We’ve been invited to present at an event in February about night train services to and from Berlin, the city where our campaign is based. That has led to some interesting reflections – rather than seeing the complete picture of night trains in Europe, what would work from one city (or – at a push – through Berlin)?

Our research led us to the following conclusions:

4 night train routes exist that serve Berlin*
2 further routes are in the planning phase
8 further routes might be feasible

The routes are plotted on this map:

The timetable workings are available in this .xlsx file, and detailed visuals and maps, and further explanations of the plans and timetables are in this presentation:

[pdf-embedder url=”https://trainsforeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BerlinNightTrains.pdf”]

We have assessed what routes would work using a locomotive hauled, ETCS equipped, night train with a maximum speed of 200km/h – essentially the minimum requirements for a night train we set out in out own campaign here. Timetables are based on those of daytime trains with similar specifications on each route, and we count on being able to use high speed lines in Germany and Austria, but not in France or Italy. The line to Szczecin assumes the ongoing upgrading works are completed, and all lines are workable with an electric locomotive, apart from the Białystok-Kaunas section of Possible Route 1. Our priority was to find routes that would be viable throughout the year – in a subsequent version of the map we might seek to add summer and wintertime extensions (probably to Possible Route 2 and Possible Route 4).

As this assessment is simply about what routes would be possible we have not checked path availability, nor have we done an assessment of possible passenger demand for each route. We have also not asked the question which company or companies could run these routes – those are questions that require further research and discussion.

So let us know what you think!

* – the Paris-Berlin-Moscow train is not covered here. It was suspended due to the COVID pandemic, but it used to transit Belarus, so given the political situation there it is currently impossible to assess the chances it will return

3 Comments

  1. Alfredo

    Good morning for Brussels. Thank you for your information. Concerning the route to Berlin I have two remarks. If my information is right the arrival to Berlin is scheduled at 5:52 h. That’s too early. No hotel es available at that time. The second comment is about the restaurant wagon absence. I don’t understand this and I don’t find any explanation. Thank you for your understanding. Alfredo (Brussels)

    • Yes, the arrival is too early. But were it later that makes the Praha arrival too late… To be honest the timetable here feels like too much of a compromise, sadly. As for a restaurant car – those are costly to include, so hence have largely been dropped, sadly.

  2. Joa Falken

    Add:
    London – Berlin
    St. Anton – Berlin in winter
    Szczecin – Berlin Lichtenberg – Krakow (Przemysl) as detour of existing inner-Polish train.
    Beyond Lyon? Secure LGV trainpaths at offpeak.
    Beyond Bologna?

    Options to go through Berlin:
    Gdansk/Warzawa/Krakow – Amsterdam/Köln/Frankfurt/München or to Brussels, Paris.

    Kosice, Kaunas probably too little traffic.
    Szczecin combined with Italian leg.
    Skip Route 7 Salzburg – Linz -Vienna big detour.

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