In 2023, nearly 600,000 people have decided to travel internationally by night train, according to the SBB management report. And if the trend is clearly increasing, the experience sometimes does not live up to expectations.
The ecological concerns of some vacationers tend to push them from the plane to the train. Two years ago, at the end of the Covid-19 health crisis, European railway companies also promised the return of the night train, after years of scarcity due largely to the success of aviation low cost.
The Swiss Federal Railways (CFF) also made this bet, opening several international lines. Swiss travelers can now fall asleep in Switzerland and wake up in Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague, Zagreb or Budapest. From French-speaking Switzerland, new lines joining Barcelona and Rome should also be opened soon.
Rudimentary comfort
Co-president of the Young Greens of the canton of Vaud, Gaëlle Valterio decided to try the experience and embark in Zurich towards Vienna. “It was a real desire to take the night train. I had never done it and I really wanted to try. There is a desire to reduce the carbon impact (…) and then it is not so complicated, in one night, we are there”, explained the one who is also a municipal councilor of Bex on the program Mise au point.
For this journey between Switzerland and the Austrian capital, ticket prices vary from 150 to 200 francs one way. At this price, Gaëlle Valterio was entitled to small slippers, earplugs, a night mask, a cloth, a pen and even prosecco.
It wasn’t the most restful night (…) but honestly, it was relatively comfortable
However, comfort remains rudimentary and space is limited. “It doesn’t really represent what’s in the photos, I’m not disappointed but surprised all the same (…) I have a bit of the impression that if I close the door, I’m under the Harry Potter staircase”, she testifies.
The train will finally arrive at Vienna station the next day, an hour late. For Gaëlle Valterio, the trip went rather well. “It wasn’t the most restful night, because I don’t think my body is used to moving while sleeping, but honestly, it was relatively comfortable (…),” he explains. She.
Delays, cancellations, downgrades
If the Bex municipal councilor’s trip went relatively well, other users had less encouraging experiences.
“Once, we had the unpleasant surprise of discovering that the sleeping car was simply not there. So we had to spend the night sitting up,” explains a traveler we met during a Basel-Amsterdam trip. “With the night train, I have always had bad experiences. The last time it was six hours late and another time I arrived home three hours late,” adds another passenger.
We apologize to travelers who have had bad experiences
In Bern, at the SBB headquarters, we recognize opportunities for improvement. “If we have to do work on the tracks in the short term, it is during the night. This directly influences the punctuality of these trains. We understand that people are not happy, because we ourselves are not happy when the quality is not good (…) We apologize to travelers who have had bad experiences, but with our partners, we are in the process of improving the situation”, explains Sabrina Schellenberg, spokesperson for the band.
The risk of discouraging customers
If the problems are being resolved, according to the SBB, the delays in the development of night trains could already have consequences. According to David Raedler, director of the Transport and Environment Association (ATE), customers could be discouraged.
People go looking for night trains and end up not finding the offer.
“We are seeing two big problems today. The first is the supply. We have not made enough investments, which means that people will look for night trains and ultimately not find the offer. They will therefore fall back on the plane”, he explains to Mise au point.
“The second big problem is reservations, overbooking, administrative errors (…) the consumer still sees taking the night train as an effort. If he is confronted with this type of problem, he does not necessarily want to repeat the experience and will then favor the plane. It is therefore central to have a reliable and easy reservation system”, adds the president of the ATE.
What profitability?
Although there are still many problems, there is now a real political will to develop this type of transport. From 2025, 30 million francs in annual subsidies will be injected into international traffic, including night trains.
There are simply too few passengers. The train is a means of mass transport. Its strength is that it transports a very large number of people during the day
However, this aid remains controversial. Some particularly highlight the lack of profitability of the model. For Benedikt Weibel, general director of the SBB between 1996 and 2007, each franc of subsidy for night trains is a bad investment.
“There are simply too few passengers. The train is a means of mass transport. Its strength is that it transports a very large number of people during the day,” he explains.
>> Also listen again to the 12:30 p.m. report on night rail traffic in Austria:
Geneva PLR MP, Diane Barbier-Müller also campaigns for the development of the day train. It is currently fighting for the opening of a direct line between Geneva and London in less than 5h30.
“A day train allows us to have 900 passengers and to make several return trips during the day. The interest is therefore economical. The line will be much more easily profitable with a day train”, he judges.
The CFF prefers to see it as a complementary offer. “There are a lot of travelers. So they maybe go there by night train and return by day train, or vice versa. So, it really complements each other,” concludes Sabrina Schellenberg.
TV report: Michael Borgognon
Web adaptation: Tristan Hertig
