The Berlin-Brussels railway connection launched by Austrian railway company ÖBB at the end of last year will be suspended for two months from Monday. While Dutch company European Sleeper will continue its service, there will be fewer trains to the German capital overall.
Getting to Berlin by night train has already been possible with the European Sleeper since May 2023. Six months later, Austrian ÖBB – the company behind the night trains to Vienna – started running its Nightjet train to the German capital. However, just several months after the service first hit the tracks, it has temporarily paused the connection for more than two months.
"Due to extensive construction work in Germany and France, some Nightjet connections cannot be offered between 12 August and 25 October 2024," the company wrote on its website. The German railway company Deutsche Bahn, the French SNCF and ÖBB together decided to close the line to avoid "making life impossible for passengers".
Nightjet night train. Credit: SNCB
"The connections affected are Vienna to Paris, Berlin to Paris and Berlin to Brussels." From 28 October, the service will return as usual. Its connection between Brussels and the Austrian capital Vienna will be maintained.
Limiting inconvenience
The company noted that it is temporarily suspending some Nightjet connections to avoid unexpected cancellations and delays, and "thus inconvenience for passengers". No tickets had yet been sold for the cancelled trains.
However, reports from La Libre on Monday show that this preventative effort may come too late. The numerous problems and cancellations that have already affected the line have taken their toll, largely contributing to tarnishing the Brussels-Berlin Nightjet's reputation.
The SNCF, which co-runs the line which the Nightjet runs on, noted that the work being carried out in the coming months is "essential to guarantee the safety and reliability of the rail network". The company added that, at the end of this period, night trains will benefit from a better quality of service with "more robust train movements".
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But in the meantime, the decision means that, until the end of October, there will be fewer night trains running between Brussels and Berlin.
However, European Sleeper's night trains will continue to run between the Belgian and German capital cities. Those trains, which also stop in Amsterdam, are not affected by the works.
