Austrian train operator ÖBB said on Monday it was going to stop its Vienna/Berlin-Paris night train connection from mid-December. Despite averaging 70% occupancy this year, operators say the services are not financially viable without state support, dealing a blow to Europe’s night train revival. Details are available in a news item from the Euractiv website.
Sleeper train revival shunted by Paris cuts
Night train services linking Paris with Berlin and Vienna will be suspended from mid-December following public funding cuts by the French government, Austrian rail operator ÖBB said Monday.
The operator has been a pioneer in bringing back sleeper trains amid a boom in low-carbon travel alternatives in recent years, and became the largest provider of such trains in Europe.
“Due to the discontinuation of government subsidies in France from 2026 onwards, we are unfortunately forced to discontinue the Vienna/Berlin–Paris [night train] connections from 14 December 2025,” ÖBB said on its website.
According to the Austrian operator, its French partner SNCF had “been informed by the Ministry of Transport in Paris that government service orders for the operation of [both] night trains … will be discontinued in 2026”.
Participation of its international partners was necessary to maintain night train services, ÖBB said, adding that it will maintain its Vienna-Brussels connection in 2026 which is set to operate three times a week.
The Austrian operator, which runs train services to Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland among others, further said that it will continue to invest in its sleeper train services by “offering greater capacity and comfort on existing routes”.
External link
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 