A new night train service from Berlin to both Paris and Brussels has launched this week, following collaborative efforts between major European railway operators SNCB, SNCF, Deutsche Bahn and Austria's ÖBB.
Operated by ÖBB, the first NightJet trains departed Berlin on Monday (11 December), with both Paris and Brussels-bound services now operating three times per week.
The Berlin-Paris service departs Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 20:18 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, stopping at Halle (Saale), Erfurt, Frankfurt and Strasbourg before arriving at Paris Est at 10:24 the following morning. Services from Paris depart at 19:12 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive in Berlin at 8:26 the next day.
The Berlin-Brussels service departs the German capital every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 20:18 and arrives in Brussels the next morning at 9:56. Meanwhile, services from Brussels run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 19:03 and arrive in Berlin at 8:26 the following morning. Stops on the route include Halle (Saale), Erfurt, Frankfurt, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Aachen, Liege-Guillemins.
Tickets for seated cars start from €34.90 per person per way, while tickets for couchette carriages (four to six people) start from €49.90 and sleeper carriages (one, two or three people with private shower and bathroom) from €79.90.
ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä said the launch of the new cross-border routes marks “the systematic expansion of our night train business and underscoring our position as a leading provider of night train travel”.
He added: “The ÖBB Nightjet is already a symbol of a united Europe. Now this partnership between four European railway companies is providing a new service from Berlin to Paris and from Berlin to Brussels with appealing and climate-friendly overnight connections."
SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir said the rail operator is also “actively investing” in the night train project, with support from the Belgian government, which is offering financial aid to every railway company providing night trains that serve the country.
SNCF Voyageurs CEO Christophe Fanichet said the new Paris–Berlin route “is another strong symbol of the revival of night trains, made possible with funding from the French Government” and builds on the recently-launched NightJet service between Paris and Vienna.