All Night trains articles
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News
French night train fleet renewal tender expected
FRANCE: Tenders are to be called in early 2025 for the renewal of SNCF’s night train fleet. The plans were confirmed to local media by Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, the deputy director of the transport ministry’s Trains d’Équilibre du Territoire regional trains division responsible for overnight services. The ...
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News
Russian-backed consortium prepares to start production of Indian overnight trains
INDIA: A Russian-backed consortium led by Transmashholding is preparing to begin producing Vande Bharat inter-city sleeping car trainsets for Indian Railways.
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In depth
Interview: Ukrainian Railways looks for more international partnerships
Ukrainian national railway Ukrzaliznytsia is looking for international help to boost rail freight traffic, and for assistance in funding major projects including 1435 mm gauge lines, as Board Member Yevhen Liashchenko* explains to Benjámin Zelki.
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News
‘Sleep in Motion’ night train concept launched
EUROPE: A ‘groundbreaking’ concept for high-capacity overnight trains has been unveiled by Škoda Group. Developed by designers in the Austrian arm of the company, the ‘Sleep in Motion’ proposal features a double-deck coach with pairs of single-berth cubicles stacked one above the other on each side of ...
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News
Cross-border complexity puts brakes on Nightjet expansion
EUROPE: Further expansion of Austrian Federal Railways’ Nightjet overnight train network beyond the routes already announced is on hold amid ongoing operational and approvals challenges, according to ÖBB.
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News
Brussels – Venezia night train to serve winter sports and city break destinations
EUROPE: Open access night train operator European Sleeper is to launch a seasonal Brussels – Utrecht – Köln – München – Innsbruck – Verona – Venezia service to winter sports and city trip destinations. The service is being planned around school holidays, the peak winter sports ...
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News
Report identifies European missing links where rail could compete with air
EUROPE: Environmental campaigning organisation Greenpeace has produced a comprehensive study of rail services between major European cities, highlighting the ‘untapped potential’ for new direct trains which could replace flights. The Connection Failed report looks at 990 routes between 45 cities. It says only 13% of the ...
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News
SJ to replace Vy Tåg as night train operator
SWEDEN: National transport agency Trafikverket has directly awarded state operator SJ a contract to operate Stockholm – Narvik overnight trains for one year from December 15 2024, with an option for a further year. SJ operated the services until December 2020, when the Vy Tåg subsidiary ...
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In depth
Comment: Private train operators seek the light
The collapse of Midnight Trains has raised questions about the viability of new entrants in Europe’s open access rail market, despite the optimism surrounding ventures like Le Train and Proxima. Nick Kingsley reflects on the challenges and potential for future success in this competitive landscape.
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Rail Business UK
Flipside redesigns Caledonian Sleeper website
UK: Night train operator Caledonian Sleeper has worked with digital agency Flipside to make its Sleeper.scot website more user-friendly. Matterport’s 360 technology has been used to provide virtual tours of the trains, and Recite Me has enhanced the site’s accessibility with customisable background colour, font style, ...
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News
Midnight Trains drops plans for hotel quality sleeper train network
FRANCE: Start-up Midnight Trains has abandoned its ambitious plan to develop a network of premium overnight trains offering hotel-standard accommodation on European routes of up to 1 500 km from Paris, after being unable to raise the necessary funding. Co-founder Adrien Aumont said the rail sector’s ...
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News
RegioJet to launch night train to Ukraine
EUROPE: RegioJet has opened ticket sales for a night train service between Praha and the rail hub at Chop in western Ukraine’s Zakarpattia Oblast. The operator says this will be the first 100% commercially operated service between the European Union and Ukraine. The daily service is ...
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News
European day and overnight train expansion outlined in green travel collaboration
EUROPE: Open access night train co-operative European Sleeper and tour operator Flywise’s rail brand GreenCityTrip are to collaborate to offer travel from the Netherlands and Belgium to Berlin, Dresden and Praha. European Sleeper’s Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin overnight service is to be extended to Dresden ...
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Rail Business UK
Cracks found on Caledonian Sleeper vehicles
UK: A National Incident Report issued on January 10 confirmed that hairline cracks have been found in the T slots of eight of 75 MkV coaches in the Caledonian Sleeper fleet at points where the yaw damper bracket joins the body of the vehicle. Industry sources ...
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In depth
Europe: Overnight trains are back in vogue
With the launch of next-generation rolling stock on ÖBB’s international overnight trains and the revival of a Paris – Berlin service, the stage is set for a night train renaissance in Europe. Toma Bačić reports.
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News
Amtrak begins procurement to renew Long Distance train fleet
USA: Amtrak has issued a request for proposals for a ‘once-in-a-generation, multi-billion-dollar’ procurement of double-deck rolling stock to replace its Long Distance fleet. The RFP was informed by the responses to a request for information issued in December 2022. Amtrak is soliciting offers from established companies ...
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News
ÖBB introduces Siemens Nightjet fleet as Paris – Berlin sleeper train revived
EUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways launched its next-generation fleet of Nightjet overnight trains into service on December 10 when the first trains formed of new Siemens Mobility rolling stock ran on the Wien/Innsbruck – Hamburg route. The two portions, each comprising a single push-pull trainset, were joined ...
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News
ERA authorises Nightjet coaches for international operation
EUROPE: An initial batch of Siemens Mobility-built Nightjet coaches ordered by Austrian Federal Railways has been approved by ERA for use in Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.
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News
Ukrainian Railways orders replacement night train coaches
UKRAINE: National railway Ukrzaliznytsia has awarded domestic manufacturer KVSZ a 1·95bn hryvna contract to supply 44 night train coaches over the next two years. The order announced on October 17 includes 20 sleeping cars with four-berth compartments, 12 with two-berth compartments, nine 56-berth platskartny cars and ...
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News
European Sleeper announces launch date for Praha night train service
EUROPE: Open access night train operator European Sleeper has announced the launch date and timetable for the extension of its current Brussels - Berlin service to Dresden and Praha. Services are scheduled to start on March 25 2024. European Sleeper’s Brussels – ...