European night trains

johnthefireman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:54 am Sleeping around Europe: The revival of night trains

If I ever got a reputation for sleeping around, it would be because I’ve always been drawn to the romance of European sleeper trains. For a while, however, my crush on couchettes was curbed, when budget flights became everyone’s darling and many sleepovers were stopped. Thankfully, my loco-libido can be satisfied once more. As many travellers are seeing the benefits of flight-free travel, train companies are dusting off their rolling stock and refreshing their bed linen...

A nice piece from the Irish Times

It is nice to see the return of overnight sleeper trains in Europe mostly due to the efforts of OBB. How ever some railways are still dragging their feet such as SNCF and RENFE. It's hard to believe but there is still no direct train between Madrid and Lisbon since the overnight train was withdrawn due to Covid.

I traveled with the disappearing CityNightLine and found them a good service, I especially enjoyed the restaurant (except for one case where it was cancelled, and I was hungry all night).
I look forward to trying the new services that are reappearing (OBB, European Sleeper, Midnight Trains, VR, SJ, etc.).

johnthefireman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:54 am Sleeping around Europe: The revival of night trains

If I ever got a reputation for sleeping around, it would be because I’ve always been drawn to the romance of European sleeper trains. For a while, however, my crush on couchettes was curbed, when budget flights became everyone’s darling and many sleepovers were stopped. Thankfully, my loco-libido can be satisfied once more. As many travellers are seeing the benefits of flight-free travel, train companies are dusting off their rolling stock and refreshing their bed linen...

A nice piece from the Irish Times

Hi John, good to see your still around, have you got a link to that Irish times article?

FlavioBassi wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 3:24 pm I traveled with the disappearing CityNightLine and found them a good service, I especially enjoyed the restaurant (except for one case where it was cancelled, and I was hungry all night).
I look forward to trying the new services that are reappearing (OBB, European Sleeper, Midnight Trains, VR, SJ, etc.).

Hi Flavio, from what cities did the CityNightLine run?

Mr. Benton, City Night was one of the several successors that the European roads established in the wake of Wagon-Lit folding - at least its Sleeping Car operations (the company lives on with various hospitality enterprises) as an instant withdrawal of sleepers would have been "too much cold water" (much as the Amtrak LD trains were just to be there for a five year "ease the pain" period).

Other entities included TEN (Train Euro Nicht/Nuit) and the French SNCF also had one for internal routes such as Paris-Nice.

My rides in Wagon Lit cars were July '60 Paris-Stuttgart, Sevilla-Barcelona May'90, as well as DB "Schlaffwagon" Berlin-Aachen, and Paris-Frankfurt. Intended also was Madrid-Sevilla May '90 but that ended up in a Couchette, which was unlike any experience I have had before or would care to have again.

Finally, again I note, the OBB "Oberfuehrers" proved me wrong, as I never expected to see NightJet "make a go of it". But apparently it has.

Thanks, David. Still around, albeit not posting much.

Did the Irish TImes link not show up in the post? It's https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-sty ... -1.4773799

Caledonian Sleeper rail service to be nationalised by Scottish ministers

Highlands-London service will be run by state-owned company after operator Serco loses contract seven years early...

Why sleeper trains are being revived across Europe

sleeper trains are continuing to make a comeback in mainland Europe, with a number of new services being launched since last summer, or due to start later this year, or in 2024...

Well so much for my plans that,IF I am to go overseas during August (lots of reservations about doing so; thank you stock market), a possible NJ ride Munich to Rome (fly return) is not to be.

Nighttime trackwork on the route all summer long.

I could do Munich-Vienna RailJet, then NJ to Ancona, thence fly back to Munich (fly home next day), but this would be nothing other than a "marathon". Sure, when I was "twentysomething", that was fun, but at 82, "uh, not so much".

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/berli ... ight-train
London to Berlin.