The night train linking Brussels to Berlin via Amsterdam since May will be extended to Prague from next spring, European Sleeper announced in a press release on Tuesday.
Four European capitals will then be linked, with the possibility of reaching Paris and London from another train in Brussels.
Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), the train will leave Brussels-Midi at 19:22 and reach Prague's main station at 10:56 the following day. During the journey, 17 stops are planned: in Antwerp, seven in the Netherlands, six in Germany and three in Czechia, according to the schedule unveiled by the Belgian-Dutch company.
The first departure is scheduled for 25 March 2024. The return train will depart from Czechia at 18:04 and arrive in Brussels at 09:27 the following morning, with two fewer stops along the way.
The first night train between Berlin and Brussels set off on 25 May 2023. Since then, the company claims to have carried 20,000 passengers. Several trains were fully booked during the summer period.
European Sleeper notes that the addition of Dresden and Prague should attract many more passengers. "We expect around 40% of passengers to travel to one of these two cities. The remaining 60% will travel between Brussels and Berlin," stated company director Chris Engelsman.
European Sleeper does not intend to stop there, however, and is planning an Amsterdam-Barcelona link by 2025. This is an initiative selected by the European Commission as one of ten pilot projects aimed at improving European cross-border rail connections.
