logo
Off the rails: Night train from Berlin to Brussels will stop running at the end of March

Off the rails: Night train from Berlin to Brussels will stop running at the end of March

Yahoo24-03-2025

A sleeper train service connecting Berlin and Brussels will end operations at the end of March.
The Nightjet that links the German and Belgium capitals currently runs three times a week.
The service is operated by ÖBB Austria's national railway company and is part of a wider network of night trains that connect many of Germany's big cities to other European destinations.
The Nightjet sleeper train from Berlin to Brussels, which was launched in December 2023, will cease operations on 28 March.
The decision to axe the service indefinitely was announced by ÖBB and first reported by The Man is Seat 61 - a website focused on rail travel around Europe.
'A combination of difficult-to-bypass late-notice trackwork in Germany and (no doubt) the fact that it now runs on the same three days of the week as the European Sleeper mean they seem to have given up,' founder Mark Smith wrote.
The overnight service connected Berlin's Ostbahnhof and Hauptbahnhof to Bruxelles Midi and took around 14 hours.
Passengers can still travel between Berlin and Brussels on an overnight train using the European Sleeper.
Like the Nightjet route, the European sleeper leaves from Berlin's Ostbahnof and Hauptbahnhof stations on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The train stops in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp along the way. The route has also been extended to connect to Dresden and Prague as well.
Related
Nine cities, one route: How to make the most of the new sleeper train from Brussels to Venice
Night Riviera: Why I ditched the car and travelled to Cornwall on the sleeper train
Tickets for the overnight service start at €79 per person in a six-berth couchette, €99 in a five-berth couchette and €109 with a bed in a three-bed sleeper.
'It's worth paying the extra for a couchette in a 5-berth compartment as you get more space per person than in 6-berth and in a nicer car with air-conditioning, too,' Smith writes in his review of the European Sleeper on The Man in Seat 61.
'With friendly staff, comfortable beds and breakfast included it's a great way to travel.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ukraine completes preparations to join EU's roam like at home zone
Ukraine completes preparations to join EU's roam like at home zone

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ukraine completes preparations to join EU's roam like at home zone

The European Commission received formal notification from Ukraine confirming the completion of all legislative procedures required to join the EU's Roam Like at Home zone. Source: Rikard Jozwiak, an editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda Details: Moldova is expected to submit a similar notification soon, with both countries set to join the roaming-free zone simultaneously. According to Jozwiak, Ukraine and Moldova will become part of the EU roaming zone from 1 January 2026. The roaming zone encompasses all 27 EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. This marks the first time the zone will expand to include candidate countries for EU membership. "I know that the word 'historic' is overused these days but this is exactly that," Jozwiak said. On 2 June 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Law of Ukraine On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Implementation of the European Union's Legislation on Electronic Communications (reg. No. 12150). The European Commission is now expected to initiate a decision on mutual provision of the internal market regime for roaming between the EU and Ukraine, effectively enabling full accession to the roam like at home policy. Once implemented, Ukrainians will be able to use roaming services at domestic tariff rates when travelling in EU countries, with no variation in costs or conditions based on the country of residence within the EU. Background: Since Russia's war of aggression began, millions of Ukrainians in the EU have communicated with relatives in Ukraine without additional roaming charges, thanks to agreements between operators. This temporary arrangement, prompted by the displacement of many Ukrainians to European countries, was last extended in July 2024 for one year. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!

German town offers 2 weeks of free accommodations for new residents. But there's a catch.
German town offers 2 weeks of free accommodations for new residents. But there's a catch.

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

German town offers 2 weeks of free accommodations for new residents. But there's a catch.

German town offers 2 weeks of free accommodations for new residents. But there's a catch. Show Caption Hide Caption Want to move abroad? These are the best countries for remote workers. Here are seven countries with digital nomad visas if you're looking to move abroad. For those who have dreamt of living in Germany but are afraid to take the plunge, now's your chance. A small town in the eastern part of the country is launching a trial relocation program, offering two weeks of free accommodations to eligible applicants. Located near the border of Poland, the quaint town of Eisenhüttenstadt recently announced its "Make plans now – try living in Eisenhüttenstadt" project to encourage skilled or self-employed workers and commuters to relocate there, according to the town's official website. The immigration program is also tied to the town's 75th anniversary. Under the program, selected participants will be given a free furnished apartment and "have the opportunity to experience life, work and community in Eisenhüttenstadt during a 14-day trial stay – free of charge and in the heart of the city," the website states. 'Rose-colored glasses': The stressful reality of being a digital nomad People can experience what daily life is like there and also make connections for potential careers. Companies located in the area will offer internships, job shadowing and interview opportunities. There will also be activities like touring the city and a local factory. At the end, participants will be asked to write a "love letter to Eisenhüttenstadt" that will become feedback for public relations and city marketing. The program will take place from Sept. 6 to 20, and applications open the beginning of July. Currently, only those who are legally permitted to work in the European Union or Germany are allowed to apply as the town states it is not a visa, holiday or study program, according to the website. Applicants also need to have a basic understanding of German. This is just one of several incentivizing relocation programs recently created by small European regions to help revitalize rural areas. Last June, Italy's Tuscany Region offered homes as low as $32,000 for those who were willing to move to a town with less than 5,000 people. On the island of Sardinia, homes were allegedly being offered for as low as €1 (about $1.14) to Americans who sought to leave the U.S. after the last presidential election.

Eurostar says there's no room for rivals at its depot – I went to judge for myself
Eurostar says there's no room for rivals at its depot – I went to judge for myself

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Eurostar says there's no room for rivals at its depot – I went to judge for myself

'I think of it as like entering Hagia Sophia for the first time,' says Gareth Williams, Eurostar's General Secretary, as we enter the main shed at Temple Mills. There's more heavy machinery, fewer intricate mosaics, sure, but I get his point. This depot, fringing the east side of Hackney Marshes in East London, is vast: more than a quarter of a mile long, wide enough to house eight Eurostar trains side-by-side, tall enough to hoist them high up into the air. For around 400 people, this temple of engineering is the office. Every day of the year (Christmas Day included), Eurostar trains roll in and out for maintenance. Toilets are deep cleaned, lights tinkered, electrics rewired, wheels replaced. Sometimes, damage caused by foxes or wild boars must be attended to. Nowhere else in the country is equipped to service high-speed trains, and throughout its 18-year history, the Temple Mills depot has slipped happily under the radar (previously, Eurostar's trains were serviced at North Pole depot in West London, before operations moved from Waterloo to St Pancras). But recently, Temple Mills has been making headlines. In the last 12 months, a suite of rival rail operators – including Virgin Trains, Gemini (a start-up that plans to co-brand with Uber) and the state-owned FS Italiane Group, alongside Spanish operator Evolyn – have launched bids to run trains through the Channel Tunnel. All of these bids hinge on an important question: where will their trains be stored and serviced? So all eyes, naturally, are on Eurostar's existing depot at Temple Mills, but there is disagreement as to whether there is capacity for any more trains. The future of cross-Channel rail travel lies within these walls. My tour of Temple Mills begins on a mezzanine walkway overlooking the main shed. On this Wednesday evening there are five trains being serviced across eight roads. Between now and midnight another six will roll in. Eurostar has drivers whose sole job is to move the trains in and out of the facility, a process described as 'train Jenga' and choreographed in a small nerve-centre control room. Running this depot is a logistical undertaking for one rail firm, let alone two, but this week the Office of Road and Rail gave a preliminary verdict that there's potential capacity at Temple Mills for one more operator 'at most', or for Eurostar to grow. 'Today's report is great news for passengers on both sides of the Channel,' Virgin Trains responded. 'It confirms what we already knew – that there is the capacity Virgin needs at Temple Mills – bringing the Group even closer to unlocking competition on the cross-Channel route.' Evolyn, Gemini and FS Italiane Group declined the opportunity to respond, but Mark Smith, the Man in Seat 61, says: 'Evolyn/Trenitalia seem front runners as Trenitalia have some Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000s in the pipeline, which could be added to or diverted for this service. The other contenders are starting from scratch.' The message from Eurostar, however, is quite different. 'The depot is essentially full,' Gareth Williams says, as we walk past a series of pink bikes used by depot staff to travel around the vast complex. 'If you move the furniture about, what the report says is that one, maybe one and a half of these roads will be potentially available.' It is thought that these 1.5 roads could handle an additional fleet of five trains at most, but Virgin Trains plans to invest in a dozen trains and the other operators are likely to put in orders for at least ten. Eurostar has 17 e320 trains that are serviced at this depot, while its eight e300s are serviced at Le Landy depot near Paris. We enter a warehouse store room described as the 'Ikea Zone' with more than 80,000 components stacked on high shelves. Nuts, bolts, windscreens, coffee machines. If another operator moves in, they will need their own warehouse space. Another canteen. More trains. More blocks in the game of Jenga. This store room is an example of what moving another operator into Temple Mills would entail. There are other nuances in the discussion of capacity at Temple Mills. There are two 'Cripple Roads' at Temple Mills that house old Eurostar trains that are stripped for parts, and the ORR's initial report suggested the roads in the reception area could plausibly be put to more effective use. But when the independent regulator says there's potential space for another operator to squeeze in, this is not the same as saying such a squeeze is practically viable for all parties. And anyway – Eurostar has its own plans for expansion. The French-owned firm plans to invest up to £1.5bn in a new 50-train fleet and new facilities at Temple Mills, as well as increasing capacity at stations including St Pancras International. They say that there are a number of other suitable sites available for competitors, including one at Stratford not far from Temple Mills. 'There's got to be an answer that gives everyone else who is prepared to invest the same opportunity to build their own facilities,' says Williams. 'A solution needs to be found, but it's not going to be found on one road in this shed.' For passengers, the sooner things get sorted in Temple Mills, the better. Competition would likely mean more destinations on the map. All of the rival firms have hinted at plans beyond the current Eurostar map featuring Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Lille, which has seen stops like Lyon, Marseille and Disneyland Paris crossed out over the years. Potential new routes to Bordeaux, Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt are all on the table. Even Eurostar agrees competition is no bad thing: 'It's not competition that kills companies, it's stagnation,' says Gareth Williams. Tickets could become cheaper too. The infrastructure consultancy firm, Steer, predicts that growth in capacity in the Channel Tunnel (from 11m to 35m by 2040) could see ticket prices go down by up to 30 per cent. There is also the potential that the overall service would be improved as well. Eurostar has had a monopoly on the line since 1994. Any new pretenders will be keen to offer unique services, whether it be quicker Wi-Fi, more leg-room, greater eco-credentials or finer dining options, to set them apart. For now, that's all hypothetical, as the rail firms have this week been ordered to file final submissions 'at pace' to allow the ORR to make a decision, by October, as to whether they will be granted access to Temple Mills, or if Eurostar will be given the nod to expand. As I left the Temple Mills complex, something about its carbuncular boxy exterior made me reflect on the Hagia Sophia comparison once again. For the first thousand years of its existence, Istanbul's most iconic holy building was used as a church, before being converted into a mosque in the 1300s, a museum in the 20th century, and more recently, a mosque once again. It is an example of how buildings can be repurposed and adapted through the ages as dynasties rise and fall. In a matter of months, we will know whether the throwaway comparison was more prescient than Eurostar's General Secretary intended. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store