Night Train Renaissance ‘Kink’ Fixed: European Sleeper to Relaunch Paris-Berlin

The “kink in the tracks” for Europe’s night train renaissance has been partially smoothed out. After the Austrian operator ÖBB announced it was axing its Paris-Berlin Nightjet service from December—a major blow to the movement—the Dutch cooperative European Sleeper has announced it is taking over the route. This “light at the end of the tunnel” will see a new service launch on March 26, 2026, ensuring the vital link between the French and German capitals remains intact.
The original Nightjet cancellation was blamed on the French government ending subsidies, which led to a “pyjama party” protest by the ‘Oui au train de nuit!’ campaign group. This group, which gathered 91,000 signatures, is now calling the new European Sleeper service a “partial victory,” as it proves the market’s resilience.
The new operator is planning a high-capacity service, running three times a week. Departures from Paris Gare du Nord are slated for Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings, with return journeys from Berlin on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This schedule is designed to be a reliable alternative for the thousands of passengers who used the Nightjet.
European Sleeper’s co-founder, Chris Engelsman, is confident in the new service, highlighting its superior capacity. The new train will run 12-14 coaches directly to Berlin, carrying 600-700 passengers, a significant increase from the split Nightjet service. The new train will also forge a new path, traveling via Brussels instead of the Nightjet’s Strasbourg-Frankfurt route.
The company, which has been operating since 2023, is known for its “no-frills nostalgia” and has a mixed record on reliability. The new route will use 1990s German-rented coaches, a step up from their older stock. However, Engelsman confirmed there will be no dining car at launch, citing the “challenge” of profitability, a common economic hurdle in the rail industry.