The European passenger rail network is at risk of losing momentum in its night train revival, according to Back-on-Track Europe, the European network promoting cross-border night trains. 

Ahead of its annual conference in Berlin, the organisation has issued a warning that political inaction and inconsistent support across member states threaten the development of sustainable overnight rail travel.

Back-on-Track notes that only a handful of connections are able to operate profitably throughout the year. Small margins are frequently eroded by temporary construction works, and many services depend on targeted subsidies or political will. 

(Lack of) political will

“The fact that night trains still run in Germany is due to the political will in neighbouring countries”, the network stated, adding that this commitment is now dwindling.

Among the examples cited are Austria’s ÖBB converting ordered night trains into day trains, Switzerland failing to use funds earmarked for night trains despite approval in a referendum, and the imminent expiry of the French start-up subsidy for the Paris–Berlin night train. Belgium has not extended subsidies for its night train services, while Poland is creating new routes but not to Germany.

The organisation sharply criticised the German government for refusing to adopt two measures it regards as essential: the reduction of track access charges to the minimum recommended by the European Union, and the abolition of VAT on international train tickets, as has recently been done in Austria. Air transport remains exempt from VAT.

“When the German government says that the German VAT rate is in the middle range, it is ignoring the fact that VAT is only charged in four other EU countries. Everywhere else, trains are on a par with planes”, said Juri Maier, chairman of Back-on-Track Germany. 

He also pointed out that Germany’s refusal to lower track access charges contradicts the European Commission’s recommendation that night trains should pay no more than marginal costs.

Back-on-Track argues that the issue is not confined to Germany. While China is expanding its high-speed night train network and developing new space concepts to improve efficiency, the EU still lacks a coherent regulatory framework. 

“Under these conditions, who should invest in new trains that will be purchased for 30 years?”

“There is no Europe-wide authorisation standard, train paths are only allocated for one year. Subsidies are sometimes given for electricity, sometimes for train path fees, sometimes for commuters travelling on the train, sometimes as start-up funding. Under these conditions, who should invest in new trains that will be purchased for 30 years?”, Maier asked.

The organisation is therefore calling on the EU to establish a Europe-wide authorisation standard for night trains on the standard gauge network, to define ambitious expansion targets for a European night train network, and to support its development financially.

These themes will be at the centre of the upcoming Back-on-Track conference, to be held in Berlin from 26 to 28 September 2025. 

On Friday 26 September at 16:45, at the Stadtwerkstatt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, the network will present its proposal for a Europe-wide tender for night train lines, developed in discussion with stakeholders. 

This will be followed by a debate with Matthias Gastel, Member of the Bundestag and co-initiator of Netzvision 2035, and Sille Svenkerud Førner from Norske Tog, the Norwegian state-owned vehicle pool which procured new day and night trains three years ago.

Beforehand, from 16:00, Back-on-Track will also provide an update on its Target Network 2032 project, a meta-study consolidating and supplementing concepts for future night train services.

Back-on-Track Europe warns that without decisive political support, the night train revival risks stalling before it has fully taken hold.

False dawn?

We previously wrote this night train revival could be a false dawn. There is this romantic view of sleeper trains, but with the current state of sleeper train rolling stock, it’s mostly for train greeks and adventurers. 

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