February to Thursday 6 February 2025. But the sleeper train never made it passed Innsbruck. “And this is unfortunately not a surprise”, Back On Track Belgium says in a press release. 

The organisation advocates the use of night trains or sleeper trains throughout Europe, making Brussels a real hub. 

‘Last minute’ cancellation

“Different stories initially circulated about the cause of this setback. At the inauguration ceremony that took place just before the start, in the prestigious Pullman Hotel located above Brussels-Midi, the organisers had to reluctantly mention that they had received a phone call the night before, indicating that their train was not allowed to enter Italy by the Italian railways”, Alexander Gomme of Back On Track Belgium recounts. 

“The rumour in the hall was that the race had been cancelled at the last minute for an unknown reason. The Italians in the room were unhappy and the Europeans had to admit that things could and should be improved overall.”

No definitive contract for an Italian locomotive ever

“We first managed to reach Verona, then perhaps Bolzano, but in the end we only made it two-thirds of the way to Innsbruck. Half an hour before departure, the departure board on the platform still showed ‘Venice’, but for an hour the screen kept flashing, until it indicated that passengers had to change trains in Innsbruck. Not a good start to a holiday.”

“But other information soon circulated, shedding a different light, later confirmed to Treinreiziger.nl by co-founder Chris Engelsman. Indeed, European Sleeper does not seem to have found an operator to take over the traction of the trains in Italy.” 

“There were talks with Arenaways which by mid-January 2025 appeared to have been definitively abandoned, but no final contract was ever signed for a locomotive and driver licensed in Italy.”

Night trains are more complex than a day train

“Night trains are therefore a very complicated product and this is one of the reasons why there are no extra night trains added to timetables: it takes a lot of capital and organisation to launch a train and, on top of that, the chances of making a profit are very low. Their inherently more limited capacity and their need for personnel make it an even more arduous task that requires a lot of perseverance.”

This external locomotive was necessary because, although European Sleeper organises the night train, it rents the carriages and depends on some private operators for the necessary locomotives and drivers. 

Due to the narrow market for carriages and the small number of carriages available from a few companies that all (new) night train companies are looking for, it is almost impossible to obtain decent carriages, Back On Track Belgium says.

“European Sleeper also depends on another company for catering in the carriages. Therefore, all of these cars can no longer be described as second-hand cars, but, despite some newer cars in the composition, as very outdated cars with their own defects. In addition, this led to a 40-minute departure delay due to door problems in one car and no heating in the dining car”, Gomme recounts.

Not a priority

In addition, night trains are often pushed to the bottom of the priority list for passage at night by work on the tracks ‘at the least inconvenient times’ such as in the morning, when they arrive in the middle of the morning rush hour in urban areas where even suburban traffic is already difficult. As a result, a slight delay in departure can lead to the night train being immobilised at all other difficult point passages because the reserved track has not been respected.

Tickets sold without certainty about the locomotive

The fact that European Sleeper is selling this route as a direct connection from rail industry fair Innotrans in Berlin at the end of September 2024 and up until the day before departure therefore raises eyebrows at Back On Track Belgium. 

“Even today (Saturday 8 February), when booking a ticket, you do not receive any indication or pop-up with a warning. It was only on 8/2 that a message appeared on ‘disruptions’ that gives a – still exclusive – view of the facts.”

“However, the website of the lobbying organization of private rail operators Allrail, of which European Sleeper co-founder Elmer Van Buuren also recently became chairman, refers to the new night train between Brussels and the Alps, and not to Venice. Additional ambiguities that create additional obstacles.”

Rather touristic route

The route itself is also designed for a purely touristic purpose: to attract as many travelers as possible. 

The journey time between Brussels and Venice is 21 hours, which is a very long journey on an old night train and loses any competitive advantage over the plane and even other types of (fast) trains. 

“The route should therefore rather be Amsterdam or Brussels – Cologne – Munich – Bolzano – Venice or Amsterdam – Brussels – Luxembourg – Basel – Milan (- Verona – Venice in high season).”

“It is no coincidence that this strongly coincides with our #hub4brussels proposal and the old winter and summer night train between the Ruhr Area and the Alps, as well as Brussels-Milan and Brussels-Rome. The summer train even went as far as Ancona, where passengers could take the boat to Greece.”

More positive feedback from the train

“The train passengers were, admittedly, unanimously satisfied – from what we heard: European Sleeper had booked tickets for a regular Austrian express train to Verona and then an Italian train to Venice.”

“The staff assisted the passengers without interruption and offered them coffee cakes on the Austrian train. We did not hear a single negative reaction.”

Further proof that the current free market framework does not work and will never work!

“So there are positives and negatives. For us, Back on Track Belgium, this failure is further proof of our assertion: the current economic framework, set by the European Union, which is based on night trains that would spontaneously start running to make a profit and form a net, does not work”, Gomme is adamant. 

Two fewer night trains in one year

“On the very day of the European sleeping car fiasco, we learned that the night train from Stuttgart in Germany to Rijeka in Croatia would be cancelled, just two months after the night trains from Gothenburg in Sweden.” 

“In total, the number of night trains is down two this year. The ‘plus’ comes from the new Budapest-Kyiv ‘war train’ that came into being at the end of 2024.”

The night train’s exit from its niche is more than necessary!

“Yes, the train passengers were happy, but it’s a safe bet that most of them were night train enthusiasts, who like to travel by night train anyway and are used to doing well on the European rail network, but to what extent are they representative?”, Gomme asks. 

For Back on Track Belgium, the night train must exit the niche of train lovers. It must once again become the first mode of transport that a traveller thinks of when they want to travel a thousand kilometres or so. 

This requires reliable services, modern sleeping cars and carriages, and harmonised in every way with other trains in Europe.

“This requires capital and a pan-European organisation, and for this we need government intervention. The free market can play a role, but it will never get us there on its own. If railways work properly in most countries in Europe and people can buy tickets quite easily, it is because there is a government that supervises them and covers their excess costs if necessary.”

A failed stunt that should give the European Union food for thought

“This train was a stunt, and this stunt failed. We hope that the European Union, a representative of which was present at the launch event, will wake up and think about a better framework for international trains in Europe!”

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