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According to CNN, the trend of travelers preferring to sleep on overnight trains in one city center and wake up in another city hundreds of miles away is becoming increasingly appealing. Recently, overnight train journeys as an alternative to short-haul flights are attracting more travelers amid growing environmental concerns.
The trend of sleeping overnight and waking up in a different city is popular among travelers.
A few have succeeded.
The Swedish company Snälltåget is one of the few that has launched routes connecting Stockholm to Denmark and Germany. Similarly, the Czech travel provider Regiojet operates several overnight routes to various cities in the Czech Republic, as well as to Slovakia and western Ukraine, along with popular holiday trains from Prague to the Adriatic coast (Croatia) during peak season. Both developed overnight services following the proven success of their daytime train operations.
A few railway companies have succeeded in restoring night train services in Europe.
There are still major obstacles.
For night train services in Europe to truly revive, the railway industry in each country will face significant challenges and obstacles. These include a severe shortage of suitable carriages and legal hurdles imposed by national railway authorities. Completing the numerous necessary paperwork procedures to obtain operating licenses for night trains is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Without government support, securing the necessary funding to purchase and approve new, specialized night trains will be very difficult.
The revival of overnight train services in Europe will face many obstacles due to various reasons.
Restoring old railway lines
A French railway company, Midnight Trains, has announced it will offer travelers a luxurious "hotel on board" experience between Paris and Barcelona starting in 2025 by reviving older train routes. In the long term, the company also plans to serve 10 destinations starting from Paris to Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Hamburg, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Porto, and Edinburgh via the Channel Tunnel.
Restoring old railway lines is one of the good ideas for reviving night train services in Europe.
Supporters of reviving night train services are now calling on the European Union to intervene and create a favorable environment for the development of new night train services in the future. Specifically, European authorities would support the procurement of a new fleet of dedicated night trains, which could then be leased to training companies. This would help eliminate one of the biggest challenges facing the European market.
The European Union has been asked to step in to bring night train services back to serve tourists.
According to experts, restored old railway lines could easily provide better night train services. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider night train operations, restore abandoned lines, and even propose new carriages to improve services and provide tourists with the best travel experience.
