Dutch and Belgian night trains start-ups join forces
NMBS/SNCB trains in Belgium (Photo: NMBS/SNCB) NMBS/SNCB media gallery
New night train operators European Sleeper and Moonlight Express decided to merge the companies under the name European Sleeper and together develop a night train connecting Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague. They announced that the sleeper train will start from April 2022.
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A cooperative alternative is two trains, one starting in Brussels (or Oostende) en running to Hannover via Liège, and one starting in Amsterdam (or Rotterdam) and running to Hannover via Hengelo. In Hannover two new trains are composed of the coaches of the Belgian and Dutch trains, one running to and ending in Berlin, the other running to Prague via Leizig and Dresden.
That’s all very nice, but so far – apart from ÖBB (Siemens Nightjet)- nobody has invested in sleeper cars. The couchette coaches from RegioJet are 50+ years old, ex-DBAG. Very compfortable, for sure, but Regiojet has no sleeper coaches. The whole of Europe is looking for second-hand night train material, but there is nothing available.
A new, big initiative is required, to order/finance new night train material. Like the Z type Eurofima coaches in the 70’s.