a day ago
Is Europe finally getting an affordable alternative to short-haul flights?
Few things evoke the romance of travel more powerfully than night trains, a form of transport that is enjoying a veritable renaissance at the moment. But there is one serious snag: the price.
Leaving aside the truly eye-watering cost of travelling on luxury trains such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (from £3,530pp), two-bed en-suite cabins on many of Europe's regular night trains can easily set you back £400, while even berths in a four- or six-bed couchette can come in at more than £100.
Compare that with the prices you can get on a low-cost airline – Brussels to Vienna with Ryanair, for example, from as little as £25 – and it's easy to see why, even if they'd rather take a night train, so many still choose to fly.
A new player
Step forward Nox, a Berlin-based enterprise that is developing a radical new sleeper train concept for Europe that will deliver totally private, spacious cabins (for one or two people) at a price comparable with what is charged by short-haul airlines.
'Sleeping while a train gets you across Europe is a great concept,' says Nox co-founder Thibault Constant, an inveterate night train traveller known as 'Simply Railway' to his many followers on YouTube and Instagram. 'But today people [often] have to share their cabins with strangers, beds are tight, and it's often more expensive than air travel. We want to change that and make night trains an essential part of European travel.'
It's an ambitious plan, still very much in the early stages. There are blueprint designs for what the cabins would look like (spacious and sleek), a target start date of 2027 and a selection of 100 routes which within a decade would link cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Budapest and Rome, with Brussels and Paris serving as key hubs for Eurostar passengers from London.
There is also a pledge on price, with single cabins costing from €79 (£67) and doubles €149 (£127).
As with low-cost airlines, dynamic pricing will apply and fares could rise when demand is strong. But the aim is to keep them low by maximising passenger loads and providing an experience that, in terms of convenience and enjoyment, is light years away from that offered by budget airlines.
In addition to privacy – no couchette-sharing with strangers – and two-metre long beds, the key attraction with Nox will be cabins which, while not offering en-suite facilities, will have considerably more space.
'Many night trains offer private compartments, but we identified a major gap in the experience: people don't necessarily want to go straight to bed after boarding,' says Constant.
'Most current options focus solely on providing a bed in a compact space. But many prefer to finish their workday, unwind, enjoy a meal, or simply take a moment for themselves before sleeping.
'Our cabins are not just places to sleep; each is equipped with one or two seats and a table, giving passengers the freedom to choose how they spend their time onboard.'
Less than luxurious
Certainly what Nox is proposing will set it apart from other European sleeper train operators, most notably Nightjet, the Austrian state-owned company that over the past decade has done so much to revive this much-loved form of travel.
Nightjet, which operates a swathe of routes linking northern and central Europe, has itself introduced dramatic innovation to meet the growing demand, most notably with its ' mini cabins ' – small Japanese capsule-style spaces offering privacy if not exactly room to swing a cat.
While mini-cabins on many Nightjet routes can be had for less than €100 (£85) and a berth in a shared four or six-bed couchette for something similar, better-sized private cabins for one or two are frequently more than €200pp (£170) – a price point that, as with comparable fares on the Caledonian Sleeper (London-Scotland) and the Night Riviera (London-Cornwall), puts many people off.
European Sleeper, a Netherlands-based operator that offers journeys from Amsterdam to Prague via Brussels and Berlin is more competitive, with berths in six-bed couchettes costing as little as €69.99 (£60) one-way and seats even less – €59.99 (£51). But much of its rolling stock is very dated, and customer reviews are not always favourable.
A tough nut to crack
With so many vested interests and intricate planning requirements, the European night train market is not an easy one to break into.
Just last year, Midnight Trains – a private French start-up that planned a fleet of luxurious 'hotel-on-rails' sleeper trains crossing the continent – had to bow out after failing to secure sufficient backing.
European Sleeper experienced its own setback this year when the inaugural run of a new route from Brussels to Venice was denied entry into Italy.
But specialist train operators are hopeful that Nox will succeed.
'The Nox trains look fantastic, and if they can get it going there will definitely be an appetite for it,' says Simon Hodge, managing director of Tailor Made Rail.
'With his travel experience, Thibault Constant definitely knows what is needed in a sleeping carriage.'
Cat Jones, founder of flight-free specialists Byway, says Nox represents a 'real opportunity' but that it will face considerable challenges, not least in securing finance and adequate rolling stock.
'If Nox succeeds, it would be a significant step forward for sustainable, overnight rail travel in Europe, encouraging more innovation and choice for travellers,' she says.
Constant and fellow Nox co-founder Janek Smalla are mindful of the challenges.
'We believe in starting small and learning fast,' says Smalla. 'Rather than committing to a large fleet, we're launching with a single line, testing our assumptions in the real world, and refining the product before expanding.'
Night train lovers worldwide will wish the enterprise well. As to whether it can deliver – only time will tell.
