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Paris-Berlin night train to be revived by Belgian-Dutch cooperative (European Sleeper) (www.lemonde.fr)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/solarpunktravel@slrpnk.net
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[–] 1 point 1 year ago (4 children)

So why are they always fighting closure? What is certain is that they are, AFAIK, never profitable (unlike many high-speed lines). Not every train line has to be profitable - but then, if there's no problem with demand, why would they not just raise prices to ward off closure? Something's off!

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    In France the track usage fees are very high, and you need state support to be able to cover them. Germany, for example, doesn't give such subventions to night train companies.

    European Sleeper can run to Paris because they have chosen a route where they minimize the kilometres run on French territory.

    But indeed: Where are those lines really fighting closure? Currently all of Europe's night train wagons are in use, and if some connection is closed, the same amount of capacity (the same wagons) will appear elsewhere in Europe.

    I don't think we'd be having trouble with the availability of wagons if things were as you claim.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Yes I was aware of France's abusively high track fees.

    I'm just noting a societal phenomenon that IMO affects France in particular, as it happens. Many of the same people who complain about night trains being axed do not in fact take night trains themselves. Aspirational night-train passengers, you could call them. They themselves take cheap flights, which are objectively easier, more comfortable and (uh) cheaper.

    French night trains, which I have taken a number of times, are not very full and not very good. I know things are better in central Europe. Personally, I'm convinced they will never be the answer to planes. If they were, China would be investing in them and not in high-speed rail. The market for night trains will never be more than a romantic footnote and I wish we would not be so distracted by them.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Where's this information from that people are complaining about night trains being axed even though they are not being axed are flying anyway? That contradicts my experiences. Usually you need to buy places in night trains a long time in advance because they tend to run full-booked.

    Also, China has high-speed night trains.
    We could do the same. The infrastructure is in place for a night train from Stockholm to Barcelona. I would leave around six and arrive around ten. China is doing that, why are we not?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    The statistics show that for typical night-train itineraries, flying is far (far) more popular. The rest is just my own anecdotal experience.

    China's high-speed night train is definitely an option. I doubt it will ever happen, there are so many other projects with higher priority (the kind of projects that the Chinese get done in a year and that take Europe a decade).

    I have taken trains of all kinds all over Europe, and indeed all over China. Including the 30-hour variants. My opinion is that if we want to get people out of planes, slow trains (day or night) are basically an irrelevance. Even if they were cheap they will still just be toooo slooooow for most people. The only thing that can compete is high-speed for the 600km itinerary. The rest is nice to have. It's a romantic experience for train fans like us, and irrelevant for almost everyone else.

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