Paris-Berlin night train route set to continue
The first journey by new operators is scheduled to start at the end of March next year
Belgian-Dutch rail company, European Sleeper, plans to offer the service three times per week
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European Sleeper has announced plans to bring back the Paris-Berlin night train route in March 2026.
The Belgian-Dutch rail company says it will offer the service three times per week, with the first journey scheduled for Thursday, March 26 next year.
Precise timetables are yet to be revealed, however trains are expected to leave from Paris (Gare du Nord) on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and depart from Berlin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The route may include stops in the French towns of Aulnoye or Douai (Hauts-de-France), then in Brussels (Belgium) and Hamburg (Germany), reports Le Monde.
Tickets are set to go on sale on December 16.
Discontinued NightJet service
The European Sleeper announcement comes less than two months after the SNCF revealed plans to discontinue all NightJet services connecting Paris to Vienna and Berlin in mid December. This night train service was relaunched in 2023, following a nine year hiatus.
The SNCF cited lack of funds as the reason for the NightJet closure, after the French Ministry of Transport said it would not be renewing the aide au démarrage (start-up grant) for the night trains in 2026.
This news came despite figures showing that night train passenger numbers are on the rise.
Almost a million people took a night train in 2024, 23% more than in 2023, according to Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, deputy director of the transport ministry’s Trains d’Équilibre du Territoire division.
Seeking investors
European Sleeper is funded via a community-based ownership model and is currently seeking investors to support the development of the Paris-Berlin night train revival and “be part of shaping the future of European rail.”
The minimum possible investment is €280. Contributions of €2,000 and over will result in 20% off all journeys in 2026, while investments of €3,000 or more will result in 25% off all journeys in 2026 and 2027.
For full details, visit the dedicated European Sleeper website.
