In a development being celebrated as a “partial victory” by rail proponents, the vital sleeper train link between Paris and Berlin has been saved from disappearing. Following a vocal campaign against the discontinuation of night services from Paris, the Dutch cooperative European Sleeper has announced it will take over the route. This news comes after the Austrian operator ÖBB confirmed it would scrap its Nightjet service on the same route next month, a decision that sparked public protest, including a “pyjama party” demonstration at Paris Gare de l’Est by the campaign group ‘Oui au train de nuit!’.
The group, which gathered 91,000 signatures on a petition to save the services, sees this new development as a testament to public pressure. The original Nightjet service, which also connected Paris to Vienna, was being cut due to the French government’s decision to end subsidies, dealing a significant blow to the sustainable travel movement. European Sleeper’s intervention ensures that this key artery of European night travel will not be severed, providing a clear alternative for environmentally conscious travelers. The first new service is scheduled to run on March 26, 2026.
The new operator is planning a robust service, with three weekly departures in each direction. The proposed schedule includes evening departures from Paris Gare du Nord on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and return trips from Berlin on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This reliable frequency is aimed at capturing the market left by Nightjet, which, according to European Sleeper’s co-founder Chris Engelsman, will be “certainly interested” in the new option. The company is confident it can not only serve existing customers but also expand ridership.
A significant change will be the train’s path. Instead of the eastward route through Strasbourg and Frankfurt, European Sleeper is planning a route via Brussels. This decision, pending final confirmation from infrastructure managers, would create a new major night-train corridor. It also allows European Sleeper to boast a higher capacity. The company plans to run 12 to 14 dedicated coaches directly to Berlin, accommodating 600-700 passengers, a substantial increase from the Nightjet service which had to split its coaches between two different destinations.
While the news is overwhelmingly positive for travelers and activists, the company is pragmatic about the challenges. European Sleeper, which has carried over 230,000 passengers since its 2023 launch, has faced mixed reviews regarding technical glitches and delays, balanced by praise for its “no-frills nostalgia.” The coaches for the new route will be 1990s-era German stock, and critically, there will be no dining car at launch. Engelsman stated that the high costs associated with dining cars make them difficult to operate profitably, a common reality in the modern rail industry.