Latest news with #sleepertrain
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
New sleeper train is launching this summer which stops in six European countries – and tickets are under £50
A NEW sleeper train set to launch this summer will connect five European countries in one journey. The route, which spans 745 miles, will depart from Warsaw and terminate in the picturesque Croatian city of Rijeka. 1 Other stunning central and eastern European cities en route to Rijeka include Opoczno, Katowice, Rybnik, Chałupki, Vienna, Ljubljana, Postojna, and Opatija. The fresh PKP Intercity service is also a god send for tight fisted holidaymakers, with priices starting at just shy of £40. But travellers are advised to plan ahead of time as the journey won't run every day. Services will only operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays during the balmy summer months. The first is scheduled in just under a month's time, departing Warsaw on Friday, June 27, while the final routes will take place at the end of August, leaving Warsaw on August 29 and Rijeka on August 31. Ticket holders will be treated to mountains, rolling hills and lush stretches of countryside as the train chugs through Poland, Czechia, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. It will stop briefly in Vienna at around 10pm, where a few carriages will diverge and head off directly to Croatia on a different route before. The final pitstop takes place in Slovenia in the early hours where the train joins forces with the Istria service – which starts in Budapest – before making its way to Croatia as dawn breaks through. Passengers will be able to travel in style too, as the carriages are fully air-conditioned, with couchette cars available with beds. Sheets will be fully provided, so you needn't pack your sleeping bag. The short Irish train journey perfect for summer day out with 'stunning views' MORE SLEEPER TRAIN NEWS For passengers angling towards an adventure in Southeast Asia in the next couple of years, Vietnam's National Assembly approved plans to build a high-speed railway network at the end of last year. The new route will run between Hanoi (the Vietnamese capital) and Ho Chi Minh City, covering more than 957 miles of the country. Slated to cost $67billion (£53billion), the high-speed train will be able to reach speeds of up to 217mph, reducing journey times by 25 hours. Construction work will start in 2027, with trains operating from as early as 2035. Once up and running, the train will pass through 20 provinces and cities in Vietnam - although a full itinerary, including stopping stations, has yet to be confirmed. And last summer, a new train route let you pay just £7 to travel to three European countries - Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. Meanwhile, a new train route dubbed "easyJet on rails" will link France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
My Sleeper Train Journey Through Europe In A ‘Hostel On Wheels'
High speed train at night in Sweden getty If your budget can stretch to it, opt for a solo cabin on European sleeper train services. I recently traveled to and from Sweden's Gothenburg from my home in northern England, and my budget didn't stretch to it. The sleeper service from Hamburg in northern Germany would, therefore, be a hostel on wheels. My ticket was for travel with up to six others in a reserved couchette cabin. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me describe my journey from Newcastle via a Eurostar from London's St Pancras International. I take the train to London regularly, usually the blisteringly fast one. By skipping the stops in Durham, York, and Peterborough, the 7.04 am LNER service takes just 2 hours and 36 minutes to get to King's Cross from Newcastle. However, to make my connection in London, I was on the three-hour, eight-minute service that leaves at 6 am. It arrived late: by about 60 seconds, so it was a saunter across the road to St Pancras to check in for the Eurostar to Brussels and then two connections to Hamburg, where the sleeper to Sweden leaves from. Bruxelles Suid/Brussels Midi is not the nicest of stations, but if you've got a little time to while away here, head to the Pullman Hotel connected to the station. Here, you can relax in five-star comfort in the hotel's first-floor bar. The hotel loos are also luxe and free, while spending a penny in the station costs a euro. My train left Brussels on time and didn't get delayed en route to Hamburg, but SMS alerts told me that my planned sleeper journey from Hamburg to Gothenburg wouldn't leave on time. It didn't leave at all. Instead, passengers were transferred to a coach for the onward journey into Sweden. Arriving in Malmo earlier than the sleeper service would have done, I easily made the morning service to Gothenburg. After a day in the city, I started back — the return journey wouldn't be truncated, too, would it? The standard service from Gothenburg to Malmö was punctual, but the couchette cabin was almost full when I arrived, with most of the spaces taken by folks who had boarded — and started sleeping — in Stockholm. I was shushed as I crept in and had to make up my top bunk with sheets, a blanket, and a pillow as silently as I could. Solo cabins feature a toilet and shower. Those in shared cabins have to use a loo at the end of the carriage. At 5 am, I got up to pee and to ready myself for the imminent arrival in Hamburg. I clambered down as quietly as I could, as no one else was stirring. I should have crept back to bed because — too late — I could see from my phone that we were still in the middle of Schleswig Holstein, some distance from Hamburg. This wasn't great as I had some tight connections to hit. I missed them all, but a signed chit from the train guard allowed me to prove to subsequent ones that I had been delayed, and that's why my ticket wasn't valid for their services. Despite many hours of delays and missed connections, I was able to hop across Europe and made it back to London in time for the last LNER train back to Newcastle. I arrived home a few hours after my original ETA. Does this read like a horror story to you? Maybe you'd rather stick to flying? The thing is, I've also had nightmare flights, with missed connections and being bumped due to overbookings. Traveling by train is far cleaner than flying. 'Save the climate while you sleep,' an information card in my couchette said. It continued: 'In terms of CO2 emissions, the railways are 31 times more environmentally friendly than traveling by plane.' I no longer fly. For solid scientific reasons. According to Eurostar, the journey from London to Paris uses 2.4 kg of CO2 per person. Flying between the capitals emits 66 kg per person. Taking the train reduces emissions by a whopping 96%. In the Netherlands, the Eurostar to Amsterdam is powered entirely by electricity generated from wind, and in the UK, that figure is 40% and rising. A commercial flight from Berlin to Bonn emits the same amount of carbon as eight return trips by train. Yet despite the eco savings, it's often cheaper to guzzle avgas than to take to the rails. This is crazy. Flying to Gothenburg would have taken about six hours from Newcastle. But add transit times to and from airports, buffer minutes for getting through security, and downtime waiting at gates, and the actual journey time would have been nearer ten hours. That's 19 hours quicker than had my train journey run to schedule. But, as a laptop junkie, I also have to factor in practical working time. Not much of the air journey is usable for writing–I find it easier to flick through social media, which is a time sink. On the train, however, I can write articles and more. According to traveling by train from Gothenburg to Newcastle saved 87.54 kg of carbon dioxide. In 2003, there were 12 flights a day between Frankfurt and Cologne, 190 kilometers apart. After a high-speed rail line opened, journey times were cut from two hours to just one. Today there are no flights between these two German cities. An increasing number of people are now concluding that even long journeys between European cities–especially those linked by high-speed rail lines–are now best done by train. In Sweden, many travelers have coalesced around the concept of flygskam, or 'flight shame.' Until recently, Swedes were among the most profligate flyers on the planet. According to a report commissioned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, in 2017 Sweden's entire aviation sector accounted for 1.1 tonnes of emissions per person, five times the global average of 0.2 tonnes per person. This love affair with flying is fading fast. Swedes are switching rapidly because climate change is particularly noticeable in Sweden, with the Swedish Meteorological Institute reporting recently that the average annual temperature in the country is rising twice as quickly as the global average. In 2023, France enacted a new law to prevent flights between Paris-Orly Airport and Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux. In a press statement, transport minister Clément Beaune said: 'As we fight relentlessly to decarbonize our lifestyles, how can we justify the use of planes between the big cities that benefit from regular, fast, and efficient connections by train?' Soon, new high-speed rail lines—part of the EU's TEN-T project of European road and rail links—will make more short-haul flights redundant across Europe, believe planners and politicians. According to EU statistics, 17 of Europe's 20 busiest air routes cover distances of less than 434 miles, the sort of distances where intercity trains can offer faster, cleaner, and more sustainable journeys. Transport accounts for 30% of C02 emissions in the developed world, so it makes sense to drive less, cycle and walk more, and take the train rather than fly.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fans call out Tammy Hembrow as she slams 'creepy' overnight train in Egypt she says 'smelled bad': 'So humble when millionaires travel like us'
Tammy Hembrow has been slammed by fans after she complained about a 'creepy' overnight sleeper train she caught during her lavish holiday in Egypt. The fitness influencer, 31, shared a video of her room to TikTok on Tuesday, documenting her subpar experience as she travelled from Cairo to Aswan. But while the online star blasted the train for 'smelling bad' and looking 'scary', fans flocked to the comments to call out the millionaire for her privilege. 'It was unlike anything I have ever done. I was not expecting it to be like this,' Tammy, who was travelling as part of her girls' retreat, said of the train. 'We thought it would be a fun Egyptian experience to do an overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan, which is like 13 hours. You sleep on the train overnight.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She continued: 'What we didn't know is what the train actually looked like and would be like... It was definitely an experience. Not one I would like to have again.' Footage of the train saw Tammy and her friends sleeping in small single-bed cabins which contained old, thin mattresses, a chair, a sink and a tray to eat food from. Tammy, who is used to travelling in complete luxury, attempted to have a positive outlook on the budget train, saying: 'It's all part of the experience.' However, she had a few nice things to say about her room, which she said 'smelled really bad' and was too 'small'. 'We couldn't stop giggling at the whole situation because we were not expecting it at all... I felt really bad because I brought all these girls and made them go on the train. 'Some of the windows were broken. There were scary doorways and things like that... The tables for our dinner, they pick them up off the floor and put them in [the wall].' Tammy went on to slam the dinner she was served—rice and meat skewers—saying she 'didn't know what to say' about it and that she 'didn't eat it'. 'I don't turn down food, but I actually couldn't eat it,' she said. But while the online star blasted the train for 'smelling bad' and looking 'scary', fans flocked to the comments to call-out the millionaire for her privilege 'We did have a bottle of wine so that did help because we were actually all scared none of us were going to be able to sleep because we were all creeped out.' While Tammy went on to compliment the 'lovely' staff members and the 'pretty view', she said she would never catch a sleeper train in Egypt again. Fans then called out the millionaire in the comments, saying the 'small' room was actually a 'luxury' for those who don't have thousands to splash on holidays. 'So humble when millionaires travel like us,' one person wrote, while another said: 'I must be broke cause I don't even think that train room looks bad.' 'Sadly enough that train situation is luxury for so many who don't have much,' another began. 'Just puts things into perspective and makes you realise how lucky we truly are. Especially for those who live in tents and bombs are raining down on them.' 'Were you expecting the orient express,' said another, as someone else agreed, writing: 'Tammy out here thinking she booked the polar express.' 'Girl those rooms look FINE! Perspective is funny hey,' another commented. One user from Egypt added: 'This is luxury for our people! Welcome to our world ahah embrace the beauty & chaos!' 'I know this experience humbled you,' one follower wrote. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Tammy for comment. Tammy is currently enjoying a luxury holiday in Egypt without her husband Matt Zukowski, who has chosen to stay home in Australia amid split rumours. The Love Island star and influencer have been the target of speculation for weeks as they continue to spend time apart without wearing their wedding rings. Sources close to the couple last month told Daily Mail Australia the pair had quietly split, with Matt relocating back to Melbourne. 'Matt and Tammy are on a break. They're not saying it's over for good, but for now they're taking time apart,' the insider revealed. 'They're both emotional people, and they've decided to put their marriage on pause for now.' Tammy and Matt began dating in mid-2023, after Matt slid into her DMs, and were engaged just three months later. They tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Chateau Du Soleil in Byron Bay in November.
New York Times
18-05-2025
- New York Times
As Europe Speeds By on Rail, America Is Stuck in Traffic
How civilized to catch a train, enjoy a meal on board and then go to bed in a cozy cabin while the moonlit world zips past. Recently, I've boarded sleeper trains in Brussels and disembarked in Vienna; bid 'Gute Nacht' to Munich and 'buongiorno' to Venice. Closer to home, the Caledonian Sleeper shrinks the 400-mile journey between London and Edinburgh to just 40 winks — with supper, a nightcap and breakfast en route. Such journeys are possible on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but the future and fate of night trains in Europe and the United States are set on very different tracks. In 2025, Europe's sleeper train network has been enjoying a renaissance. Revitalized in the age of flygskam (the Swedish word for the feeling of climate guilt associated with the emissions from airline travel), the continent's expanding offering of nocturnal routes aims to compete with short-haul flights on speed, cost, comfort and climate impact. The European Union has plans to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and link all major cities in the bloc. But as Europe embraces the night train, the United States seems to be sleepwalking into a transport dead end, slashing funding for public infrastructure and firing transit workers. Long-distance public transport in America may be heading inexorably toward a binary choice: fast, exclusive and environmentally ruinous or slow, tortuous and run-down. America has long been in thrall to cars, of course. 'Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?' Jack Kerouac asked in 'On the Road.' In 2025 the answer seems to be home, or to the local airport. In President Trump's second term, with many climate commitments and environmental protections already up in smoke, the road ahead seems clear: more gas-guzzling cars, planes and rockets. The national rail system is written off as either irreparably broken (like the long-suffering Amtrak) or a mismanaged white elephant (as with several stalled high-speed rail projects). One reason for this is America's identity as a land of individual freedom, an idea embodied by the mid-20th-century automobile. It's clear that it hasn't served America well. In an April study, 'Does Car Dependence Make People Unsatisfied With Life?' researchers highlighted the correlation between high levels of car dependence and a crash in American drivers' happiness and mental health. Far from freewheeling dream machines, cars now can represent headaches and nightmares — a depressing necessity in a congested land with few alternatives. Yet, rather than invest in ways to help people leave their cars at home, America's typical response to congestion has been to build more lanes and highways. In a nation where cars are king, it's no surprise that more freeways are often portrayed as the only way. New and refurbished rail networks and subway systems would seem an obvious way forward, but rather than investing in such infrastructure, America often opts to spend millions, if not billions, reinventing the wheel with unproven moonshot projects, niche urban merry-go-rounds or bijou supersonic passenger jets. Elon Musk, America's anointed tech guru in chief, is on record enthusing about China's impressive bullet train network while disparaging America's railways as a national embarrassment. This is ironic coming from a man whose now shelved Hyperloop — a theoretical high-speed transportation system — beguiled and distracted a lot of potential investment from tried and tested transit systems across the United States. The secrets to China's fantastically successful matrix of high-speed railways are clear: consistency of vision, courage of conviction, a successful nationwide rollout and, crucially, adequate funding. The only transit system Mr. Musk has built successfully is a series of tunnels beneath Las Vegas through which his Tesla vehicles loop, much like an underground rail service, only, at present, much less efficiently. In both cases, capacity seems laughably limited — a couple of dozen passengers per Hyperloop capsule, sedans of five in rotation. Then there is the current drive to revive supersonic passenger jets. Boom Supersonic, the U.S. company following in the Concorde's contrails, is hoping its 64-seat concept will take off by attempting to circumvent some of the sticking points that grounded its predecessor — namely demand, price, and regulation. Such dreams are attractive for the few who can afford them, while leaving the vast majority in the dust. An exclusive, myopic mind-set prevails. Be it five or 64 seats, such limited capacity won't move America. In the age of billionaires talking up ballistic futures beyond this planet, it's easy to dismiss old and underfunded technologies as systems begging to be superseded. The early railways also had their share of 19th-century tech-bro hype, but they were always built for mass transit. Trains, synonymous with community, connection and shared purpose — the 'traveling coincidence' of Philip Larkin's poem 'The Whitsun Weddings' — allow for chance meetings and brief encounters with fellow travelers. (I should probably declare myself as someone who doesn't drive and enjoys meeting and talking to strangers.) Once the glamorous go-to for travelers rich and poor, trains were a staple of 20th-century culture, woven into the worlds of Agatha Christie's Poirot, Ian Fleming's James Bond and the characters in Alfred Hitchcock films. In 'The 39 Steps,' 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'Strangers on a Train,' Mr. Hitchcock loved a train for its powerful collision of velocity, romance and intrigue, a defined cast of passengers but perils unknown. But once the jet age got underway and travel habits changed, train thrillers ceded to the generally less-satisfying genre of airplane action movies. Meanwhile, American railroads went into a tailspin. In Europe, trains are the old/new answer — old-world comfort married to new, faster rolling stock. The drive between London and Berlin, for example, is about 12 hours. The fastest trains get you there in just under nine hours. Contrast that with the 13-hour drive between New York and Chicago, a trip that takes roughly 20 hours by train. Europeans have sleeper trains because we value the infrastructure, and we are the better for it. The prospect of that kind of commitment for 50 states so reliant on insular cars and planes would be a game changer. However big the United States might be, however divided about the future, revitalized railways offer an alternative way ahead. To streak across the country day or night, to see the nation pass and talk to your fellow citizens and strangers as you go: There's surely no better time for the rediscovery and rebuilding of that American dream.
