Night Travelers: the Sleeping Cars are Back!
Taking in the vastness without leaving your bed, being lulled by the slow rhythm of railway carriages, counting sheep through the window... Night trains are back!
From Zurich to Rome, Vienna to Paris, or Berlin to Brussels, it will soon be possible to travel from one end of Europe to the other, all from the comfort of a couchette. Why are we witnessing a resurgence of interest in night trains? The environmentally friendly nature of trains might provide the answer, with the luxurious bonus of taking our time.
Travel far, pollute less?
The year 2021 is hailed by the European Union as the European year of the Railways, a proclamation meant to encourage citizens and companies to use trains. Suited for both personal or business travel, this initiative highlights the advantages of choosing this transportation mode, playing into the shift in public opinion regarding climate issues and transport choices. A recent study conducted for the European Investment Bank shows that 72% of Europeans surveyed support taxing air transport to fight climate change. This percentage is reminiscent of the Swedish flygskam, literally translated into flight shame, an anti-flying social movement that emerged in 2018, and which invites us to turn our eyes to...the railways.
The figures validate the green reputation of the railroad. In 2018, of all the transport used in Europe, train travel accounted for only 0.4% of greenhouse gases, compared to 71.8% for travel in cars, trucks, and other vehicles using road networks. This result is mainly due to the 75% electrification of European railroads. The post-carbon transition has resulted in Europe having the second most extensive railway network in the world, ahead of China and just behind the United States. Today, Europe has more than 200,000 kilometers of green potential, meaning more long-distance traveling by train... and the great return of sleeping cars!
Luxembourg-London by sleeper train? This is not yet a reality, but taking the train for a trip like this could reduce emissions significantly. Future sleeper trains from Zurich to Rome or Brussels to Berlin could be promising.
We had lost faith in trains as a means of transportation. Since the democratization of the airplane, many long- distance lines have been removed from railway maps. Not profitable nor fast enough, night trains were no longer seen as a viable option. The few remaining night trains seemed like relics of a bygone era. However, the increase in ecological awareness has made this fusion of transportation and accommodation a remarkable success all over Europe.
It is not surprising that in Greta Thunberg’s home country, the Stockholm-Abisko night trains were fully booked for nearly the entire summer of 2020. In 2019, there was an 11% increase in ridership on Sweden’s largest railway company, SJ. In Switzerland, the trend in 2020 was similar: the national railway company of Switzerland, SBB, reported an increase of 25% in night train traffic. The same is true of the Austrian railway company ÖBB, whose number of overnight passengers in 2017 doubled from 700,000 to 1.4 million. To respond to this trend, the German (Deutsche Bahn), French (SNCF), Austrian (ÖBB), and Swiss (CFF) railway companies signed a memorandum of understanding on December 8, 2020 to further revive the activity of night trains and create new lines. It is safe to say that sleeping cars are back in service!
The next night lines to be operated from 2021
A new travel philosophy
What if long-distance traveling by train is also an opportunity to contemplate more closely the world that we are trying to preserve? What if slow travel becomes the art of taking one's time?
Who has never been caught dreaming away while taking in the landscape through the window of a train? The railroad offers its travelers what a plane can never make them see: a closer vision of the landscapes crossed, of their richness and diversity. Taking the time to travel also opens up the possibility of adventitious encounters, to the unexpected, to daydreaming, forgetting the city's frantic pace to appreciate a more peaceful rhythm...
Dreaming of the unusual?
Close your eyes, let yourself be lulled by the vibrations of the railroad car... Go to the cosmopolitan London where you will board the Caledonian Sleeper. Wake up to the sight of the Scottish mountains. With your eyes wide open, you will catch sight of beautiful rivers, old castles, and perhaps even deer enjoying the verdant landscape. Harry Potter fan? Treat yourself to a trip from Fort William to Mallaig, where you will follow the trail of the famous wizard across the well-known Glenfinnan Viaduct, flown over by Harry and Ron in the second installment of the saga. Does the night seem all the more magical on a train? You can opt for a more northern region, such as the North of Sweden. The SJ night train Stockholm-Kiruna takes you on a 15-hour journey through fascinating landscapes. You are now close to the Arctic Circle. The sun never stops shining during summer before disappearing for nearly a month in the winter. A fabulous opportunity to see the Northern Lights!
If the -30 degrees of the winter period made you feel a little too cold, why not move to the South? The Interrail pass allows for unlimited and cheap travel between many European capitals, including most night trains. From Prague Castle to Budavár Palace in Budapest and from the English Garden in Munich to the Museum of Illusions in Zagreb... Take advantage of your many stopoverstoexploretherichculturalhistory of Europe. Have you ever been to Italy? Wake up! Yes, you are in the middle of the sea, still on a train. You boarded the Rome- Palermo. Arriving in Villa San Giovanni at the tip of the Italian boot, the train embarks on a boat to return to the port of Messina, at the other end of the strait, in Sicily. This trip is not part of the Interrail Pass, but it is wellworth the detour. End of the journey or beginning of your adventures? Ready to embark with your eyes closed?
