Smart Sleepers Could Be the Glow-up Night Trains Need

Europe has a bit of an on-off relationship with night trains. A Berlin team’s smart cabin concept could lead to greater commitment.It's friday evening, and the Nightjet to Zurich is due to arrive at platform 13 of the main station in the German capital of Berlin.

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Anne, Juri and around a dozen other demonstrators are standing ready in colorful pyjamas, though not to board the train. Like the Berliners, there are activists at train stations in 12 European capitals from Lisbon to Helsinki tonight. They demand more night trains connecting cities across the continent.

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"I don't want to fly anymore because I know the damage it does. But I still want to travel, " says one of the Berlin demonstrators wrapped in a blue and white striped robe. "You sleep very well because you are constantly rocked back and forth, " Anne's daughter adds.

And Juri enjoys the simplicity of traveling by train. Gone is the hassle of driving to the airport, checking in, waiting, sitting in a cramped plane. "I get on the night train in one city, sleep and get off in the other city."

The fascination with night trains is not new, which were in fact very popular until the middle of the 20th century. But with the advent of ever more highways connecting locations across the continent, they fell out of favour with passengers. And then came air travel, which started to become more affordable in Europe in the 1980s.

Today, there are very few connections and not many actual sleeper trains to cater to travelers still looking for that experience of old.

Withdrawal of state railroads: why connections are disappearing

In 2023, there was the sense of that changing when Austria's state railways (ÖBB) resumed the popular routes from Paris to Berlin and Vienna.

But it was a short-lived dream. After just two years, the slashing of state subsidies inFrancemeant operations were discontinued. The route has now been picked up by European Sleeper, and will also make a stop in Brussels.

Meanwhile, the Swedish state railroad also recently withdrew from the Berlin-Stockholm connection, which was only launched in 2022. Some of the routes will be taken over by private companies European Sleeper and the American group RDC, but they will only operate on some days.

"The fact that night trains still exist in Europe today is down to idealists like European Sleeper, " Felix Berschin explained. The Belgian-Dutch company is predominantly financed by large-scale crowdfunding campaigns.

In 2024, Berschin examined night train traffic in Europe for the German Federal Ministry of Transport and concluded that trains with sleeper cars are usually not profitable for operators due to high costs.

Night surcharges increase staff costs, and sleeping cars can accommodate far fewer passengers than a normal train compartment. For example, a Deutsche Bahn high-speed ICE 4 train can carry up to 918 people. The ÖBB Nightjet can only accommodate 254. Finland's equivalent has capacity for 500.

This issue of space is what one of the demonstrators at platform 13 is hoping to change. In 2024 Anton Dubrauhe founded the Luna Railstart-up to design individual cabins that combine comfort and privacy with better utilization of train capacity.

Single cabins for more privacy and capacity

The prototype is located on the grounds of the Technical University of Berlin.

The cabin looks similar to a normal train seat, with a table, separate storage area, shelf, coat hooks and storage space for hand luggage.

At the touch of a button, the backrest of the seat can be lowered and transformed into a bed. During the day, the seat can be used as a workstation, which would also be attractive for business people.

Until now, sleeper cars have mostly only been used at night due to their limited seating capacity. Dubrau hopes that individual cabins could offer more privacy while still being affordable.

60 such cabins could fit into one train compartment, stacked one inside the other, on two floors. And there would be no need to build new trains, as decommissioned ones could simply be refitted.

"We try to get as many people as possible into a small space," Dubrau told DW, adding that a night train with a maximum length of 14 carriages could transport up to 700 passengers.

The price decides how people travel

According to a Swedish study from 2023, price is the most important consideration for people weighing up how to travel.

So far, night trains have been pricey with the 1,000 kilometers trip from Paris to Berlin currently costing about €180 ($213) in a 5-berth compartment, and €440 ($522) in a private one.

Dubrau is aiming for €100 ($118) tickets for a 2nd class private cabin. The 1st class could cost €150 ($178).

"We want to offer prices similar to air travel, but still offer enough comfort so that people are willing to switch to the train." If the price were comparable, around a third of travelers would be willing to switch, according to the Ministry of Transport's survey.

Why trains are better for the climate

According to the International Energy Agency, trains emits almost six times fewer greenhouse gases per passenger than planes. They can also use energy efficiently and generate electricity during braking, for example, using special technology.

Dubrau estimates that his sleeper cabins could be operating by 2030. By then, the EU Commission is hoping to double the percentage of rail passengers in Europe, and even triple it by 2050.

What Dubrau cannot influence are the many construction sites along the way.

"You can't calculate with fixed times," Felix Berschin told DW. He draws up the timetables for the night train on the Prague-Brussels route for the European Sleeper company. "Train paths and take-off points in stations are not available and there are illogical regulations."

But for some travelers, the journey itself is what makes it exciting. Back on platform 13, Anne says she likes the all-female compartments.

"At first actually because I thought that women snore less than men," she says with a smile. "But I always meet great women from all generations who have fantastic stories to tell."

This article was originally published in German.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2026 02:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).