Starting from December 11, 2023, the night train alliance of DB, ÖBB, NMBS/SNCB and SNCF is offering night train service from Berlin to Brussels and Paris. The first NJ was seen off on its trip from Berlin on December 11 by the German, Belgian, French and Austrian transport ministers and the CEOs of the four participating rail companies.
‘All passengers and commuters will benefit from the new rail services between the European capitals. This new product has been made possible thanks to the close cooperation of all the parties involved, who have created a true night train alliance and, in doing so, are supporting us in implementing our TEE 2.0 concept by providing specific offers for passengers,” the German Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing said.
The Nightjet (NJ) runs three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with trains return from Paris and Brussels to Berlin on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
With the new Nightjet connections, we’re bringing major European cities closer together and making climate-friendly travel in Europe even easier. I’m convinced that this is the future of mobility for us. Short- and medium-haul routes in Europe belong to rail,” Leonore Gewessler, Austrian Federal Minister for Mobility said.
The new night train service is the latest milestone in a successful partnership between the European railways, which in 2020 had set themselves the goal of establishing environmentally friendly night train connections.
“The service is developing step by step. In fact, the Belgian government is directly influencing the service’s development from Belgium thanks to financial aid granted to any night train operator calling at our flat country. No means of transport is more climate-friendly than trains, so as Minister for Mobility, I’m delighted to see this train in our stations,” Georges Gilkinet, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility said.
“It’s possible to fall asleep in Paris and wake up in Berlin! It is the culmination of a commitment that I have carried for 3 years. A high point for Europe and ecology. This train is the image of European cooperation that responds to the climate emergency and the need to connect peoples,” Clément Beaune, French Minister for Transport said.
Also new since the 10 December 2023 timetable change is daily service with sleeping cars and seated coaches on the Munich–Vienna–Warsaw line. In December 2022, the partners added the Zurich–Prague night train line and extended the Munich–Venice/Rijeka/Zagreb/Vienna–Budapest night train by adding Stuttgart as a departure and destination station.
By steadily growing its selection of night trains, the alliance is making an important contribution to achieving the EU climate targets agreed in the Green Deal.
Share on:
