In recent years, the concept of traveling by train instead of plane or car, especially over long distances, had gained strong momentum. Driven by growing awareness of the environmental impact of transport, the ‘return’ of international night trains had been welcomed with considerable enthusiasm across Europe.
Today, however, this renaissance seems to have suffered an unexpected setback. Although interest and use by travelers remains high, several prestigious night lines have recently been canceled or are in the process of being canceled, much to the disappointment of those hoping for a true slow and green revolution in travel.
When going green is not economically sustainable
The underlying problem is not the lack of passengers, but the inability of these routes to reach economic equilibrium. Night trains “often work at a loss”, as demonstrated by the case of the Paris-Vienna and Paris-Berlin lines, operated by SNCF (France), DB (Germany) and ÖBB (Austria). The French government has decided not to renew the multi-million euro annual funding that supported the service. Without this public subsidy, companies are not willing to cover the deficit with their own funds. The suspension, scheduled to start from December 14, has a strong symbolic value. Today, however, budgetary priorities seem to prevail over the long-term vision of the ecological transition.
These are not isolated cases: ÖBB has also suspended the Berlin-Brussels night connection, while the Swedish SJ will cancel the Stockholm-Berlin train. Similarly, the Croatian operator HŽ has discontinued its summer service between Rijeka and Stuttgart.
Structural problems: spaces and operating costs
To understand why night trains struggle to cover costs, it is necessary to look at their complex operational structure.
The European Network: a fragmented puzzle
Further complicating the situation is the historical fragmentation of the European railway network. The division into many national systems increases operational and bureaucratic costs and travel times. Even simply booking a seat is complicated, often forcing travelers to browse foreign sites (although the European Union is working to create a single platform).
Furthermore, the network in key countries such as France and Germany is often dated and requires incessant maintenance work, which occurs mainly at night. This forces night trains to deviate or even cancel, undermining the reliability of the service.
In this scenario, national operators prefer to invest in fast daytime trains, which are more profitable and have greater capacity. It is not surprising that even private initiatives, such as the start-up Midnight Trains, which aimed to connect several cities, have had to close due to a lack of investors and the bureaucratic difficulties of entering a market dominated by national giants.
The decline, or at least the slowdown, of the revival of night trains demonstrates how, without continuous political and financial support, the more ecological transport alternative struggles to take off in a market strongly oriented towards profit maximization and price competition.
