Europe was promised a night train revival, so why the delay?

As Europeans reawoke to the joy of travel post-Covid restrictions, it looked as though we were in store for a resurgence of continent-crossing night trains.

-  Jon Worth

Sleeper train fans hailed a "night train renaissance" and a "rail revolution", combining some of the nostalgia for a traditional form of travel with modern climate and sustainability concerns.

The long-distance European train journey may be slower than a short-haul flight, but it is surely better in terms of the environment and the traveller experience.

For those on a budget, the prospect of saving on a night in a hotel appeals, too. But as anyone who has tried to plan a holiday train trip for this summer is likely to have found, night trains are still few and far between, especially in western Europe. Services are booked up months in advance. That's not all: reliability and onboard service are often not up to scratch, with carriages on many routes pushing 50 years old.

The traditional behemoths of European rail - France's SNCF, Germany's Deutsche Bahn and Spain's Renfe have little or no interest in the market, preferring more profitable high-speed daytime trains instead. Only Austria's ÖBB has bucked the trend, ordering a fleet of 33 new trains for its Nightjet service. For comparison, Deutsche Bahn owns almost 300 high-speed daytime trains. Night services remain a drop in the ocean.