“A carriage costs two million euros” – Why the promised revolution of European night trains failed

In recent years, much has been written about the development of night trains in Europe, about routes longer than 1,000 km in comfortable carriages and at very good prices. The Politico publication, however, explains in an analysis why the great promise of long-distance night trains has not materialized.

Austria is the European center of night trains, thanks to the state-owned company OBB, which launched the Nightjet service in 2016, which it has since expanded, with routes (from Vienna) even to Paris and Amsterdam.

But the promised expansion, with new routes launched at the end of each year in December when the new train schedule comes into effect, has not materialized, and some trains have been eliminated, such as the one between Vienna and Paris, which no longer runs (after the French state withdrew subsidies).

The publication Politico explains that the plan to expand the night trains “derailed” for several reasons: the carriages are expensive, the operating costs are very high and can only be covered by state subsidies, and the schedule of a train must be agreed to the minute by the railway operators in several countries, which is extremely complicated. Bureaucracy also played an important role in the evolution of these trains.

In addition, the large national rail companies, best placed financially to invest, view night services as unprofitable or, at best, niche.

A number of startups want to enter the market, but they need serious financing, especially since sleeper and sleeper cars are expensive (even second-hand and 4-5 decades old ones). There are startups that kept postponing the launch of services, for financial, logistical and bureaucratic reasons. Those that are expanding are doing so cautiously (European Sleeper), and those that have not yet launched services want to rent carriages, not buy them. (Nox).

Thibault Constant, a well-known YouTuber and founder of a startup that wants to launch new night train routes, says that a carriage for these trains is very expensive, costs two million euros, and the total operating costs are so high that most investors say from the start that there is no chance for a European night train company to make a profit.

A representative of state operator OBB said that while there is demand for night trains, “operating costs are limiting service provision”. He also added to the list of problems that it takes a long time for the new wagons ordered to be delivered, staff costs are increasing and there are frequent construction sites that make it impossible to operate night routes every day of the month.

Chris Engelsman, founder of one startup, says there are always operational hurdles, such as messages from infrastructure companies saying, “sorry, but your train can't run for a month.” He also adds that it is very difficult to plan the route of a train that crosses 4-5 countries because you have to negotiate separately with each country and it is difficult to optimize the entire route. If you are forced to stand for more than an hour at a certain station, the whole journey of the train becomes very long and therefore unattractive for passengers.

The longest routes for European night trains are over 1,200 km and take over 15 hours.