Ecological awareness and the Covid-19 crisis have had at least one positive effect on Europe's railways: the return of night trains. A fine revenge for a mode of transport that seemed doomed 20 years ago. In the 2010s, SNCF in France, FS in Italy and Deutsche Bahn had in fact reduced the night train network for a variety of reasons. The fleet of sleeper trains had aged, with most of the carriages dating from the 1980s. In addition, operating costs are higher than on traditional trains, due to the lower density of the trains....
Ecological awareness and the Covid-19 crisis have had at least one positive effect on Europe's railways: the return of night trains. A fine revenge for a mode of transport that seemed doomed 20 years ago. In the 2010s, SNCF in France, FS in Italy and Deutsche Bahn had in fact reduced the night train network for a variety of reasons. The fleet of sleeper trains had aged, with most of the carriages dating from the 1980s. In addition, operating costs are higher than on traditional trains because of the lower density in the compartments and the need for more staff to monitor and clean the carriages.
The final blow came with the parallel development of high-speed rail networks and low-cost airlines, which made night trains obsolete. Deutsche Bahn stopped operating its last night trains in 2016, and SNCF its Paris-Nice service in 2017..
This renaissance is recent, and has a lot to do with Europe's growing ecological awareness. The greater constraints on airports in terms of security and travel conditions have probably had an effect on demand, even if it is lower.
Austria leads the way
Austria gave the signal for this renaissance. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) were the first to reactivate train lines, making Vienna the new European hub for its "railways". Nightjets ".
The railway company currently operates 16 routes, including a new link between Brussels and Vienna. The ÖBB carried 1.5 million passengers in 2019. Admittedly, this is a drop in the ocean compared with the 36 million passengers on its long-distance routes. But Nightjets already generate almost 20% of the Austrian operator's long-distance revenue.
According to ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä in an interview with the German business daily HandelsblattIn 2019, NightJet traffic came close to breaking even for the first time, and 2020 looks set to be the best year yet. The COVID crisis has made travellers wary of air travel.
Since the reopening of intra-European borders in the Schengen area, Austrian Nightjets have regained popularity. Travellers seem to appreciate the possibility of travelling in a private cabin. In July, night trains had a load factor of 90% compared with an average of 50% to 60% for traditional trains..
The ÖBB has decided to accelerate its development with a planned investment of 750 million euros for the purchase and modernisation of its rail fleet.
The Austrian company wants to continue to develop routes, particularly from Germany, its second largest market, since it already operates routes from Munich to Croatia, Italy and Hungary. In December, the Austrian operator confirmed the launch of two routes from Berlin and Hamburg to Zurich.
According to Handelsblatt, Andreas Matthä is convinced that he will be able to launch new routes between Berlin and Brussels and between Vienna/Munich and Paris in the future.. It would seem that this last line is the most likely. There is talk of 2023, when the Austrian operator will receive its new night trains. They will offer standards of comfort comparable to those of a hotel, and may also attract business travellers. Future cabins will include showers and even mini-suites, modelled on Japanese capsule hotels.
France in favour of night trains
Other European countries are also rediscovering night trains. Sweden also wants to offer night rail links with continental Europe. The country is preparing to launch a new route linking Stockholm to Hamburg and Malmö to Brussels in August 2022.. The two services would pass over the Øresund bridge linking Copenhagen to southern Sweden.
Belgium is also working to promote its capital as a hub for night-time services in Western Europe. This is because of its favourable geographical location. Brussels could also become the bridgehead for night trains to the UK.
In Switzerland, SBB has just decided to hire out sleeping carsThe trains will be delivered in 2021. According to the Luzerner Zeitung daily newspaper, these trains are expected to enter service on Zurich-Amsterdam. This line operated until 2016. SBB is also considering reactivating night services to Barcelona, Copenhagen and Rome.
The French government is also looking more favourably on night trains. This awareness was confirmed by Emmanuel Macron on 14 July. In his interview, the President announced the reopening of certain regional lines and night trains. All of which reflects a desire to reduce the carbon impact on the environment.
La SNCF currently only operates two routes, from Paris to Briançon and from Paris to Rodez and the Pyrénées-Orientales. Twenty years ago, it operated more than thirty routes. A report is being prepared for the end of the summer, which should point the way to new routes.. But it is already announced that the night train between Paris and Nice will be back on track in 2022.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebarri, recently declared on LCI that the government had "ambitious plans" for ...
