The company behind the existing night train between Brussels and the Austrian capital of Vienna will soon launch another connection between Berlin and Brussels.
A night train has already been running between the Belgian capital and Berlin since the end of May, operated by the Dutch-Belgian company European Sleeper. This currently runs three times a week, via Amsterdam.
However, a new player will soon be competing on the tracks in the form of Austrian railway company ÖBB, the company behind the 'Nightjet', which runs between Vienna and Brussels three times per week.
ÖBB announced on Tuesday that it will start a rail link between Brussels and Berlin via Frankfurt and Cologne. This will be in collaboration with German operator Deutsche Bahn (DB).
The two companies will start Nightjet connections from Berlin and Vienna to Paris and Brussels this December. The connections will initially run three times a week, then daily from autumn 2024. This will double the number of night trains from Brussels to Berlin.
A new Berlin-Brussels connection will be launched in December 2023. Credit: ÖBB
ÖBB explained that the new connections from Berlin to Paris and Brussels are a clear indication of DB and ÖBB's confidence in night trains and plans to expand their offering. The Paris-bound train will also stop in Strasbourg.
Undeniable shift to rail
The expansion of cross-border night trains comes in response to the booming rail transport between Germany and Austria.
"The shift to rail is continuing unabated. More and more people in Germany and Austria are taking the climate-friendly train when they travel to neighbouring countries," said Stefanie Berk of DB. "We want to boost growth even further with new trains, more comfort and convenience, and more connections."
The completely new ÖBB Nightjet trains can travel at up to 230 km/h and will be in service for the first time at the end of this year. However, they will initially only be used on the Hamburg-Vienna and Hamburg-Innsbruck connections. The company added that further connections in Austria, Germany and Italy will follow later in 2024.
