France Archives - Page 2 of 3

A look ahead – what’s in store for night trains in Europe in 2022?

It’s a new year and it’s time to look forward. Here at Trains for Europe we’ve looked into the crystal ball and in this post are going to have a look at what’s coming up in the next 12 months in the world of night trains in Europe. What the[Read More…]

05.01.2022 5 comments

Djebbari announces a “Trains for France” – a missed opportunity

Plans for the rejuvenation of night trains in France are proceeding – the news this morning from France’s Minister of Transport is that new routes with new rolling stock will be launched in the period 2026-2030. You can read more about the plans in Ouest France here. But there’s a[Read More…]

12.12.2021 0 comments

Midnight Trains – we wish them well, but where are the carriages needed going to come from?

A new night train company has launched today. Paris-based Midnight Trains has launched with a very slick website, and promises a deluxe night train experience – private compartments with showers. The renderings are all soft furnishings and are akin to a smart hotel. RTL news has a report about the[Read More…]

16.06.2021 1 comment

SBB boss Vincent Ducrot talks about the future of night trains to/from Switzerland

Tagesanzeiger Sonntagszeitung features a long interview with boss of Swiss Railways SBB Vincent Ducrot – you can read the whole interview here (free registration required). The headline strikes us as slightly off. “Nachtzüge werden nie profitabel sein” “Night trains will never be profitable” he says. Perhaps he ought to have a[Read More…]

14.06.2021 0 comments

France’s PM Castex takes the re-introduced night train Paris-Nice, but it’s hardly comfortable!

After a three year absence, the Paris-Nice Night Train is back. The first service ran last night with an important passenger on board – French Prime Minister Jean Castex. He even made the welcome on board announcement to passengers: Longue vie au Paris-Nice ! pic.twitter.com/POHhMZ51wB — Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) May[Read More…]

21.05.2021 2 comments

French Ministry of the Ecological Transition report on night trains – focus on both French and international routes

The Ministère de la Transition écologique (Ministry of the Ecological Transition) in France has released a new report entitled ÉTUDE DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DE NOUVELLES LIGNES DE TRAINS D’ÉQUILIBRE DU TERRITOIRE (TET) (STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TERRITORY BALANCE TRAIN LINES (TET)) – this assesses the way train connections in[Read More…]

20.05.2021 0 comments

RailPro diagnoses the challenges for new operators trying to enter the long distance rail market

Dutch Publication RailPro has written an interesting piece entitled What are the biggest barriers for new entrants on the international train market? There is also a version of the same post in Dutch here. The piece does not distinguish between daytime and night-time trains, but focuses on the challenges common[Read More…]

20.05.2021 0 comments

Detailed night train research from Oui au train de nuit

The French campaign group Oui au train de nuit has produced some of the most detailed research about the opportunities for night trains – understandably with the focus on routes within France, and between France and its neighbours. Its first report from January 2020 (PDF here) sets the scene. There[Read More…]

19.05.2021 0 comments

EIB electric buses funding model the way forward to finance night train stock?

In January 2021, the European Investment Bank and Banque des Territoires launched a Clean Buses Platform – a mechanism through which public transport operators in France have access to up to €100 million to procure electric buses. A similar mechanism might be the way to allow rolling stock leasing companies[Read More…]

19.05.2021 0 comments

A rail postcard from Baden Baden

Dear Violeta, Have you ever changed trains in Baden Baden (in Baden-Württemberg between Freiburg (Breisgau) and Karlsruhe)? I guess not. It’s a pretty unlikely place to have to hop off a TGV and onto a ICE, but that’s what I had to do there today – because of yet another[Read More…]

08.02.2016 0 comments