Night service: Europe's romantic sleeper trains see a new dawn

Rail fans can sleep soundly, as operators begin adding new services and carriages. Illustration / Lars Leetaru, The New York Times

From the Orient Express to the Trans-Europe Express, few methods of travel have offered as much romance as a European night train. Unfortunately, these overnight train routes have long been in decline, particularly in Western Europe, due mainly to the growing popularity of budget airlines. In 2016, the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn ended all of its night routes, selling off the entirety of its sleeping wagons, while in France, the last Paris-to-Nice sleeping train service was discontinued in 2017.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Few methods of travel have offered as much romance as a European night train. Photo / Getty Images

As a result, fans of overnight rail travel have been fighting to save the service. The cross-border Back on Track group has been lobbying both operators and governments while also organizing protests inside train stations. Things have started to look up, with new routes, new carriages and renewed interest from travelers. Austria's ÖBB purchased Deutsche Bahn's unwanted sleeping wagons, and has since reported increasing numbers of overnight passengers, even ordering new sleeping cars set to enter service by 2023. In March, the Swedish government announced plans to expand overnight trains to many European destinations. In May, the Swiss rail operator SBB said that it was considering renewed night routes, citing market demands.

In France, activists saved a beloved sleeping-car route between Paris, Perpignan and the Spanish border town of Portbou, according to Nicolas Forien, a member of both Back on Track and the French group Oui au Train de Nuit ("Yes to the Night Train").

Trains were once considered old-fashioned and nostalgic: Swiss Belle Epoc reenactor on an early rail route. Photo / Getty Images

"Public opinion is changing compared to a few years ago, when night trains were considered old-fashioned and nostalgic, something from the past," Forien said. "Now it's considered a serious alternative to flying which should be redeveloped."

Sleeper train service has had better luck in other parts of the Continent — often in regions with less competition from budget airlines. The Czech train operator RegioJet introduced a new overnight line in 2017 with all-new cars traveling from Prague through Slovakia's High Tatra Mountains and to the regional capital of Kosice. The route was later extended further east to the city of Humenne. In late 2018, ÖBB launched a new version of the historic Vienna to Berlin overnight route, now traveling through Wroclaw and other cities in southwestern Poland. And the Serbian rail operator Srbija Voz has recently modernized the couchettes on its overnight trains.

Swiss rail operator SBB is considering renewing its night rail services. Photo / Getty Images

But by far, the highest-profile night train is the new Caledonian Sleeper, which offers luxurious sleeping cars for journeys between London and various destinations in Scotland, with upgraded features like en-suite lavatories and double beds, as well as improved options for dining. (The Caledonian Sleeper put Aberdeen on the Times' places to go in 2019 list.)

Edinburgh: The new Caledonian Sleeper offers luxurious transport from London to Scotland. Photo / Jane Barlow, Getty Images

While more comfortable furnishings and better meals might heighten the romantic allure of night trains, concern for the environment is giving the movement a significant push. Earlier this year, the climate activist Greta Thunberg completed a cross-European speaking tour by train, which helped bring the Swedish concept of flygskam, or "flight shame," to a wider audience. In one Twitter post, Thunberg posted a picture of herself smiling from an upper bunk of night train.

Change of track: Teen climate activist, Greta Thunberg completed a cross-European speaking tour by train. Photo / Getty Images

"The most important thing for me these days is the climate discussion, because they are really climate-friendly alternatives to middle-distance flying," Bernhard Knierim, an activist with Back on Track, said of trains. For Knierim, the optimal distance for overnight rail travel is "anything up to 1,000 kilometers," or about 620 miles.

Written by: Evan Rail

Photographs by: Lars Leetaru

© 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES