London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Brussels to Berlin night train set for May departure

Brussels to Berlin night train set for May departure

Politicos heading to the EU capital from Berlin on a Sunday will have a new travel option from the spring.
A plan to run scheduled night train services between Brussels and Berlin is finally set to launch in late May, the startup European Sleeper has announced.

"On Thursday 25 May, 2023, we will start our night train Berlin — Amsterdam — Brussels," the company said on its website after Christmas.

The project was initially launched by two rail enthusiasts in early 2021, with plans to start running trains this year following a crowd-funding campaign.

However, securing carriages was the "greatest challenge," the company has said, forcing it to spend months sourcing second-hand hired wagons. The company has yet to show pictures of what its trains will look like, but promises to run couchettes and more comfortable sleeper cars.

The new service aims to plug a major gap in Europe's fast-growing night train network, with the European Sleeper stopping at Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amersfoort and Hanover on the way between the EU and German capitals.

The initial plan is for the service to run three times a week, with a 7:22 p.m. departure from Brussels on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, arriving into Berlin for 6:48 a.m. the following morning.

On the return leg, the train will leave Berlin's sprawling central station at 22:56 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, rolling into Brussels for 9:27 a.m. This could be a tad late for German MEPs and Commission officials coming in for a Monday morning, especially if you add the infamous Berlaymont shower to the schedule.

Tickets go on sale on February 20, the company said. Prices start at €49 for a cramped berth in a six-person couchette car, while rates for a private sleeper cabin run from €159, with all passengers promised an onboard breakfast.

At present, the quickest rail route between Berlin and Brussels is a high-speed day train between Berlin and Cologne connecting on to a delay-plagued service running from Frankfurt to Brussels.

On a good day, the total travel time between the two cities is just short of seven hours, uncompetitive against the various direct flights which ply the route.

From 2024, European Sleeper also plans to extend its night train eastward through Dresden and the bucolic setting of the Elbe valley all the way to the Czech capital Prague.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×