All Aboard Again: The Return of Europe’s Night Trains

Not long ago, night trains seemed destined to disappear for good. Budget airlines had made flying both cheaper more convenient, so few travellers wanted to spend eight hours in a sleeper carriage when they could reach the same city in ninety minutes by air. By the the decade ended, dozens of overnight routes had been quietly shut down, and railway companies showed little interest reviving them. Yet in the last few years, the picture changed dramatically. Growing concern about the environmental cost of aviation, combined with a wave of nostalgia for slower travel, driven several governments to invest in new night services. Sweden, Austria and France all launched fresh routes in the last two years, and demand has often exceeded expectations. Passengers seem willing to pay more and travel more slowly, so they can avoid airports and reduce their carbon footprint. anything, demand for night trains has grown faster than expected, and more routes are already being planned.