Fall asleep in one city and wake up in another. Seamlessly cross borders and arrive refreshed and ready to explore. No waking up super early to catch the ‘red eye’, no need for a hotel or to travel the previous day.
Overnight trains are ‘hotels on wheels’ – gifting their time-travelling guests with the best use of a good night’s sleep they’ll ever have.
While passenger quality reviews do vary, the majority praise the sleeper train concept, with many customers fiercely loyal and repeat travellers.
Modal shift
By 2030, trains will become the predominant mode of transport for Europeans on high-speed journeys over 2.5 hours, according to market analysis by Hitachi Rail.
This modal shift is being driven by increased environmental awareness, competitive ticket pricing and massive rail infrastructure projects.
“Those surveyed expect to increase their rail usage more than any other form of transport in the next five years, and they support government action to enable this,” said Edoardo La Ficara, Hitachi Rail’s Group Chief Markets Officer.
And those actions are progressing, with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) aiming to double high-speed rail capacity by 2030 and triple it by 2050.
Adina Vălean, EU Commissioner for Transport until 2024, explained: “Cross-border trips account for just seven per cent of today’s kilometres travelled by train. This action plan will help us make rail a more attractive option for long and cross-border journeys”.
That’s good news for rail passengers overall, but will it suit the more leisurely sleeper trains that are currently making a comeback?
Certainly, only as far back as 2017, the outlook was bleak with a report by Steer Davies Gleave / Politecnico di Milano which worryingly predicted that “night trains may continue to decline as rolling stock needs replacing, [and] new high-speed rail infrastructure improves the competitiveness of day trains.”
However, eight years on, Blaney / Hare’s 2025 case study was much more positive, concluding this prediction of decline “has not so far been proved correct, with several more positive developments for overnight trains taking place over the last decade.”
Changing fortunes
For decades, sleeping car companies such as Wagon-Lits successfully carried large numbers of nighttime travellers across Europe’s cross-border routes. But, after peaking in the mid-20th century, volumes declined sharply and many incurred significant losses.
Passengers, put off by the cost and out-dated trains, unsurprisingly turned towards cheap short haul flights and budget hotel chains. However, more recently, internal short haul has been hit by environmental restrictions in countries such as France and Spain, encouraging train travel instead.
Now, according to consumer group Which?, choosing international sleepers over short haul flights could save groups and families hundreds of euros.
The data from Which? also shows that value for money benefits max out when factoring in savings in hotels and the associated costs of air travel (such as airport parking, seat selection and luggage charges).
Market opportunity
Growth in nighttime passenger figures already suggests a real opportunity exists to further develop this unique market.
In Scandinavia, it’s reported VR Finland has experienced nearly 20% growth in sleeper volumes compared to 2018. And in mainland Europe, ÖBB’s modern, well equipped Nightjets (including showers) are now transporting over 1.5 million passengers annually.
With demand regularly outstripping capacity, ÖBB has even ordered another 24 Nightjet units for delivery in 2026.
Catered by Newrest, ÖBB’s customers can access a menu of hot and cold snacks and beverages, plus a full bar tariff. Breakfast is included in sleeper bookings and customers can personalise it by selecting six items from an options list, with additional items available for €1.20 each.
New kid on the block
Meanwhile, new entrant to the market, European Sleeper (ES) has already transported 250,000 customers since their launch in 2023. That may not sound a lot compared to the huge day train volumes, but it was achieved on just one single route that only runs three times a week from Brussels to Prague.
With an average of over 350 passengers per train and annual turnover rising to €10.5m in 2025, they’re now aiming to carry over 300,000 passengers in 2026.
Using a unique cooperative crowd funding model the company was launched in 2021 by Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman who have a passion for rail travel. So far, they’ve raised millions in capital by actively encouraging customers to buy shares in their ‘cooperative railway’, offering discounted travel and potential share price gains in return, further increasing the commitment of the loyal fanbase.
Expansion plans include new routes from Paris to Berlin starting in March 2026, and potentially a third route from Amsterdam to Milan via Switzerland. The more routes there are, the more likely that modal change will occur.
Comfort choices
The current ES sleeper is marketed as the ‘Goodnight Train’, using much older rolling stock than ÖBB, with four travel choices depending on budget. Cheapest is normal seating (Budget), then couchettes (Classic) or beds in shared compartments (Comfort Standard), with a private berth (Comfort Plus) the most expensive.
Dogs can travel too, but passengers must book a private compartment, while cyclists benefit from a separate 26 bikes stowage area.
Catering for value
Focused on maximising passenger volumes rather than additional premiumisation, the menu available onboard with ES is fairly basic. A special European Sleeper Weizen Beer (wheat beer), developed with a local brewery has gained appreciation among beer drinkers, but a dining car trial wasn’t initially profitable.
However, recognising its intrinsic value in attracting and retaining customers, it may be reintroduced at a later stage.
Meanwhile, a breakfast box with hot drink, a soft bun, fruit juice, yogurt with granola, and crackers with a variety of spreads is included in premium tickets, or can be purchased during booking or onboard.
It’s not very inspiring but, without onboard catering facilities, improvement can only come from quality product development. Perhaps that’s an opportunity for an innovative caterer to propose an upgrade in service?
Bedding down
Classic and Comfort include a blanket or duvet, sheet and pillow. Beds are narrow compared to American sleepers, surprising some tourist guests, though there’s no luggage weight limits or measurements to worry about.
Sleeping berths have washbasins but there’s only two toilets in each coach. Reviews show this is a key area for improvement, though it can only come from better designed trains and that requires much greater capital.
However, adding a range of toiletries and comfort ancillaries to the customer offer is one easy win and an opportunity for suppliers.
Stranger danger
Sharing a sleeping compartment with a stranger might seem strange to some, but travellers don’t appear to be put off. Instead, certainly with the backpacker demographic, parties onboard are common!
Both ES and ÖBB provide additional security for female passengers with women only compartments. Both have onboard staff available throughout the journey.
Shareholder view
Among shareholders there is also a lot of support for the company’s approach.
Co-owner since 2021, Manuela Talana, says “… European Sleeper is operating real routes with real passengers and expansion continues. Seeing people actively choose the night train for comfort and experience confirms that this idea is both realistic and necessary.”
Another new player
By 2027, a Berlin based start-up called Nox Mobility wants to reinvent night trains from the ground up, with fully private rooms and modern designs.
Nox wants to become “Europe’s most desirable long-distance transport brand, reconnecting the continent through a new network of night trains built around three core principles: privacy, efficiency and affordability.”
It’s a noble aim that we’ve heard before and, as always, there is a financial and regulatory mountain to climb first, so watch this space.
Goodnight dreams
Building a sustainable sleeper market is possible and has started well, but requires a wider network of routes, suitable sleeper trains and a modal shift in travel habits.
The renaissance of sleeper trains is a dream alternative to travelling by day, but a quality product, consistently delivered at an affordable price is needed to stimulate optimal demand.
It’s a great dream to have though…
