Dutch cooperative European Sleeper announced on 13 November that it will restore overnight rail service between Paris and Berlin—via Brussels—starting in March 2026, with tickets from €79. The move fills a gap left by the joint SNCF/Deutsche Bahn/ÖBB service that ends on 14 December 2025 and reflects surging demand for low-carbon long-distance travel. Trains will depart Paris around 19:30, stop in Brussels at 22:30 and arrive in Berlin by 08:30, three times per week, with expansion to daily service ‘under consideration’.
For Germany, the comeback signals a renaissance in international night services that had dwindled after 2014. DB Fernverkehr, which sold most of its sleeper stock to ÖBB, is expected to provide paths on the Cologne–Hamm–Berlin corridor, while European Sleeper supplies refurbished couchettes and private cabins equipped with Wi-Fi and showers.
![Night-Train Revival: European Sleeper to Relaunch Paris–Brussels–Berlin Service from March 2026]()
Business travellers could regain productive evening hours: board after meetings in Paris, wake up near Berlin Hauptbahnhof and head straight to the office. HR departments may also welcome lower emissions and hotel-night savings—key metrics in many corporate sustainability programmes.
However, capacity will be limited at launch (around 500 berths per train). Mobility managers should therefore reserve blocks early for conferences and project teams. European Sleeper’s founders are engaging with Amadeus and Trainline to integrate bookings into corporate travel-management systems by Q4 2025.
The service dovetails with the European Commission’s ‘Action Plan for Better Long-Distance Cross-Border Passenger Rail’ and could spur competition: French start-up Midnight Trains has hinted at a Paris–Berlin luxury product, while ÖBB plans a Vienna–Paris Nightjet extension.
For Germany, the comeback signals a renaissance in international night services that had dwindled after 2014. DB Fernverkehr, which sold most of its sleeper stock to ÖBB, is expected to provide paths on the Cologne–Hamm–Berlin corridor, while European Sleeper supplies refurbished couchettes and private cabins equipped with Wi-Fi and showers.
Business travellers could regain productive evening hours: board after meetings in Paris, wake up near Berlin Hauptbahnhof and head straight to the office. HR departments may also welcome lower emissions and hotel-night savings—key metrics in many corporate sustainability programmes.
However, capacity will be limited at launch (around 500 berths per train). Mobility managers should therefore reserve blocks early for conferences and project teams. European Sleeper’s founders are engaging with Amadeus and Trainline to integrate bookings into corporate travel-management systems by Q4 2025.
The service dovetails with the European Commission’s ‘Action Plan for Better Long-Distance Cross-Border Passenger Rail’ and could spur competition: French start-up Midnight Trains has hinted at a Paris–Berlin luxury product, while ÖBB plans a Vienna–Paris Nightjet extension.
