Latest news with #nighttrains
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Travel + Leisure
07-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Overnight Train in Italy Might Be the Best (and Most Affordable) Way to See the Country
Train travel in general is having a major renaissance right now, and night trains are particularly popular. That's because overnight trains give travelers the best of both worlds: they allow people to travel a bit slower and more sustainably and they're a major time and money saver. Instead of spending money on accommodation and using precious daylight hours on travel from one city to another, you can pay for a train ticket that lets you sleep and travel at the same time. This is definitely the case for Trenitalia's Intercity Notte, the overnight train that connects major cities all over Italy. Currently, there are 24 connections between the north and south of Italy, including routes between Milan and Palermo, Rome and Trieste, and Turin and Salerno. Here's everything you need to know about Italy's night train to plan your next trip. The 24 connections on Intercity Notte really can take you from one end of Italy to the other—plus plenty of worthy stops in between. Whether your home base is in Rome, Sicily, or Milan, you can use the train to take day trips to plenty of other parts of the country. Here are the routes as listed by Trenitalia, and how many trains run for each route per day. To and from Turin and Salerno, four trains a day To and from Turin and Reggio Calabria, two trains a day To and from Turin and Lecce, two trains a day To and from Milan and Lecce, four trains a day To and from Milan and Messina, Syracuse, Palermo, two trains a day To and from Rome and Messina, Syracuse, Palermo, four trains a day To and from Rome and Trieste, two trains a day To and from Rome and Lecce, two trains on the weekend To and from Rome and Bolzano, S. Candido, two weekend trains You can book the tickets directly through the Trenitalia website—just make sure you know which route you plan on traveling, as the station names are listed in Italian. You can also use the site which allows you to filter routes specifically for the overnight train, or the Eurail website. Each route has between two and four trains per day, but even with multiple daily options, you will still want to book as far in advance as you can to ensure you get a spot. Some of these trains can take quite a long time—the overnight route between Rome and Palermo takes nearly 13 hours. You'll want to make sure that you are picking the best option for travel, which might mean spending a little extra money so that you have the comfort and privacy you'll want during your travels. There are four different types of tickets you can book for the train: the Basic Seat, the Comfort Couchette, Deluxe Sleeping Cars, and the Excelsior Cabin. The Basic Seat is the most affordable option and is just as it is described: it only includes a seat. It also has a fold-out table, footrests, luggage space, and outlets to charge your stuff—but in reviews across the internet, there's not a lot of privacy or comfort in these seats. The Comfort Couchette fits up to four people and includes full lie-flat sleeping spaces, but if you're traveling alone, you may be sharing the space with strangers. They do have women-only bookings available for the couchette option. The Deluxe Sleeping Cars and the Excelsior Cabin are where the real bells and whistles come out with more spacious beds, freebies, and other amenities. The Excelsior Cabin even includes a free breakfast, which might be worth it for those who want as much of a hotel experience as possible. Tickets for the overnight train for longer routes start at around $45. But the prices will vary widely depending on which route you book, which type of seating you select, and your date of travel. For example, browsing for a ticket from Rome to Palermo in mid-June, I found tickets for between $69 and $160. Make sure to book in advance to give yourself the best range of options and prices for the night train.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Is Europe finally getting an affordable alternative to short-haul flights?
Few things evoke the romance of travel more powerfully than night trains, a form of transport that is enjoying a veritable renaissance at the moment. But there is one serious snag: the price. Leaving aside the truly eye-watering cost of travelling on luxury trains such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (from £3,530pp), two-bed en-suite cabins on many of Europe's regular night trains can easily set you back £400, while even berths in a four- or six-bed couchette can come in at more than £100. Compare that with the prices you can get on a low-cost airline – Brussels to Vienna with Ryanair, for example, from as little as £25 – and it's easy to see why, even if they'd rather take a night train, so many still choose to fly. A new player Step forward Nox, a Berlin-based enterprise that is developing a radical new sleeper train concept for Europe that will deliver totally private, spacious cabins (for one or two people) at a price comparable with what is charged by short-haul airlines. 'Sleeping while a train gets you across Europe is a great concept,' says Nox co-founder Thibault Constant, an inveterate night train traveller known as 'Simply Railway' to his many followers on YouTube and Instagram. 'But today people [often] have to share their cabins with strangers, beds are tight, and it's often more expensive than air travel. We want to change that and make night trains an essential part of European travel.' It's an ambitious plan, still very much in the early stages. There are blueprint designs for what the cabins would look like (spacious and sleek), a target start date of 2027 and a selection of 100 routes which within a decade would link cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Budapest and Rome, with Brussels and Paris serving as key hubs for Eurostar passengers from London. There is also a pledge on price, with single cabins costing from €79 (£67) and doubles €149 (£127). As with low-cost airlines, dynamic pricing will apply and fares could rise when demand is strong. But the aim is to keep them low by maximising passenger loads and providing an experience that, in terms of convenience and enjoyment, is light years away from that offered by budget airlines. In addition to privacy – no couchette-sharing with strangers – and two-metre long beds, the key attraction with Nox will be cabins which, while not offering en-suite facilities, will have considerably more space. 'Many night trains offer private compartments, but we identified a major gap in the experience: people don't necessarily want to go straight to bed after boarding,' says Constant. 'Most current options focus solely on providing a bed in a compact space. But many prefer to finish their workday, unwind, enjoy a meal, or simply take a moment for themselves before sleeping. 'Our cabins are not just places to sleep; each is equipped with one or two seats and a table, giving passengers the freedom to choose how they spend their time onboard.' Less than luxurious Certainly what Nox is proposing will set it apart from other European sleeper train operators, most notably Nightjet, the Austrian state-owned company that over the past decade has done so much to revive this much-loved form of travel. Nightjet, which operates a swathe of routes linking northern and central Europe, has itself introduced dramatic innovation to meet the growing demand, most notably with its ' mini cabins ' – small Japanese capsule-style spaces offering privacy if not exactly room to swing a cat. While mini-cabins on many Nightjet routes can be had for less than €100 (£85) and a berth in a shared four or six-bed couchette for something similar, better-sized private cabins for one or two are frequently more than €200pp (£170) – a price point that, as with comparable fares on the Caledonian Sleeper (London-Scotland) and the Night Riviera (London-Cornwall), puts many people off. European Sleeper, a Netherlands-based operator that offers journeys from Amsterdam to Prague via Brussels and Berlin is more competitive, with berths in six-bed couchettes costing as little as €69.99 (£60) one-way and seats even less – €59.99 (£51). But much of its rolling stock is very dated, and customer reviews are not always favourable. A tough nut to crack With so many vested interests and intricate planning requirements, the European night train market is not an easy one to break into. Just last year, Midnight Trains – a private French start-up that planned a fleet of luxurious 'hotel-on-rails' sleeper trains crossing the continent – had to bow out after failing to secure sufficient backing. European Sleeper experienced its own setback this year when the inaugural run of a new route from Brussels to Venice was denied entry into Italy. But specialist train operators are hopeful that Nox will succeed. 'The Nox trains look fantastic, and if they can get it going there will definitely be an appetite for it,' says Simon Hodge, managing director of Tailor Made Rail. 'With his travel experience, Thibault Constant definitely knows what is needed in a sleeping carriage.' Cat Jones, founder of flight-free specialists Byway, says Nox represents a 'real opportunity' but that it will face considerable challenges, not least in securing finance and adequate rolling stock. 'If Nox succeeds, it would be a significant step forward for sustainable, overnight rail travel in Europe, encouraging more innovation and choice for travellers,' she says. Constant and fellow Nox co-founder Janek Smalla are mindful of the challenges. 'We believe in starting small and learning fast,' says Smalla. 'Rather than committing to a large fleet, we're launching with a single line, testing our assumptions in the real world, and refining the product before expanding.' Night train lovers worldwide will wish the enterprise well. As to whether it can deliver – only time will tell.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
New sleeper train ventures plans to connect 100 European cities by 2035
A new sleeper rail company has proposed a network of night trains connecting over 100 European cities by 2035. Berlin-based startup Nox aims to offer an affordable alternative to short-haul flights, operating overnight trains in Europe from 2027. Thibault Constant, co-founder of Nox, said: 'Sleeping while a train gets you across Europe is a great concept. But today people have to share their cabins with strangers, beds are tight, and it's often more expensive than air travel. 'We want to change that and make night trains an essential part of European travel.' Route plans currently include connections to Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw and Budapest. According to the Nox website, rail passengers will board in the evening, sleep in their rooms and 'arrive well-rested at their destination in the morning'. The sleeper trains plan to feature private rooms – single and double loft rooms and double vista rooms – for one or two people for the same price as a flight. Single rooms will start from €79 (£67), with double rooms available from €149 (£127). All three proposed room categories will be fitted with 2m long beds and separate seats with tables, luggage storage and window views. Nox founder Janek Smalla said rooms will be designed to fit more people than traditional operators. Mr Smalla added that a 'strict focus on standardisation and operational excellence will allow us to offer affordable fares on over 35 European routes'. The company says it has already reserved train coaches and is finalising interior design plans. Some are sceptical about the delivery of the proposed night train connections. Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: 'I hope that Nox proves me wrong, but unless the business has a handy £1 billion to invest in new rolling stock, I cannot see much hope of a network of the proposed scale ever taking shape. 'It's 30 years since the no-frills revolution in the skies began – and sadly, since then, the railways of Europe have proved largely incapable of competing with the budget airlines.'
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Europe was promised a new golden age of the night train. Why are we still waiting?
As Europeans woke up to the joy of travel post-lockdown, it looked as though we were in store for a resurgence of continent-crossing night trains. Sleeper train fans hailed a 'night train renaissance' and a 'rail revolution', combining some of the nostalgia for an old way of travelling with modern climate and sustainable transport concerns. The long-distance European train journey might be slower than a short-haul flight, but it is surely better in terms of the environment and the traveller experience. For those on a budget, the prospect of saving on a night in a hotel appeals too. But as anyone who has tried to plan a holiday train trip for this summer is likely to have found, night trains are still few and far between, especially in western Europe. And if there is a night train at all on a route, it will often be booked up months in advance. That's not all: reliability and onboard service are often not up to scratch, with carriages on many routes pushing 50 years old. The traditional behemoths of European rail – France's SNCF, Germany's Deutsche Bahn and Spain's Renfe – have little or no interest in the night-train market, preferring more profitable high-speed daytime trains instead. Only Austria's ÖBB has bucked the trend, ordering a fleet of 33 new trains for its Nightjet service. For comparison, Deutsche Bahn owns almost 300 high-speed daytime trains. Night services remain a drop in the ocean. Now Nox, a Berlin-based private startup, has announced plans it claims will change all that and blow open the night-train market with a radical rethink of the passenger experience. No more old or secondhand carriages; Nox says it intends to build a new fleet. No more asking travellers to share with snoring strangers in couchettes either: the fleet will have only one- and two-person compartments, albeit rather small ones. Pilot services are due to start in 2027 and regular operations by the end of the decade. This approach on the key question is right – the only way to offer more night-train routes is to build new trains. But Nox will not be the first newcomer to try to crack this market. Midnight Trains, a Paris-based startup, promised hotels on wheels in 2021, but investors were not convinced and the venture folded. Dutch operation GoVolta has been unable to turn a successful air-package travel business into the equivalent on rail. European Sleeper, which also launched in 2021, has done a little better – its motley collection of elderly carriages runs three times a week from Brussels via Amsterdam and Berlin to Prague, but without new carriages the company will remain tiny. While Nox, like its predecessors, faces an uphill struggle, in a few ways it is different. Its plan to rethink the layout of a night-train carriage, making it more appealing to modern travellers – and safer for women – makes sense. Standardisation - all the carriages will be the same - keeps operations simple. One of the founders previously worked for FlixBus's rail arm, FlixTrain, in Germany, so there is genuine railway experience. Either way, UK passengers should not hold their breath – night trains through the Channel Tunnel are not on the cards, being operationally too difficult to even contemplate. Efforts by any private operator to solve the night-train puzzle are welcome, but the problem ultimately is political. And as most European countries are too small for national night trains, that means solving these issues EU wide. The European Commission, in a 2021 report , flagged a dozen routes where night trains would make economic sense but currently do not run. Yet, in the years since then, no action has been taken. Brussels is steadily working to harmonise diverging national rules that make running international trains such a hassle. But night trains – locomotive hauled, medium speed and running at night when track capacity is easier to obtain – arguably face fewer hurdles than other train types. It is time for the EU to provide financial guarantees for acquisitions of new night-train carriages, and make those guarantees available to both privately owned and state-owned companies. With at least half a dozen train manufacturers in the EU it could be a boon to European industry as well. And the requirement from the commission in return would be Europe-wide compatibility – that guarantees would only be for go-anywhere carriages that can be deployed anywhere from Barcelona to Bodø, Stockholm to Sofia. So, this summer, as you stand in interminable queues at an airport, or stare at the bumper of the car ahead of you in a traffic jam, remember that all of this could be better. A night-train renaissance could get you to your holiday destination more comfortably and more sustainably. The EU's actions on international rail lag behind its rhetoric. Building more night-train carriages to run more services on tracks already there should be a no brainer. Jon Worth is an independent campaigner and writer about European railways
