The Paris-Berlin night train already suspended

Inaugurated with great fanfare on December 11, 2023, the night train between Berlin and Paris will be stopped for several weeks from August 12. The connection between Vienna and Paris is also suspended. At issue: essential work on the French and German rail networks.

“Between August 12 and October 26, 2024, SNCF Réseau will carry out major work in France on the Epernay – Château-Thierry section, which will prevent optimal circulation of night trains. At the same time, various works will take place in Germany along the Berlin-Mannheim line, especially between Halle and Eisenach, which could lead to diversions and longer travel times”, informs the SNCF. This also suspends connections between Vienna, Berlin and Brussels.

The night train, brought up to date by Jean Castex when he was prime minister, and defended by Clément Beaune, as minister responsible for European affairs then minister of transport, will not have survived long after their departure from the government . Clément Beaune had, however, insisted a lot on this “high moment for Europe and for ecology”, on the maiden voyage.

Companies promise to resume circulation

No tickets had been sold on these trains operated by the Austrian company OBB under its Nightjet brand. The suspension therefore takes place without OBB, SNCF, SNCB or Deutsche Bahn having to refund any tickets.

However, the companies would like to reiterate their commitment to resuming traffic. “The partners of the Nightjet offer (OBB, DB, SNCF Voyageurs and SNCB) believe in the future of night trains. There is strong demand for night train travel in Europe, and OBB plans to continue investing in new and higher capacity trains”informs the SNCF, which regrets that “ the operation of cross-border night trains represents many challenges for railway companies ».

Challenges which also led the start-up Midnight Trains, created in 2020, to throw in the towel and announce, on 1^is June, that she was stopping her project. A double setback for lovers of slow travel (slow travel), low carbon emissions.