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8 Incredible Night Train Journeys Around the World — With Stunning City, Mountain, and Lake Views

From the U.S. to Europe to Asia, these night train rides offer a different perspective on the destination.

Lay down to sleep in one city and wake up fully rested in another, having been gently rocked through the night. Night trains offer comfortable, hassle-free adventures, with accommodations, transport, and sometimes even meals — not to mention mesmerizing views — included in one price.

From the U.S. to Europe to Asia, here are eight of the best night train rides around the world.

Milan to Palermo

This nearly 21-hour journey on Intercity Notte traces Italy's west coast before crossing the Strait of Messina. Comfortable air-conditioned bunk rooms offer a good value (prices for a bed start around $40), and you'll likely find yourself making friends with fellow passengers. During the trip, you'll fly along viaducts above towns and villages outside Genoa, and zoom past the Tyrrhenian Sea just meters away, but the best part is perhaps the ferry crossing, where carriages get separated and shunted on before they cruise across to Sicily .

Chicago to Seattle

Gautier Houba/Travel + Leisure

As you glide through Chicago 's skyscrapers, it may seem hard to believe that, from this same window, you'll be gazing upon vast plains, high mountain valleys, and glacial lakes, too. But this is what awaits lucky passengers on board Amtrak's Empire Builder service to Seattle. Guests can simply sit back and watch those ever-changing views through the enormous observation car windows or while dining on excellent food at linen-covered tables.

Bariloche to San Antonio Oeste

Paul Theroux made the Old Patagonian Express famous and, even though a night train no longer exists on that particular route, it's still possible to sleep in cozy cabins while riding the rails through this vast Argentinian landscape thanks to the weekly Tren Patagonico. Bariloche is where you'll begin or end your journey — in the foothills of the Andes and beside ski slopes and picture-perfect Nahuel Huapi Lake. From those glacial waters to the shores of the Atlantic, the Tren Patagonico night train carries passengers in two-bed cabins and pulls along a dining carriage that serves excellent Argentinian cuisine. Tip: Disembark at San Antonio Oeste, from where you can hit the beach at Las Grutas or take the bus to the whale-watching delights of Peninsula Valdes.

Cairo to Luxor

Although this route can be a bit bumpy, it offers an epic trip from a station close to the pyramids of Giza to Luxor's grand temples. Wobbling through Cairo's dusky streets, the train follows the Nile during the night and arrives in Luxor just after 6 a.m. Stay on for a few more hours and you'll reach Aswan, home to ancient tombs, temples, and the famous High Dam. Snag a bed by booking with Watania ; other services provide seats only.

Delhi to Jaisalmer

There are more than 42,000 miles of railway track in India, and a huge selection of night trains. On this journey, an Indian Railways train whisks you from Delhi's urban sprawl to the Rajasthani city of Jaisalmer, located in the Thar Desert, with buildings as golden as the surrounding sand. Treat yourself to a 1AC or 2AC compartment (book in advance), where you'll find fresh linens and no more than four bunks. And when you peel off the foil from your freshly made meal, you'll realize the food on board is as good as many meals you'll find outside. Rolling out of Delhi on the Shalimar Express, the city and its suburbs fly by for more than an hour. Throughout the day, you'll pass cities that deserve more of your time on the way back — not least Jaipur and Jodhpur — before arriving at your final destination.

Vienna to Zurich

Operated by Austria's exemplary ÖBB Nightjet , this train offers everything from seats to deluxe cabins with showers (cost for the latter starts at just $95 per person). Take this ride during the long evenings and early mornings of summer, and you'll see Vienna 's grand streets, waking as you traverse mountains, pass through Liechtenstein, and cross the Rhine River. Look out the right-hand side as the train glides along Lake Zurich before arriving at the picturesque Swiss city or Zurich.

Prague to Split

This is a journey of contrasts. Beginning in Prague's central station just a short walk from Wenceslas Square, RegioJet 's popular yellow train zips through the Czech countryside, reaching Bratislava just before bedtime. Early the next morning, you'll cross into Croatia , where the train descends toward the sublime Adriatic coastline. Private compartments can be reserved, and you'll be deposited right where ferries depart for dreamy Croatian islands.

Los Angeles to Seattle

Big cities, deserts, ocean, pine forests, lakes, and mountains — this journey has it all scrolling by your comfy cabin's window. Amtrak's Coast Starlight route lets passengers tick off terrific spots in California, Oregon, and Washington. You'll fall asleep alongside the Pacific and wake up in the mountains, fully rested before a day of touring by train. In the dining car, expect classic American fare, which is included in the price of your roomette. Tip: Although the seats in the observation cars are often occupied, there's usually an opportunity to grab a place when people go for lunch and dinner.

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5 US Sleeper Train Routes for the Ultimate Slow Travel Journey

By Marianna Cerini

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Sleeper trains are having a moment. And why wouldn’t they? More eco-friendly than flying —with none of the hassle that comes from even just stepping into an airport these days—and a lot more pleasant than driving, overnight rail routes make for increasingly smarter alternatives to cars and planes, turning the journey to your destination into an experience in itself.

While Europe is leading the pack when it comes to taking you from A to B as you rest peacefully in your sleeper car, the US isn’t lagging that far behind. Several lines have in fact stepped up their game in recent years in terms of comfort and on-board services, offering travelers anything from plush beds to dedicated attendants and roomy sleeping quarters.

Here are five sleeper trains that are worth skipping highway tolls and airport lines for.

Coast Starlight

Linking Los Angeles to Seattle in around 34 hours, the Coast Starlight is one of Amtrak’s most scenic rail lines. The route delivers sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the lush Oregonian forest , with mountains, lakes, and thick woodlands as the main backdrop for most of the trip. You can gawk at them all from the gorgeous observation cars, which feature floor-to-ceiling windows and snug seats to while away the hours and snap plenty of pictures.

Come nighttime, the Coast Starlight’s sleeper cars ensure all the zzzs you need with roomettes, bedrooms, and one family bedroom to choose from (if you book the sleeper car, you also have access to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge before departure, which is a nice plus). While the smaller roomettes have outside toilets and showers, the bigger accommodations feature an ensuite bathroom for extra comfort, and more space to stretch your legs. Regardless of size, all of them grant access to the restaurant-style dining car for dinner, breakfast, and lunch—all included in your ticket—as well as complimentary coffee to keep you energized throughout the journey.

Top tip: Travel in the summer to get the most daylight, and make sure to take advantage of the early morning fresh-air stops in Oregon after your night onboard. You’ll feel restored in no time.

California Zephyr

At 2,438 miles and almost 52 hours of overall travel time (that’s three days and two nights), the California Zephyr is Amtrak’s second longest route, and the very definition of a long-distance rail journey. Riding from Chicago to Emeryville/San Francisco, you’ll roll through Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah , Nevada, and California—passing by verdant plains and the Rocky Mountain range, across arid countryside and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. The whole trip is basically a deep dive into the natural beauty of the United States, and one of those experiences every train aficionado should try at least once in their lifetime.

There are plenty of places to stop and visit on the way—you can get off in Denver and explore the Rocky Mountain National Park or spend a few days in Salt Lake City—but should you choose to stay onboard for the whole ride, you’ll be in for a treat.

With roomettes, bedrooms, bedroom suites, family bedrooms, and one accessible bedroom spread across two levels of its sleeper cars, the California Zephyr has a wealth of sleeping options to cater all needs. All of them come with complimentary meals, dedicated cabin attendants, lounge access in Chicago, and priority boarding, while restrooms and showers are either within the car or ensuite, depending on the room category. The upper-level quarters offer better views and sell out fast, though if you suffer from motion sickness, the lower accommodations might be a better fit.

Besides the sleeping arrangements, however, it’s waking up to the Great Plains and winding through the Rockies and then the Sierra Nevada that’s truly special. Just make sure to always have your camera ready.

Texas Eagle

Another cool way to travel from Chicago to California— Los Angeles , to be exact—by train rather than plane? The Texas Eagle. Amtrak’s longest route (and the longest in America), this three-night, 65-hour journey follows a path first established by the Pacific Railway in 1948, passing some pretty amazing sights: from the Ozarks to Little Rock along the Mississippi River, then into the vast expanse of the Texan countryside.

There are stops in Dallas and Austin along the route, though really, it’s the sheer grandness of the Lone State’s topography—a never-ending mix of remote small towns and rural settlements, wide-open fields and swamps—that’s the trip’s biggest draw.

That, and the fact you can watch it all from compact-to-spacious sleeping quarters, which range from roomettes to suites and feature perks like turndown service, full meals in the dining car for the entire duration of the ride, and coffee, juice, and daily newspaper delivered every morning to your door.

In-room amenities include outlets to keep your electronics charged, lighting and climate controls, and a closet for your clothes (there are also soap and towels if you’re in the higher room categories), as well as an attendant call button should you have any extra needs. If you want to stretch your legs, the Sightseer lounge, with swivel seat, wraparound windows, and a beverage and snack service, is the place to go—and the best spot to meet like-minded travelers to share the journey with.

Rocky Mountaineer

Ok, so the Rocky Mountaineer doesn’t technically have a sleeper car. The private company that runs it is also not American, but Canadian—though one of its trips, the “Rockies to the Red Rocks,” takes place in the States and connects Moab, Utah to Denver, Colorado.

By Olivia Morelli

By Matt Ortile

By Jessica Puckett

By Juliet Kinsman

Still, the fact that this luxury rail journey includes overnight stopovers at stylish hotels qualifies it as an excellent alternative to any flight, in our opinion. All the more so when Moab and Denver are actually quite close: Much better to opt for the slow way rather than create unnecessary CO2 emissions , right?

The US-based route takes travelers on a four-day/three-night adventure across the two mountain states—you’ll spend two full days onboard—snaking through rugged canyons and natural archways, awe-inspiring deserts and the majestic Colorado Rockies.

Accommodations include the four-star Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton in Utah and the hip Rally Hotel or Crawford Hotel in Denver —depending on which direction you’re going—with a less splurgy but equally comfortable option in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

If you want to extend the fun, the Rocky Mountaineer also offers a selection of curated packages to start or end your trip in Las Vegas or Salt Lake City.

New York and Chicago are close enough to consider forever ditching flights and choosing a scenic train ride to travel between them instead—at least when you’re in no rush to reach either city.

The best rail journey for the task is the Cardinal, which connects the two in 26 hours and 30 minutes and runs three times a week.

The line offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the eastern US, rolling past the Blue Ridge Mountains, Allegheny range, and the Shenandoah Valley. You’ll wind through the New River Gorge and West Virginia’s wild white-water rivers before reaching the banks of the grand Ohio River, rolling by the quaint towns of Ashland and Maysville all the way to Cincinnati and Indianapolis—this is the only Amtrak route that stops in both metropolises—and, at last, Chicago.

Private roomettes and bedrooms—which include a flexible dining service in their rate—promise comfort and a blissful night’s sleep before you reach your final destination, while a café open to all passengers keeps everyone fueled up for the entire trip.

Unsurprisingly, the Cardinal is pretty popular in the summer and fall, meaning early bookings are highly recommended. Our advice: Treat yourself to a bedroom or suite. Both have an in-room sink, restroom, and shower, and larger abodes to hunker down in than the smaller roomettes. Got a bike or a pet with you? This train allows both—just check the guidelines beforehand.

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10 Of The Best Night Train Journeys Around The World

Thinking about taking the night train for your next adventure? Then check out these first-class options across the globe.

Taking an overnight train anywhere is quite the experience, even if you've never opted for the train before. There's just something almost magical about hopping on board a train car as you explore the rest of the world—something you won't find on a plane, cruise, or very long drive. Plus, night or overnight trains offer riders modern and luxurious accommodations, gourmet meals, amazing views, unique activities, and more. So if you've always wondered what it would be like to travel by train overnight, what are you waiting for? Here are ten of the best night train journeys around the world so that you can plan your next memorable adventure.

Related: Sleeper Train Rules: Unspoken Etiquette For Long Train Rides

10 Milan To Palermo

While exploring Italy, using the train to get from one major destination to the next might not be the first option that comes to mind. But the overnight train that departs from Milan and travels to Palermo is a wonderful 21-hour journey via the Intercity Notte. Aboard, passengers can see the stunning coast of Genoa and the entire west coast of Italy all the way down to Villa San Giovanni. Once there, the train is shipped onto the ferry for a quick sea crossing to Sicily, which is an exhilarating experience that should not be missed.

9 Chicago To Seattle

Heading out from the Windy City, overnight train passengers can see all the beauty of the Pacific Northwest Region. This route has multi-state stops and phenomenal views of the Rocky Mountains, scenic valleys, the Columbia River Gorge, lakes, and more. In fact, Chicago to Seattle via Amtrak is truly a wonderful journey everyone should take at least once in their life. So if you've always wanted to kick back, relax, and enjoy the view with first-rate meals and a cozy chic roomette stay, then this night train journey is for you.

8 Cusco To Arequipa

For travelers searching for the extraordinary in South America, they needn't look any further than the night train journey from Cusco to Arequipa. Via Peru's lavish Belmond Andean Explorer , passengers can traipse along the Andean plains, marvel at the surrounding breathtaking views, and enjoy being seated in the lap of train luxury. With a gorgeous interior inspired by the textures of Peru, this three-day journey is truly a treat, and that's even before you are served first-class Peruvian cuisine and the finest quality South American wines.

7 Cairo To Luxor

Another nighttime train journey worth considering is from Cairo to Luxor aboard the classic Al Wataniya Sleeping Trains. Though this journey is just under 10 hours , an overnight excursion here is kind of a must. With comfortable and private accommodations, plus delicious meals, this is a great way to get from the capital city of Egypt to the beautiful city of Luxor on the banks of the Nile River. Of course, this means passengers will get the chance to see more than a few ancient spots of interest along the way.

6 Adelaide To Darwin

For travelers looking for an iconic rail experience, a trip from Adelaide to Darwin aboard Australia's The Ghan should suffice. This three-day journey takes passengers straight through the country's spectacular red heart, which is definitely a magnificent sight to see. But that's not all; here, you can indulge in some Aussie-style adventuring, including camel riding and trekking. In addition to recreational activities and inviting sleeper cabins, The Ghan offers its guests fine and exotic dining—try the saltwater barramundi fish and grilled kangaroo fillet if you're up for some tasty local fanfare.

5 Delhi To Jaisalmer

India is known for its comprehensive railway system, so finding the best night train journey can initially feel overwhelming. But travelers can never go wrong with the night train from Delhi to Jaisalmer via the Indian Railways . With sweeping views of Delhi's urban sprawl and unreal landscapes all the way to the desert city of Rajasthani, in Jaisalmer, there's no shortage of sights to see aboard this train. Plus, with roomette amenities like fresh, high-quality linens, gourmet meals, and more, this journey is a lovely way to get from point a to point b.

4 Vienna To Zurich

A trip from Vienna to Zurich aboard the ÖBB Nightjet is just under eight hours . Still, passengers probably won't even notice with all the fantastic amenities this overnight train offers. With extra roomy seating carriages, couchettes, and deluxe cabins with showers, lodgings on this train definitely aren't a problem. En route, you can marvel at the grand streets of Vienna, with one-of-a-kind scenic views of nearby mountain ranges, flowing rivers, shimmering lakes, and Liechtenstein in the distance. This night train journey also comes with gourmet eats and a lovely selection of wine and beers.

Related: 10 Thrilling Sleeper Train Journeys In Europe To Add To Your Bucket List

3 Prague To Split

For travelers looking to traverse through Europe, in a sense, the overnight train journey from Prague to Split via RegioJet is definitely for you. Here passengers can enjoy old-world city views, the Czech countryside, Bratislava sights, and more. With the final destination being stunning Split in Croatia, passengers can expect to wake up to some phenomenal Adriatic coastline views. This is the ideal route for anyone looking to explore iconic European cities such as Prague for a bit and then end up living their best life along the dreamy Croatian coast.

2 Los Angeles To Seattle

Of course, if you happen to be stateside, a chance to see it all—legendary cities, picturesque desert landscapes, sparkling ocean views, lush forested land, ample lakes, and mountain ranges galore—is something to consider seriously. This scenic night train journey from Los Angeles to Seattle via Amtrak's Coast Starlight is truly one for the books and is a great way to see more than a few attractions in California, Oregon, and Washington State. During the said 35-hour train ride, passengers can enjoy comfy roomettes, a fancy dining car, and so much more.

1 Scotland's Countryside

Finally, for travelers who love heading across the pond, a trip through the Scottish Countryside aboard the Belmond Royal Scotsman is a must. This first-class experience on wheels not only offers passengers stunning views of the Scottish Countryside, but it also has a wealth of sleeper train options, plus two-day excursions with distilleries stops and wild swimming. The Belmond has an onboard spa and a whiskey bar as well. An added bonus here is you can still see the vast majority of this area's sights like The Highlands, castles of old, gorgeous heather-filled meadows, and more along the way.

The 10 best sleeper-train journeys to take in Europe in 2024

Oct 19, 2023 • 8 min read

After a night on the Caledonian Sleeper, you’ll wake up in the Scottish Highlands © Lucy Knott Photography

A few years ago, competition from low-cost airlines and high-speed railways looked like they would spell the end for sleeper trains, which were increasingly starting to look like relics.

But an increased interest in slow travel and concern about the environmental impact of flying (driven partly by the Swedish concept of  flygskam,  or “flight shame,” movement) have boosted demand for sleeper trains. In a remarkable reversal of fortunes, operators across Europe – including several new entrants – are bringing routes back, in some cases for the first time in generations, and establishing new services, often across borders. 

Overnight trains do more than save on a night’s accommodation. They’re an adventure in themselves, recreating the romance of a bygone era as they transport travelers, families and business people across the continent under the cloak of darkness. 

Most services offer a mixture of sleeper compartments with room for two or four passengers; six-person, dormitory-style couchettes; and cars with standard seats. On some trains, however, private compartments equipped with showers and innovative capsule-style berths are becoming available on trains with new or refurbished carriages. This enhances the sense that the next generation of night trains has arrived.

Munich, Germany to La Spezia, Italy

Frequency: daily except Saturday Approximate duration: 11 hours

Nightjet ’s Munich –to– La Spezia service is one of many night routes that offer the only direct connection between their start and finish points. Passengers can board an early-evening train south from Bavarian city’s vast Hauptbanhof station aiming for Austria , northeast Italy and onward, via Genoa (another great stop-off option), to the Ligurian coast . If everything’s on time – which, it should be noted, is not a given on night services, especially those crossing borders and picking up carriages from other services – then you could beat the crowds to the Cinque Terre ’s walking trails (accessed by a local train from La Spezia). Or you could just settle in to this underrated city for a late breakfast and marvel at the city’s art-nouveau architecture, best explored by strolling the stairways that rise uphill from the waterfront.

Hamburg to Stockholm

Frequency: nightly  Approximate duration: 14 hours

This Swedish Railways (SJ)–operated service, one of the darlings of the new European night scene , has grown in popularity and scope since its launch. 

During the summer of 2023, the SJ Euronight to and from Stockholm extended to start and finish in Berlin  – a change now being made permanent. Still, travelers should not miss the chance to explore the lively maritime city of Hamburg  – plus, starting the journey here makes more sense if you’re connecting from points further south and west. From Hamburg, the night service north heads into Denmark and makes an early hours crossing of the Öresund Bridge to Malmö . 

Beyond the southern tip of Sweden , morning views of Nordic forests and lakes root travelers in their surroundings until the train pulls into Stockholm Central station, located in the middle of the tangle of waterways and islands in the heart of Sweden’s capital.

Private operator Snälltåget also operates seasonal night services on this route. This train is a good alternative if your timings or availability don’t work out on the SJ train, or if you want to try out Snälltåget ’s highly regarded restaurant coach.  

Zurich to Zagreb

Frequency: daily Approximate duration: 15 hours

A convenient route between Switzerland ’s largest city and the compact, beautiful Croatian capital , this Euronight services crosses five countries over approximately 15 hours. It’s worth taking this journey in the summer, as it’s one of Europe’s most scenic routes, passing through Austria and Slovenia  – both countries where you’re hard-pressed to find an unattractive railway line. It also passes (without stopping) through the tiny Alpine principality of Liechtenstein . You can get a taste of this train by riding as far as Ljubljana in Slovenia, though this misses a lovely stretch of track running alongside the Sava River between there and the border.

Berlin to Brussels

Frequency: six nights a week from December 2023 (though with different operators and routes; see below) Approximate duration: 11.5 hours

The much-heralded European Sleeper service from Brussels to Berlin has proved an invaluable addition to the night-train scene, and the company behind it has plans to run the train through to Prague starting in 2024. With stops in Antwerp , Rotterdam and Amsterdam , this thrice-weekly train reinstated a route phased out in 2008. Starting December, it will be joined by a Nightjet service making the same journey on three alternate days, though taking a different route via Liège and heading down the Rhine to Mannheim . (This train runs as part of the existing Brussels-to-Vienna Nightjet.) Brussels makes for a fast journey from London  – and, since there’s no need in Brussels to change stations (as in Paris), it’s an ideal starting point for UK -based travelers looking to snooze their way deeper into Europe.

London to Fort William, Scotland

Frequency: daily except Saturday Approximate duration: 13.5 hours

Great Britain has only two sleeper trains – and both have recently benefited from major upgrades in what many see as a vote of confidence in the country’s overnight services. The Night Riviera runs southwest from London’s Paddington Station and keeps going until it runs out of rails – and land – at Penzance in Cornwall . But it’s the Caledonian Sleeper that gets Britons most excited . This legendary train leaves Euston Station each night and, via a series of carriage shuffles unnoticed by the snoozing passenger, reaches Edinburgh , Inverness , Aberdeen ,  Fort William and points in between. 

The through service to Fort William is the most spectacular leg, offering a night on the rails and a morning crossing wonderful Highland scenery before depositing fresh-faced passengers at the foot of the path up Ben Nevis, the country’s highest peak.

Budapest to Bucharest

Frequency: daily Approximate duration: 17 hours

One of Europe’s most beautiful stations, Budapest ’s Keleti terminal is the starting point for this fantastic overnight adventure. There are in fact three sleepers that ply this route, but the timing of the Ister is arguably the most optimal: it departs shortly after 7pm and arrives at Bucharest ’s Gara de Nord in mid-morning, meaning passport control takes place around midnight. The big benefit of the lazy morning on the train is the chance to enjoy the superb scenery of the section of the Carpathian Mountains before crossing the plains on toward the capital. From Bucharest there’s a direct summer sleeper connection onward to Istanbul , another railway odyssey to the edge of Europe .

Trondheim to Bodo

Frequency: daily Approximate duration: 10 hours

Under normal circumstances, the jaw-dropping views offered by any Norwegian rail journey would make a night train a wasted opportunity. But there are two factors that argue for taking the 10-hour Trondheim -to- Bodø service. First, if you do this journey during the summer you needn’t miss anything – the sun will hardly set. Second, Norwegian trains are very pleasant places to hang out for a while, and a berth on a night train is an excellent deal in a country where bargains are few and far between.

Rome to Venice 

Frequency: daily Approximate duration: 7 hours

A quiet star of Europe’s night train scene, Italy’s InterCityNotte (ICN) services crisscross the country, offering several unmissable routes. While trains heading from Rome to Sicily garner attention thanks to the novelty of the ferry that carries carriages across the Strait of Messina, there are reasons to head from the capital in the opposite direction.

A Trieste -bound sleeper hauls out of Roma Termini each evening and ambles through the romantic regions of Lazio , Umbria and Tuscany . Snoozing travelers may be awakened by some shunting as northbound carriages are moved off at Mestre, before an unforgettable crossing of the lagoon causeway to Venice itself. Any bleary eyes should be swiftly jolted into life by the sunshine of a Venetian dawn, the first sight of the city with pretty much no one else around, and a strong espresso or two.

Paris to Latour de Carol

Frequency: nightly (departure times vary) Approximate duration: 12 hours

Having axed all but a handful of Intercités trains de nuit  in 2016, SNCF (French National Railway Company) has spent the past few years plotting to revive some of the canceled services. One survivor has been the service from Paris to Latour de Carol , deep in the Pyrenees . Four- and six-berth couchettes and a seated carriage make the journey south, passing through Limoges , Toulouse and the foothills of the Pyrenees to arrive at the border station of Latour de Carol.

From here, it’s possible to continue, via a suburban train, to the heart of Barcelona in around three hours, offering an epic alternative to the TGV service from Paris to the Catalan city via Montpellier and the French Mediterranean coast. The scenic, narrow-gauge Petit Train Jaune also leaves from Latour de Carol, offering a dramatic mountain train ride with connections on to Perpignan .

Innsbruck to Cologne 

Frequency: daily Approximate duration: 11.5 hours

There are a multitude of reasons to hop aboard this excellent Nightjet sleeper service, particularly in this direction. First, Innsbruck ’s beautiful location in the Tyrolean Alps makes it a rewarding spot to explore pre-voyage, with hiking trails in summer and ski runs in winter. Second – and excitingly for true train geeks – Nightjet services offer unique double-decker sleeper compartments, with deluxe berths on the upper level. Third, if you can rouse yourself early, these trains travel through the early morning along the beautiful Rhine Valley Line, passing time-worn castles and vast vineyards on their way north to Cologne .

As if all that weren’t enough, Cologne’s cathedral , right next to the railway station, is one of the great icons of Europe. Watching its twin spires grow in stature as you chug towards the city is a fitting finale to this magnificent journey.

Booking information

The resurgence in night trains’ popularity means booking ahead is essential. Depending on where you’re traveling, berths go on sale between 30 and 180 days in advance; it’s best to book as far ahead as possible. Seat61 , Trainline.com and national train operators can guide you through the booking process.

This article was first published Sep 22, 2018 and updated Oct 19, 2023.

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The Enduring Romance of the Night Train

By Anthony Lane

If on a winter’s night a traveller is about to board a train, a fortifying drink is of the essence. Thus it was that I stood in line at Burger King, on the concourse at Central Station, in Glasgow, and asked for a hot tea. The only reason that I wasn’t seeking out a dram of whiskey was that I had already done so, dropping into a pub on my way to the station. In short, I was well drammed up—as was the Glaswegian beside me, who leaned on the counter and inquired what I was up to. Taking the Caledonian Sleeper to London, I replied. He fixed me with a canny eye and said, “Are you not afraid o’ the wee virus ?”

The answer, foolishly, was no. I was too excited by the thought o’ catching the wee train to be worried about catching anything else. It was late evening, on February 28th; the year would soon leap into the twenty-ninth, and that touch of temporal rarity added to the occasion. The departure of a night train—by definition, a humdrum event for the station staff—exudes, for all but the most jaded travellers, the thrill of an unfamiliar ritual. By day, if late, you run for a train; if early, you tut and sigh at having to tarry so long. At night, on the other hand, you saunter, and deliberately show up in good time. Why? Not because of security, passport control, or the other chores that affront the airline passenger, shortening tempers and sapping every soul, but because you want to settle in and enjoy the show. Patiently, the train awaits you, with a theatrical air of suspense, and the moment of its leaving is akin to the curtain’s rise. T. S. Eliot , for one, knew the moment well:

There’s a whisper down the line at 11:39 When the Night Mail’s ready to depart

That is the opening of “Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat,” from “ Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats ,” published in 1939. Skimbleshanks, with his “glass-green eyes,” is a calming and supervising presence on the London-to-Glasgow line. His train departs, like mine, at twenty minutes to midnight, and he, too, consumes a cup of tea en route, “with perhaps a drop of Scotch.” As for Eliot’s account of the sleeping compartments, not much has changed:

Oh it’s very pleasant when you have found your little den With your name written up on the door. And the berth is very neat with a newly folded sheet And there’s not a speck of dust on the floor. There is every sort of light—you can make it dark or bright; There’s a handle that you turn to make a breeze. There’s a funny little basin you’re supposed to wash your face in And a crank to shut the window if you sneeze.

If you want to teach a child the basics of onomatopoeia (and who doesn’t?), the clickety-lickety-clack of Eliot’s meter is a pretty good place to start. When I first read the poem, at the age of eight or nine, I thought that the chime of “basin” and “face in” was the funniest rhyme of all time. Decades later, and in spite of hot competition from Byron’s terminal couplets in “ Don Juan ,” I stand by my choice. All the more gratifying to discover that, in my very neat berth on the Caledonian Sleeper, I would, indeed, be in a position to wash my face in a basin.

But what position is that? In a word: hunched. Wide-open spaces, remember, are those green or rocky things outside a train, designed to be stared at through the window. Inside, all roaming is restricted. Only very seldom can you swing a cat, even if you can find a cat who agrees to be swung, and how, exactly, James Bond and his SPECTRE -trained adversary made room in a sleeping compartment for mortal combat, in “From Russia with Love,” I have no idea.

As for suitcases, don’t bother. To embark with bulky baggage is asking for trouble, and, should it come to a scrap between you and your Samsonite, you will lose. Hence the contents of my rucksack on the Caledonian Sleeper, whittled to the bare necessities: toothbrush, toothpaste, Turgenev, T-shirt, underwear, and socks. When turning from the window to the door, in my compartment, I had to revolve on the spot, as if roasting on a vertical spit, and, despite my being the sole occupant, both bunks had been let down, locked into place, and joined by a ladder. A printed notice offered advice: “Guests should use the ladders in the traditional manner, by always facing the bed as they climb up and down.” What other manner is there? Had the train recently hosted the cast of Cirque du Soleil, perhaps, who insisted on descending head first, arms outstretched, after crooking one knee over the top rung?

No less baffling was the Room Service Menu. Pies, cheeses, broth, smoked venison on a platter, and a parade of wines and spirits: all these, and more, could be ferried to one’s bedside. Caledoniaphiles were urged to dine on “Haggis, Neeps & Tatties”—neeps meaning turnips, tatties meaning potatoes, and haggis meaning all your deepest terrors wrapped up in a sphere of stomach skin, then boiled. Precisely what you want to snack on, in other words, while passing through a tunnel at half past two in the morning. The entire feast could be washed down with a Ginger Laddie. Don’t ask.

Thirty-five years ago, I had taken the same line, in the opposite direction. A very different experience: no neeps, no Wi-Fi, no bed. The service was then known as the Night Rider, and the ride would not have disgraced a rodeo. A bunch of us, all students, huddled and shifted in seats that felt as laid-back as lampposts. Daring sallies were launched to the onboard bar. We grabbed, on average, fourteen winks, and, at journey’s end, staggered forth into a Scottish dawn so bleak that it froze the bones.

You can still buy plain seats on the Caledonian Sleeper, and they cost a fraction of the single or double rooms. The economics of night trains, in Europe and elsewhere, rest on two basic theorems. First, the closer you adhere to the perpendicular, the less you pay. An upright vigil in the corridor, during which you stare into the darkness and contemplate the infinite, is dirt cheap. Second, once you do lie flat, communal flatness is better value than solitude. The standard compromise is the couchette, a compartment fitted with four or six bunks: fun for a family, and rousingly unpredictable when you get tossed into a stew of strangers. Urban legends abound. Hands are said to reach up from the bunk beneath you, in response to your telltale snores, and deftly extract your wallet. And I once heard of a roving youth who, ensconced with newfound companions in a friendly couchette, was offered a cup of coffee in southern Bulgaria and woke up, two days later, in a quiet siding outside Thessaloniki, devoid of every possession except his boxer shorts. You just don’t get that level of service on a plane.

Not that high-end sleepers are devoid of risk. Habitués of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, for example, which, in defiance of its name, can shuttle you from Paris to Istanbul, are encouraged to “trade stories with fellow travellers in the Bar Car as the pianist plays.” Imagine hearing the same anecdote, from the same retired fund manager, all the way across a continent. Should you book the Cabin Suite, “formed of two interconnecting Double Cabins,” you will be granted the unique opportunity for a blazing, champagne-fuelled argument with your beloved on the first night. Having slammed the connecting door, both of you can then sulk in ultimate luxury for five long days, and all for thirty-seven thousand dollars. Each.

There’s no disguising the itch that drives the Caledonian Sleeper. It wants to be a hotel. Such is the lofty ambition on which the principle of the sleeping car is based. The pioneer of that principle was George Pullman. Not since Monsieur Guillotin came up with a device for making decapitation more user-friendly has an individual been so closely associated with a product. Pullman, born in 1831, was an engineer whose idea of a challenge was to jack up whole buildings in the mud-bound streets of Chicago, allowing drainage systems to be installed underneath. A similar aversion to mess and inconvenience was one of the motives that spurred him to introduce the Pullman sleeping car, in 1859. Ladies and gentlemen, he reasoned, would pay to travel in comfort; the plusher the comfort, the more swiftly his clients might forget that they were travelling at all. On his much improved model, of 1865, the upholstered seats were indeed covered in plush, to accompany the brass fittings and the walnut walls.

As if to demonstrate that nothing, not even tragedy, could interrupt the national genius for entrepreneurship, the funeral train that carried the body of Abraham Lincoln from Washington to Springfield, Illinois, included a Pullman car on the final leg of its journey. By then, the train, which had crossed seven states, had become a story unto itself. The market followed the mourning, and, in 1867, the Pullman Palace Car Company was founded. The wealthy, and the aspiring middle classes, were offered the chance to sleep in peace, on the move, much as their national hero had been borne to his eternal rest. The deal would be sealed when his eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was made president of Pullman, in 1897, and then, in 1911, chairman of the board.

The gradual upgrading of Pullman cars can be read as a fever chart of consumers’ wants. In 1887, a vestibule was inaugurated which allowed smooth access from one carriage to another and led to such delights as the drawing room and the smoking room, aromatic with domesticity. Women travellers, growing in number, were provided with dressing rooms. Air-conditioning began to flow in 1929, and the nineteen-thirties saw the début of the Duplex and the Roomette—not a word that I could nerve myself to utter in front of a booking clerk, but, qua period detail, it has the right snap and click. In “ Night Trains ,” a lovingly erudite book of 2017, Andrew Martin reports that Pullman cars were also “equipped with hairdressing salons, organs (for church services) and libraries.” When a train can meet every private and civic need, why would you ever get off?

Of particular note, throughout this process, was the deployment of the beds. In America, the custom was to place them lengthways, so that your body, when horizontal, slotted into the train like a bullet in the breech of a rifle. If you want to see this arrangement at work, its neatness crying out for comic disruption, I refer you to “ Some Like It Hot ,” in which Sweet Sue and her band, topped by a singer named Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), take the sleeper from Chicago to Florida. Arrayed on either side of the car’s central corridor are ranks of bunks, upper and lower, each of them guarded, demurely but uselessly, by curtains. A nocturnal party is thrown in bunk No. 7, with Manhattans mixed in a rubber hot-water bottle. You can keep your Orient Express.

In Europe, on the other hand, bunks on a night train have traditionally been set at ninety degrees to the direction of travel, like the teeth of a comb. (Of the many gulfs between the Old World and the New, this could be the most bewildering. Do American passengers, made of sterner purpose, prefer the thrustful sensation of being propelled?) A photograph from 1888 shows a private compartment, with two of the transverse bunks in place and primed for action. Every surface, including the floor and the mattresses, is sumptuously patterned and softened, as if to induce a languid hush. The name for such a haven was a “boudoir car,” and you can see why, for it breathes what one prim and titled Englishwoman scorned as “the atmosphere of vulgar depravity” that prevailed on trains de luxe . Her name, by the way, was Lady Chatterley.

To pick your way through the vestiges of the great European trains is a task not so much for historians of transport as for paleontologists. It is a lost world, in which Tsar Nicholas II could have a cow car , if you please, attached to his personal train on a visit to Germany, to keep the imperial children furnished with fresh milk. The landscape of this Trainaceous Era was crammed with rogues, chancers, visionaries, and tightfisted despots. Meet Colonel William d’Alton Mann, formerly of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, who devised the boudoir car; King Boris of Bulgaria, who wore white overalls and stood next to the engine driver for hours on end, aflame with train lust; and Georges Nagelmackers, the indefatigable Belgian who founded La Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (et des Grands Express Européens) at the age of twenty-seven. The trains running under that banner were majestic beasts, and some of the dominant predators are listed by Andrew Martin:

In 1883, after negotiations with eight governments, Nagelmackers began running the Orient Express, which groped its way from Paris to Constantinople. In 1886 came the Calais-Mediterranée Express, forerunner of the famous Blue Train. In 1887 came the Sud Express (Paris-Madrid-Lisbon), and in 1890 the Rome Express (Calais-Rome), which went via the Mont Cenis Tunnel connecting France and Italy.

That epoch, restlessly opulent, has long since faded to a close, but no matter. Blessed with a chronicler of consummate gifts, it survives and dazzles on the page:

One night, during a trip abroad, in the fall of 1903, I recall kneeling on my (flattish) pillow at the window of a sleeping car (probably on the long-extinct Mediterranean Train de Luxe, the one whose six cars had the lower part of their body painted in umber and the panels in cream) and seeing with an inexplicable pang, a handful of fabulous lights that beckoned to me from a distant hillside.

That is Vladimir Nabokov, in “ Speak, Memory .” It couldn’t be anyone else. His family, in pre-revolutionary Russia, caught trains as he did butterflies, and fled to the Crimea by railroad when Lenin came to power; Nabokov claims to have worn spats and a derby on board, as if refusing to be traumatized out of his elegance. The hillside lights of his childhood return with especial brilliance in “ Glory ,” a novel too often overlooked. Its hero, Martin Edelweiss, spots a similar “necklace of lights,” we are told, from his vantage point on a night train, in southern France. On a whim, he gets off at the next station, with the train “exhaling a sigh,” and asks about the source of the illumination. Told that it is a village called Molignac, he walks up there, and spends a while toiling in the fields, before retracing his steps to the valley below and boarding the night express. He looks for his lights:

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Here they came, far away, spilled jewels in the blackness, unbelievably lovely—“Tell me,” Martin asked the conductor, “Those lights there—that’s Molignac, isn’t it?” “What lights?” the man asked glancing at the window, but at this moment everything was shut out by the sudden rise of a dark bank. “In any case, it’s not Molignac,” said the conductor. “Molignac can’t be seen from the railroad.”

But why take a night train at all? Why not fly, drive, or apply to your nearest genie for a magic-carpet ride, preferably with a seat on the aisle? The best reason was supplied by my godfather, who was a military attaché in Moscow during the nineteen-eighties. If he wished to go to Leningrad by train, tickets would be issued to him only for travel at night. Daylight, which might have afforded a view of sensitive installations, was off limits.

Lesser mortals, with duller jobs, have three reasons to choose a sleeper train. The first of these is logistical. Say you work at the Stock Exchange in Milan. You have a meeting booked for Tuesday, September 8th, this year, in central Paris, at noon. (Because you are an optimist and a tough guy, and because you are currently hiding in your apartment, subsisting on macaroni from your pantry, and no longer able to take your shirts across town to be laundered by your ninety-year-old mother, you expect to remain virus-free.) You have a choice: air or rail? Air means an early start, with a taxi to Milan’s Linate Airport, and the 08:25 Alitalia flight on Tuesday morning. Eighty-five dollars in coach, but, hey, someone else is paying, and the idea of being divided from the proletariat by a nylon curtain still gives you a weird kick, so a business seat it is. Three hundred and fifty bucks.

To go by rail, by contrast, involves dining at home, then catching the ten-past-eleven on Monday night, from Milan’s central station. Again, your own space, with a sleeping compartment to yourself, will be expensive, at two hundred and seventy dollars. If you don’t mind sharing with another man, however, the price plummets to ninety-three dollars. A steal. Unfortunately, you do mind, since that other man, in your shuddering imagination, is sure to be a catarrhal insomniac with complex gastric issues and featherlight fingers. A stealer.

So, in terms of cost, the plane and the train match up. The same goes for arrival times: 09:50 at Orly Airport, or thirteen minutes earlier at the Gare de Lyon, not far from the Place de la Bastille. And there’s the rub. Most night trains insert you into the core of a city, whereas planes deposit you, at best, on the outer rind. A cab into Paris from Orly (or, more irritating still, from Charles de Gaulle Airport), at rush hour, is the antithesis of fun, and you may not fancy the schlep by public transport. Alight from the night train, though, and you will find le Tout-Paris , ready to greet you. Being in no hurry, you amble along the platform to breakfast in a restaurant so royally gilded, on the walls and ceilings, that the yolk of your poached egg will shine like the sun.

The second reason to travel by night train is flygskam . The word means “flight shame” in Swedish, and denotes the guilt that gnaws—or should rightfully gnaw—at your vitals when you realize that, by nipping from Berlin to Ibiza on EasyJet, say, for a skull-jolting weekend on the dance floor, you will, however indirectly, hasten the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef . If you can spread the shame, forcing celebrities to charter their own yachts in a fit of conscience, so much the better. The vice of flying, thus exposed, has spawned a reciprocal virtue: tågskryt , or “train brag,” as practiced by those who not only swap the skies for the railroad but, having made the sacrifice, go on Instagram and tell their friends about it.

The science is solid. If our Milanese broker flies to Paris (a distance of around four hundred miles), he will—not personally, of course, unless he asked for a second helping of osso buco the night before—release one hundred kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That’s not counting the taxi rides to Linate Airport at one end and from Orly at the other, probably in a fuming snarl of traffic. Should he go overnight by train, the journey will be more circuitous, and maybe thirty miles longer, but the CO 2 output will be under four kilos. That’s quite a difference, and it’s genuinely hard to spot a downside, unless it’s the annoying halo of ethical self-satisfaction atop our traveller’s head.

Will flygskam have any lasting effect on commercial enterprise? The signs are (or were, before the advent of COVID -19) distinctly promising. A new Nightjet train from Vienna to Brussels, established by Austrian Federal Railways, or Ö.B.B., and lauded by its C.E.O., Andreas Matthä, as “an eco-friendly travel option to the E.U. capital,” had its inaugural run on January 19th. A serious journey, at just over fourteen hours. Ö.B.B. estimates that the rest of its night network has already saved the world twelve thousand short-haul flights a year: a delicious irony, given how greedily the budget airlines have eaten into train travel in recent decades. Further resurrections lie ahead, not least new sleeper services from Vienna and Munich to Amsterdam, slated for December of this year. One can but hope that such enviable schemes, intended to address the climate crisis, will not be stopped in their tracks by the rival plight through which we currently sweat.

The third reason to choose a sleeper train—and the most compelling—is no more practical than the taste of a peach. At stake, you might say, is a sense of latent adventure. Although it is unlikely, as you clatter through the night, that anything of note will befall you, the prospect that it could feels ever present, just out of sight beyond the next curve of the track. To remain awake to that possibility, even as we’re meant to be sleeping, is the privilege that beckons some of us back, year after year, to this awkward and beguiling locomotion.

No wonder trains and movies make such cozy bedfellows—so cozy that a train zipping through the darkness, with windows illuminated, actually looks like a strip of film. Plots, laid down on rails, dash ever onward; anticipation rises like steam. Consider Claudette Colbert, in “The Palm Beach Story,” who falls in with the rowdy millionaires of the Ale and Quail Club. Sweeping her up as a mascot, and boarding the 11:58 from Penn Station with a pack of hounds, they think nothing of firing their shotguns at crackers, tossed up by a bar steward like clay pigeons. As for Hitchcock ’s “The Lady Vanishes,” the lady in question is a grandmotherly secret agent, who, before she disappears, daubs her name on the misted window of the dining car. A ridiculous method, in any other time and place, of leaving your mark; on a night train, though, it seems only right and proper.

If you don’t believe me, you have to believe Cary Grant. In “North by Northwest” (more Hitchcock), he boards the Twentieth Century, from New York to Chicago, without a ticket. By chance—or so he thinks—he meets Eva Marie Saint, first in the corridor and then in the dining car, where he orders a Gibson and, on her recommendation, the brook trout. The two of them return to her compartment, where, during a police inspection, she conceals Grant in the foldaway top bunk. Later, as daylight fails, they lean against the wall of the compartment and kiss, over and over, her hands caressing the back of his neck. “Beats flying, doesn’t it?” he says to her. Sure does.

Sleeping on a sleeper is easier said than done. In “I Know Where I’m Going!,” a magical film from 1945, the heroine, played by Wendy Hiller, caught the night train from Manchester to Glasgow, heading for her wedding in the Western Isles. And she definitely slept—lying in her compartment and dreaming of tartan-shrouded hills, as her bridal dress, hung on a rack, swayed with the motion of the train. But those dreams were bustling affairs, intercut with shots of pistons and wheels, and she arrived more panicked than refreshed. Thirty years later, in “Murder on the Orient Express,” the same actress became a veiled and tremulous grande dame, plunging a blade into the murderee before the train was halted by snow. It’s as if night trains, explicitly designed to aid slumber, implied too many other activities, beginning with love and death, to be truly soporific.

The ideal state, I would argue, is a delirious doze, peppered with fits and starts—the doze, for instance, of Anna Karenina , who gets a seat but no bed on her journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The snow outside is in tumult, but the compartment is heated by a stove: “She passed the paper-knife over the window pane, then laid its smooth, cool surface to her cheek.” You can almost hear it hiss. Anna falls into a fevered reverie, from which she emerges only as the train pulls into a station. Such is the paradox that awaits the night-train novice: you sleep on the go, and you wake when you stop. (Anyone who has rocked a cradle will second this observation.) In the early pages of “ Stamboul Train ,” whose narrative puffs from Ostend to Constantinople, Graham Greene points out this peculiar hiccup in the laws of physics: “In the rushing reverberating express, noise was so regular that it was the equivalent of silence, movement was so continuous that after a while the mind accepted it as stillness.” Do the minds of sailors accommodate themselves, with equal ease, to a raging sea?

I first had a chance to test Greene’s thesis on a pre-university pilgrimage from London to Athens, by rail, with a halfway break at Salzburg. Thereafter lay terra incognita, for the Communist bloc was still intact. I was travelling solo, in a couchette of six; my fellow- coucheurs were smugglers, brazenly lugging bags of Western luxuries—lipstick, nylons, and coffee—across the frontier into what was then Yugoslavia. I assumed that they had bribed the conductor, who padded up and down the car in socks, and left us largely alone. The date must have been mid-May, 1981, for an assassin had just tried to kill the Pope: an event of such weight that the smugglers and I, who shared no common language, reënacted the crime en route. (Surprisingly, they had no gun among them, so I was shot by a lit cigarette.) Having commandeered the upper berth, I lay there, reading “ Wuthering Heights ,” drifting off, and lurching awake, bereft of my bearings, whenever the train paused. I recall tugging the edge of the blind, peering out into first light, and seeing an old woman, quite still, with a bundle of sticks on her back. It was as if we had taken a branch line into the world of Brueghel.

How long it was before the weary train crawled into Larissa station, in Athens, I don’t know. But the minutiae of those days and nights (insofar as I can tell them apart) are filed away forever in my brain. A journey by sleeper demands to be remembered, whereas an overnight flight is something you want to forget. Though the former may deposit you, benumbed, on a strange platform at a wretched hour, you somehow feel emboldened and ready to roll, whereas the latter leaves you curdled with misanthropy, watching everyone’s luggage but yours go round and round on a joyless carrousel. Red-eye is so much worse than gray-face.

Last month, I found myself in Lisbon. It was Monday, March 9th. The coronavirus, busy with northern Italy, had yet to turn its attention to Portugal, and the capital was still well peopled. On the Praça do Comércio, a handsome square that flanks the north shore of the Tagus River, cafés were doing a brisk trade, though the clamor dipped as I walked northeast, into the small streets that wind and climb through the Alfama district. With the descent of dusk, my senses woke up. This would be my last chance to meander before the borders closed, and everything was heightened and charged. I smelled the orange trees beside the cathedral before I saw them, and the vinho tinto I drank at dinner had a potency greater than anything recorded on its label. Besides, I had a train to catch, to Madrid, and the inevitable broken night ahead, so the urge to fill up was not to be resisted. Roasted blood sausage in green wine? Bring it on.

The stroll from the Alfama to Santa Apolónia railroad station takes you past a museum devoted to fado, that noble strain of Portuguese song which, more closely than any other musical form, approximates the human sob. To be honest, I was convinced, on arriving at the station, that the employees had just come back from a three-hour fado rehearsal down the road. Never have I seen a sorrier crew. Wandering to and fro like unburied souls in the underworld, they wore the saddest uniform known to man: gray suit, gray shirt, gray tie, and gray shoes . I half expected them to leave a trail of ash. My fellow-passengers were few; one of them, laden with plastic bags, claimed to have been burgled before leaving her rental apartment, and asked to borrow twenty euros. The first thing that greeted me, as I boarded, was not a smiling steward but the lavish tang of drains. It was one of those nights.

We pulled away, and, as I stood at the door of my carriage, in fond valediction, something occurred to me: the door was open. The platform slid by, quickening, a single step away. Maybe this was company practice, assigning responsibility to customers. If so, what else were we bidden to do? Toot the whistle? Make the beds? In case there were children aboard, I swung the door shut. With a heavy clang, it locked; the handle snapped upward and struck my middle finger. I was bleeding under my nail, swearing like a stoker, and we hadn’t even left the station. Who says that the romance of travel is dead?

The ensuing night had not a shred of glamour. No snowdrift brought the engine to a halt. No spies, to my knowledge, were spirited on or off the train. No unnamed strangers accosted me, entrusted me with vital papers, or proposed a dry Martini. The sole occupants of the refreshment car were three of the gray men, and their mood bore no relation to that of the Ale and Quail. At half past six in the morning, tiptoeing to the far end of my carriage, I found another door open. It revealed the interior of a compartment, and there, on the bottom bunk, lay the conductor, fully dressed, face down. For a second, I’m sorry to say, I was disappointed not to see the richly inlaid hilt of a dagger protruding from between his shoulder blades. In truth, he was not murdered but merely napping, presumably having wept himself to sleep.

Such was the non-event of the journey. Yet I relished every mile of it, pulling wide the curtains at the witching hour, as I brushed my teeth, to disclose a vacant platform and the sign “Caxarias–Fátima” in a glowing haze; leaving them open as I lay on the bed, thus admitting the searchlight of the full moon; and, at last, stepping out into a Madrid morning as fresh as rising dough. At nine o’clock, on the south side of the Prado, beside the Botanical Garden, three or four citizens walked their dogs in the crisp air. An hour later, I entered the museum, and spent my final stretch of liberty, more or less alone, in the company of Titian and Veronese. A few days afterward, the global lockdown began.

None of us, even those who evade contagion, will be left unmarked by the ordeal. Lives that hang fire are hard to tend. My guess, for what it’s worth, is that armchair travellers will manage better than most; railroad fanatics, their desktops thronged with timetables, are happy to plan elaborate itineraries that they know they may never pursue, across lands that they have no intention of visiting. I doubt whether I shall ever take the Andean Explorer, featuring “in-built oxygen for additional comfort at high altitudes,” from Cusco to Puno, and get woken up, at sunrise, for a bleary squint at Lake Titicaca.

I do mean to make for Sweden, though, once the viral fog has lifted, and to voyage from toe to top—from Malmö, in the south, up to Narvik, just over the Norwegian frontier, and well within the Arctic Circle. Or how about Belgrade to Bar, on the Montenegrin coast, rumored to be one of the most beautiful of overnight rides? Twenty-six dollars one way, plus seven for a couchette. Beauty comes cheap, and, in the lighter months, it will reveal itself with the dawning of the day.

A suggestion, then, for your compulsory hours of leisure: pick a landmass, get hold of a map, run your finger along the healed scars of the railroad lines, locate the stations, and start to plot. The necklace of lights is out there, somewhere, wrapped in the velvet of the dark. You may never find them; you may miss them entirely, glancing up too late from the window of your train; you may sleep through them, soothed by the loud lullaby of the wheels. But the hunt for the jewels is endless, and priceless, and the night, your co-conspirator, is here to help. ♦

A previous version of this article misstated the station for the Caledonian Sleeper in Glasgow.

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By Adam Gopnik

By Evan Osnos

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Night trains carry you over long distances while you sleep. For instance, board the EuroNight train in Munich in the early evening and wake up in Budapest the next morning, ready to explore!

This map contains all night trains in Europe that are included in your Pass. You can use your mouse or touchpad to zoom in and out to see all the destinations and routes that are serviced by a night train up close. Clicking on a green line between destinations will show you the total route of the night train and reservation information.

In the top left corner there is a button (on the left side of the 'Night Trains in Europe' title). When clicked a side bar will fold out, showing you the contents of the map, in this case the destinations and routes. To see a complete list of night train routes (the place of departure and arrival), fold out the routes tab. Selecting a route will open some extra route information and reservation fees for this route.

Want to work with a full screen map? Click the icon in the top richt corner and the map will open in a new tab!

More information about specific night trains

• Stockholm - Berlin night train  (Sweden, Germany)
• Caledonian sleeper  (Great Britain)
• Czech Republic - Poland night train
• Hungary - Romania night train
• Euronight Kálmán Imre  (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary))
• Euronight Croatia  (Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland)
• Euronight Metropol  (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary)
• Hellas Express  (Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia)
• Intercités de Nuit  (France)
• ÖBB Nightjet  (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland)
• Santa Claus Express  (Finland)
• SJ Night Train  (Sweden)
• Snälltaget Night Train  (Sweden)
• Sofia - Istanbul Express  (Bulgaria, Turkey)
• Bosphorus Express  (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey)

Reservations

Reservations are compulsory for all night trains. Depending on the train, you can make these reservations online, by phone or at the train station. A reservation guarantees you a seat or a bed on the train. 

Night trains have several accommodation options, ranging from reclining seats to single cabins with private bathrooms. You will pay a higher reservation fee for the more luxurious options.

Read more about reservations or check out the reservation fees for night trains  (the reservation fees are also indicated on the map).  

Travel days

When travelling on a night train, you only have to write down the day of departure . For example, if you travel on a night train from 9 to 10 August, you only write down 9 August. If you're travelling with a mobile Pass, this will happen automatically once you add the journey to My Trip.

On the day of departure of the night train, you can take as many trains as you want; it's on the same day after all. If you take another train after the night train has arrived, you'll have to use a new travel day.

Please note: the departure day of the night train you're taking, can not be on the last day of validity of your Pass!

If you’re planning to use a night train to return to your home country, and the destination of this night train is not your final destination, you will need to use  two travel days : one normal travel day and one travel day that includes an inbound journey. The inbound journey should only apply to the second travel day, so you need to add two separate journeys to ‘My Trip’ on your Mobile Pass:

1. On the day of departure:

Night train departure station → the border station  outside  of your home country.

2. The next day, after midnight:

Border station  outside  of your home country → your final destination

The inbound journey will automatically be applied only to the second travel day

An Austrian traveller, departing from Amsterdam (the Netherlands), travelling home to Amstetten (Austria). His trip on the direct train from Amsterdam to Vienna (Wien) is split up in two sections in the app: 1. Amsterdam - Passau (Germany) and 2. Passau  - Vienna (Austria). This way the inbound journey is applied on the second travel day.

If you have a need for speed, or want to take it slow, we've got you covered.

Find out more about the many other train types in Europe. 

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Swedish night trains

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There’s no better way to travel the vast distances of Sweden than by the comfort of a night train. Swedish rail companies SJ and VY offer one of the most modern night train services in Europe. There’s a variety of sleeping options to suit all needs from 6-bed couchette cabins to a 1st class private compartment with private WC and shower. Why not go on a killer whale safari in the Norwegian town of Narvik, experience the northern lights in Kiruna or hit the slopes at Sweden’s largest ski resort in Åre. The adventure that awaits you is only a train ride away.

Domestic Swedish night train routes

SJ and VY operate night trains to travel directly to Sweden’s major cities such as Gothenburg, Östersund, Luleå, Stockholm, and Malmö. For domestic Snälltåget trains, see  here . Connections are available upon arrival to smaller popular towns such as Are, Kiruna, Narvik (Norway), and Sundsvall. All these domestic night trains have refreshment facilities offering hearty hot and cold meals, drinks, snacks, and a full breakfast. You can also bring your own food along on this overnight journey. Bicycles are not permitted aboard domestic Swedish night trains due to safety regulations and skis are allowed but must be in a case.

Domestic SJ night trains:

• Gothenburg – Sundsvall – Östersund – Duved (D 74/D 75 and D 70/D 71)
• Gothenburg – Sundsvall – Umeå (D 74/ D75)
• Stockholm – Sundsvall – Östersund – Duved (D 70/D 71)
• Stockholm – Sundsvall – Umeå (D 74/D 75 and D 77/D 71)
• Malmö – Stockholm (D 1/D 2)

International SJ night trains:

• Stockholm – Malmö – Copenhagen Airport – Hamburg – Berlin (EN 346/EN 345)

VY Sweden night trains:

• Stockholm – Sundsvall – Umeå – Luleå (D 91/D 92)
• Stockholm – Sundsvall – Umeå – Boden – Narvik (Norway)  (D 93/D 94)

Reservations

Reservations on the SJ night trains are mandatory . We recommend you make your reservations as far in advance as possible.

How to make reservations for the SJ night train

Eurail reservation self-service system

Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service

• € 2,- p.p.per train
• Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)

With railway carriers

• SJ (Swedish Railways) : Domestic and international trains

Locally at the train station in Sweden

Book reservations for Swedish trains through the  SJ website

• Please note:  SJ needs a Pass Cover Number for reservations, that can be retrieved from the  Pass Cover Number Generator page .
• Enter your travel details under 'Search Journey' and click on 'Traveller'.
• Next select the number of passengers and then click on 'Add SJ Prio/period ticket' for the first passenger.
• Select 'Interrail or Eurailpass' from the SJ Prio/commuter ticket dropdown and enter your Pass cover number.
• Repeat for all other passengers in your trip (if any).
• Next, search for trains and select your preferred train.
• Complete your purchase to book your reservation.

Reservation fees

• Seat: 3 euros
• 6-bed couchette: 20 euros p.p.
• 3-bed sleeper: 40 euros p.p.
• Double sleeper with private bathroom: 50 euros p.p.
• Single sleeper with private bathroom: 75 euros

If you want an adventure on your next vacation, travel on the  Stockholm–Luleå–Narvik  route. This night train leaves the capital of Sweden and takes passengers along the Gulf of Bothnia line to snake towards Narvik on Norway's mountainous west coast.

Reservations are compulsory; follow the instructions above to make your booking. 

Reservation fees 

• Seat: 4 euros
• 6-bed couchette: 23 euros p.p.
• 3-bed sleeper: 46 euros p.p. 

Facilities and services

• Air conditioning
• Disabled facilities
• Newspapers/magazines
• Restaurant/bistro

Facilities may differ per train and route.

Operated by:

Travel tip: p assengers with a 1st class Pass can take advantage of the SJ lounge in Stockholm and Gothenburg. These lounges offer a relaxed environment to wait, have some food or a drink or use the WiFi to get online before you depart on your journey.

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Nightjet of the new generation

Now bookable!

Ciao Venezia!

Book your tickets to Venice now.

More privacy

Your own private compartment in the couchette carriage for up to 3 adults and families.

Bonjour à Paris!

3x per week Vienna - Salzburg - Paris

Unfortunately, from 8 June to 9 September, Nightjets cannot travel to and from Rome due to construction work and a route closure in Italy. We ask for your understanding!

Where do you want to travel on the night train?

• If you also wish to book a ticket for a connecting journey before the night train and/or after the night train , you can do this in the connecting journey section (step 3).
• Click here  for tickets including cars or motorcycles .
• If you’d like to bring your dog with you on the night train, please contact ÖBB customer service by calling +43 5 1717 (available from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

From 31 January 2023, travellers will be able to check in and out at Dutch gates (passage barriers) with their (mobile) debit card via the new OVpay system of Dutch Railways NS, if contactless payment is possible. However, this innovation may result in an erroneous debit of € 20 when passing through the gates. Especially if travellers want to use their rail ticket to pass through the gates.

To avoid this, if you have a bank card stored on your mobile phone, it is best to use a printed ticket (not a screenshot of the ticket barcode) to open the gates.  You can use an Android mobile phone as soon as NFC is deactivated; unfortunately, this function does not exist for iPhones. In this case, please contact the Dutch Railways NS staff at the gates.

If you have been debited € 20 by OVpay, you can get this amount refunded at https://reisoverzicht.ovpay.nl/ . These debits can be identified by the code NLOVxxxxxx on your billing statement.

La Spezia & 5 Terre

The ÖBB Nightjet safely takes you and your car or motorcycle to your destination.

Equipment Travel comfortably in 3 travel categories.

Sleeper cabin

Couchette & Mini Cabin

Seating carriage

Popular destinations.

Switzerland

Czech Republic

* Price from the indicated price upwards for an ÖBB Sparschiene ticket per person and direction, in a second class seating carriage, incl. seat reservation, offer only valid for a certain train and subject to ticket allotment, can be booked max. 6 months (180 days) before departure. For couchette or sleeper car tickets as well as car and motorcycle transport (if available), a surcharge applies. No discounts. Tickets cannot be exchanged, cancelled or refunded. The ÖBB Personenverkehr AG's terms and conditions apply. For trips from 10 December 2017 onwards, tickets and information are available at nightjet.com, from ÖBB sales partners, at any ÖBB ticket counter and from the ÖBB customer service at 0043 5 1717.

Main navigation

Travel in comfort overnight

Enjoy stress-free boarding in the evening and arrive at your destination after a good night’s sleep. Take the night train to over 25 major European cities and holiday regions, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich and Tyrol, or travel on ICE night connections within Germany.

Night connections and overnight trains

Ice and ic overnight services, öbb nightjet, croatian night train, hungarian night train, polish night train, further information.

• Route network for overnight travel in IC and ICE trains (in German) (PDF, 139 KB)
• Night train services with sleeper and couchette coaches (PDF, 1 MB)

• Travel while sleeping
• Safely and efficiently to the most beautiful destinations
• Reserved seats, couchettes or sleepers
• Travelling during the night = win a day compared to travelling by car
• From Amsterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem directly to Vienna, Münich, Innsbruck, Basel and Zürich

Schedule night train

Travelling to the South of Germany, Switzerland or Austria? Save valuable time and avoid expensive hotels. Depart in the early evening from Amsterdam, Utrecht or Arnhem towards Vienna, Münich, Innsbruck, Basel and Zürich. More about night train destinations

Nightjet map

Book tickets.

You can book your train tickets online. You can book your tickets for ÖBB Nightjet from 180 days before departure. Book as soon as possible, as the cheapest fares often sell out quickly.

Book ladies only compartment or mobility impairment

Would you like to book the ladies only compartment or do you have a mobility impairment? Please contact NS International Customer Service .

Flexible booking

When booking you can choose a flexible ticket. You cannot cancel or change the non-flex rate (lowest price) after purchase. If you do want to be able to change or cancel your trip, choose the mid-flex rate. You can change and cancel free of charge up to and including 15 days before departure. After that time you can change or cancel your ticket (s) for a 50% fee.

Mandatory reservation

It is mandatory to reserve a place on the ÖBB Nightjet in the type of accommodation you wish to have. Make sure you are at your reserved place within 15 minutes prior to departure. If you are not in your reserved place 15 minutes after the train leave you may forfeit your place.

On board of Nightjet

On board of Nightjet, you have a choice of seating, lying or sleeping accommodation. There are sleeping carriage with sleepers for a 1, 2 or 3-person compartments, couchettes for 4 or 6 persons and seating compartments with 6 seats. In each category you can either choose to share your compartment with other travellers or have your private one.

Sleeping cars

• There are 1, 2 or 3 persons compartments available.
• Beds are provided with linen (pillow and blanket) and there is a washbasin that is stocked with towels and toiletries.
• A Deluxe sleeping compartment has its own bathroom equipped with washbasin, shower and toilet and is stocked with towels and shower gel. This luxury compartment is not available on the night train to Switzerland.
• If you book a single bed in a 2 or 3 persons’ compartment, you will share a compartment with other passengers (men and woman separate).
• You will receive a welcome package which includes an aperitif, a snack and a bottle of mineral water. In the evening you may select an elaborate breakfast which will be served in your compartment at a your own chosen time.
• Prices sleeping cars start from € 80.
• Compartments available for 4 or 6 persons.
• Prices start from € 50.
• Every couchette has a blanket, a sheet and a pillow. Toilet and washing facilities are located outside the compartment in the carriage.
• Your stay includes mineral water and a small breakfast. Drinks and snacks are available for purchases and will be served in your room.
• When booking, you can indicate a preference for a bottom, middle or top bunk. These compartments are meant for groups, families or price-conscientious travellers.
• There are special compartments for women and,- wheelchair-bound travellers. Also available are private compartments for 1-6 persons (1-3 adults, max. 5 children up to 14 years) at a fixed rate incl breakfast – very interesting for families, small groups or senior citizens (as they can spend the night comfortably on 2 beds side by side).

Contact the NS International Service Center for more information

• Every 2nd class department has 6 seats
• Toilet and washing facilities are located in the carriage
• Drinks and snacks are available for purchase with a member of staff in the couchettes and sleeping carriages
• There are private compartments available, bookable for 1-3 persons (1-3 adults, max. 2 children up to 14 years).
• Prices start from € 35.

Ladies only compartments

For female travellers, a reservation can be made in a special women-only compartment. Places in one of the women-only compartments can only be reserved via  NS International Service Center  or at a  NS International service desk  in one of the international Ticket & Service offices.

Bicycles on board

Other night train, night train european sleeper.

By night train to Berlin? Book your ticket with European Sleeper and travel while you sleep.

Destinations

Mountains full of snow in the winter and plenty of city entertainment in the summer.

Switzerland

Travel comfortably and quickly by train to Basel, Zurich and Bern.

Germany is bursting with city break destinations.

• Holiday Destinations
• Travel Tips/Others
• Travel Guide

Our Products

• 10 Night Rules To Follow While Travelling By Train

Table of Content : 

1. Plan Your Schedule Accordingly

2. choose the right seat or berth, 3. pack essentials for comfort, 4. secure your belongings, 5. respect quiet hours, 6. be mindful of personal hygiene, 7. stay alert to surroundings, 8. stay hydrated.

9. Be Prepared for Emergencies

10. Respect Train Staff

Do you also prefer railways over airways? Great! We have something insightful to share with passengers who often experience night train journeys. No denial to the fact that train journeys are super comfortable and affordable. Also, trains are one of the quickest transportation for long routes and time-taking distances. Over the years, Indian Railways has undergone significant modernization, enhancing the overall experience for passengers. 

From a seamless online train ticket booking system to advanced booking & easy cancellations, no wonder why train journeys have gotten so much hype in the past few years. However, when it comes to overnight train travel, especially on long routes, it's essential to follow certain railway night rules to ensure a safe and comfortable journey. For a stress-free and comfortable train travel, you may book from EaseMyTrip. In this guide, we'll explore 10-night rules that every traveller should adhere to while travelling by train.

Before embarking on an overnight train journey, it's crucial to consider your sleep schedule. Long-distance train travel often involves departure and arrival times that may disrupt your natural sleep patterns. By planning your journey to align with your preferred sleeping hours, you can minimise sleep disturbances and ensure a more restful experience on board.

Selecting the optimal seat or berth can significantly impact your comfort during the journey. If available, opt for a lower berth as it offers easier access and more headroom compared to upper berths. Additionally, choose seats away from high-traffic areas such as doors and bathrooms to minimise disturbances from fellow passengers throughout the night. You can consider the luxury sleeper train India for the unmatched comfortability during your train journey. 

 Packing essential items for comfort is essential for overnight train travel in India. Be sure to include a blanket or shawl to stay warm, a travel pillow for neck support, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones to block out ambient noise, and an eye mask to create a dark sleeping environment. Additionally, pack water, snacks, and any necessary medications to stay hydrated and comfortable throughout the journey.

Keeping your belongings safe and secure is paramount during train travel, especially overnight. Use locks or straps to secure your luggage to the designated storage area and keep valuables such as electronics, documents, and money close to you at all times. Avoid leaving belongings unattended or displaying them openly to minimise the risk of theft.

Nighttime train journeys require consideration for fellow passengers who may be trying to sleep. Avoid engaging in loud conversations, playing music at high volumes, or making unnecessary noise that could disturb others. If you wish to listen to music or watch videos, use headphones and keep the volume at a respectful level.

Maintaining personal hygiene is essential for a comfortable overnight journey. Utilise the train's restroom facilities responsibly, following proper etiquette and cleanliness practices. Carry hand sanitizer and tissues for added hygiene, and dispose of waste properly to ensure a clean and sanitary environment for yourself and others.

While train travel is generally safe, it's essential to remain vigilant, especially during nighttime journeys. Stay aware of your surroundings and avoid engaging with strangers who exhibit suspicious behaviour. Keep your belongings within sight and report any unusual activity or concerns to train staff or authorities.

Proper hydration is key to staying comfortable and healthy during an overnight train journey. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the trip, especially if you're travelling in air-conditioned coaches, which can lead to dehydration. However, avoid consuming excessive liquids before bedtime to minimise the need for frequent restroom breaks during the night.

9. Be Prepared for Emergencies 

While emergencies are rare, it's essential to be prepared for unexpected situations during train travel. Familiarise yourself with emergency procedures, including the location of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and emergency communication devices. Carry a flashlight and basic first-aid kit in your travel bag to address minor injuries or emergencies quickly and effectively.

Train staff play a crucial role in ensuring a safe and pleasant journey for all passengers. Treat them with courtesy and respect, and follow their instructions promptly and willingly. If you require assistance or have any concerns during the journey, don't hesitate to approach train staff for help. By maintaining a positive and cooperative attitude, you contribute to a more enjoyable experience for everyone on board.

Suggested Read: 20 Types of Indian Railways: From Luxury to Mail!

Summing Up! 

In a nutshell, adhering to the above-mentioned railway night rules won’t just help you throughout your train journey but also ensure a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for yourself and your fellow passengers. Whether you’re embarking on a short overnight trip or a long-distance journey, these essential things to keep in mind will help you make the most of your travel experience and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. So, plan ahead, pack wisely, and prioritise your comfort and safety throughout the journey. For a seamless train ticket booking experience, you can consider EaseMyTrip .

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Southeastern to recruit 600 staff this summer amid boost to Kent and Dreamland train services

One of London’s main commuter railways is looking to recruit 600 staff this summer alongside an increase in services.

Southeastern , which carries about half a million passengers a day, is launching a recruitment drive next month for an additional 150 trainee drivers, 100 station staff and 50 revenue protection officers.

This is on top of the 300 staff a year it normally recruits each year to replace departing employees and keep its total staffing at around 4,500 employees.

It comes as Department for Transport aims to reduce the minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18, potentially opening up job opportunities for school leavers from this summer.

The average age of a train driver is 48 and there are concerns of a shrinking workforce as drivers retire over the next five years.

Southeastern managing director Steve White said: “Southeastern is going to hire 600 people this year. That is a fabulous opportunity.

“We want to attract more women. We want to attract more people from black and ethnic minority communities. We want to attract people with neurodiversity. This is a brilliant opportunity to increase the diversity of our organisation at all levels.”

Trainee driver salaries at Southeastern start at around £24,000 and rise to £54,575, rising to £57,000 for its high-speed trains in and out of St Pancras.

Southeastern is also planning to increase services as part of a nationwide timetable change on June 2, and again in December.

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Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here .

Downed wires causing major Amtrak, NJ Transit delays

Massive amtrak, nj transit delays.

Downed overhead wires are causing massive delays for both Amtrak and NJ Transit trains during rush hour on Wednesday evening.

Downed overhead wires are causing massive delays for both Amtrak and NJ Transit trains Wednesday evening.

• MORE: Latest Thursday report

Just after 5:30 p.m., Amtrak said on X (formerly Twitter) that downed overhead power lines between Newark and New York had caused all travel in the area to be temporarily stopped as crews worked to resolve the issue. 

"There's no communication, everyone's just wandering around," one frustrated commuter said. 

The disruption is affecting all Amtrak travel from Philadelphia to New York, and all NJ Transit travel between New York and Newark.

NJ Transit has said that rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored with NJ Transit bus and private carriers and PATH trains at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken, and 33rd Street-New York.

Adding insult to injury, downed wires also caused hour-and-a-half delays on Tuesday morning, and a 15% fare hike is set to take effect on July 1.

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Northeast Corridor Train Service Resumes Following Overnight Meltdown

Fallen electrical wires in New Jersey brought Amtrak and New Jersey Transit service to a halt on the Northeast Corridor Wednesday night, and transit agencies warned of delays into Thursday.

By Patrick McGeehan and Alexandra E. Petri

Train service along the Northeast Corridor south of New York City ground to a halt Wednesday evening because of fallen overhead power cables in Kearny, N.J., stranding commuters and travelers and leading to potential delays into the Thursday morning commute.

The power outage disrupted service between New York and Newark, starting at 5:05 p.m. and the backups cascaded down the corridor that is the main line between New York and Washington. Some trains bound for Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, America’s busiest rail hub, terminated in Philadelphia, where passengers were left to find alternate transportation, said Jason Abrams, a spokesman for Amtrak.

Early Thursday morning, New Jersey Transit posted an alert on its website warning commuters of possible delays and cancellations “due to residual impacts resulting from crew availability and equipment that was out of position as a result of last evening’s service disruption.”

As of around 8 a.m., however, there appeared to be limited reports of problems.

The disruption that began Wednesday afternoon lasted well into the evening.

At 10:05 p.m., hundreds of people rushed the entryway of track 11 at Penn Station, where a train to Trenton was boarding nearly four-and-a-half hours behind schedule.

At about 10:30 p.m., Mr. Abrams said trains were running again south of Penn Station. By 11 p.m., he said, northbound service had also resumed. But delays and cancellations could continue on Thursday because of the “residual impacts” of Wednesday’s chaos, New Jersey Transit said on social media at about 11:30 p.m.

Sheydline Moise, 23, was shuffling forward in the crowd. She’d left work to catch a 6:27 p.m. train home toward Woodbridge, N.J., and had been waiting at the station ever since. At one point, she boarded a train for about 20 minutes, only for authorities to tell passengers to disembark, she said.

“I almost started to cry,” Ms. Moise said, adding that Uber was quoting a fare of nearly $200. “This has been a super long night,” she said, sounding exasperated. “I’m definitely calling off tomorrow.”

Hundreds of people packed the upper and lower levels of Penn Station, sitting on the floor, lining the steps, leaning against suitcases, all staring up looking defeated at a departures board that listed delay after delay.

“It looks like everyone is somewhat confused,” Jack Ardingron, 72, said as he ate a bag of popcorn and surveyed the scene.

His wife Carol Ardingron, 66, held a playbill for Mother Play, the Broadway show the couple came in from Clinton, N.J., to see. Their train into the city got stuck for about 25 minutes just outside Penn Station, Ms. Ardingron said. “Now we’re stuck on the way out. It’s a nice circle,” she said.

Late in the evening, disgruntled fans of the New York Rangers descended into the station after watching their team lose a playoff game to the Florida Panthers in Madison Square Garden above. “We left disappointed and then we come down here and no trains are running,” said Joe Hagan, 56. He and his friends decided to share an Uber back to New Jersey.

At Union Station in Washington, the last northbound train of the night was boarding just after 10:30 p.m. One of the Amtrak agents in the station said the train would make it to New York — “eventually.”

Mr. Abrams said railroad officials did not yet know what brought the wires down or if the problem was related to the construction in Kearny of a replacement for the 114-year-old Portal Bridge that Amtrak and New Jersey Transit depend on. The new bridge is the first phase of the Gateway project to add a tunnel under the Hudson River and increase rail capacity between New York City and New Jersey.

At 11 p.m., the agency’s website reported that service was suspended in both directions on the corridor between New York and the Metropark station and on the New Jersey Coast Line between New York and Long Branch, N.J. It said service was also suspended in both direction on the Raritan Valley Line. It gave no indication of when service might resume.

Some New Jersey Transit commuter trains continued to operate out of Hoboken, N.J. Riders on New Jersey Transit could have their tickets and passes honored on PATH trains, between Manhattan and New Jersey, according to a spokesman for New Jersey Transit. To avoid Penn Station, travelers also could take ferries to Hoboken, where six New Jersey Transit lines offer service.

In Washington, cabdrivers waited for hours without getting a passenger in front of Union Station.

“I did nothing today, just wasting time, talking to friends,” said Uzzi Afeworki, a taxi driver.

Christopher Maag , Minho Kim and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.

Patrick McGeehan is a Times reporter who covers the economy of New York City and its airports and other transportation hubs. More about Patrick McGeehan

Charlie Colin, founding member of the band Train, dies at 58 after slipping in shower

BRUSSELS (AP) — Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the  band  Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia,” has died. He was 58.

Colin’s sister Carolyn Stephens confirmed her brother’s death to The Associated Press on Wednesday. He died after slipping and falling in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels,  celebrity website TMZ.com reported .

Colin grew up in Southern California, later attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. After college, he played in a group called Apostles guitarist Jimmy Stafford and singer Rob Hotchkiss. The band eventually dissolved, and Colin moved to Singapore for a year to write jingles.

Eventually, Colin, Hotchkiss and Stafford relocated to San Francisco, where Train formed in the early ‘90s with singer Pat Monahan. Colin brought in drummer Scott Underwood to round out the group, according to an interview with Colin and Hotchkiss in Berklee’s alumni magazine.

As a founding member of the pop-rock band, Colin played on the band’s first three records, 1998′s self-titled album, 2001′s “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003′s “My Private Nation.” The latter two releases peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“Meet Virginia,” from Train’s debut album, broke the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, but it was their sophomore album that confirmed the band’s success.

The eight-times platinum title track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” featured  the Rolling Stones  ' session pianist Chuck Leavell and  Leonard Cohen’s  string orchestrator Paul Buckmaster and was written about the death of Monahan’s mother. It hit No. 5 on the Billboard chart and earned two Grammys, including best rock song.

Colin left Train in 2003 because of substance abuse.

“Charlie is one incredible bass player, but he was in a lot of pain, and the way he was dealing with it was very painful for everyone else around him,” Monahan  told NBC San Diego .

In 2015, he reunited with Hotchkiss to start a new band called Painbirds, alongside Tom Luce. In 2017, he formed another band, the Side Deal, with Sugar Ray’s Stan Frazier and the PawnShop Kings’ Joel and Scott Owen.

On Wednesday, a tribute to Colin appeared on Train’s social media pages.

“When I met Charlie Colin, front left, I fell in love with him. He was the sweetest guy and what a handsome chap. Let’s make a band that’s the only reasonable thing to do,” it reads.

“His unique bass playing a beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF and beyond. I’ll always have a warm place for him in my heart. I always tried to pull him closer but he had a vision of his own. You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels,” the unsigned post continued.

Prior to his death, Colin documented his time in Brussels, deeming it “officially my favorite city” in a March  Instagram post .

Colin also worked as the musical director of the Newport Beach Film Festival.

“Charlie was a special part of the Newport Beach Film Festival family,” said Todd Quartararo, co-founder of the Newport Beach Film Festival. “His heart, compassion and creativity will surely be missed.”

He is survived by his parents, sister and niece.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Next phase of the transformation of the Cork Area Commuter Rail network

24 May 2024

Minister Ryan announces beginning of new phase of transformation of Cork commuter rail network. Planning begins for eight new stations, new depot and electrification as contract awarded. Everyone’s a winner with more rail choices says Minister Éamon Ryan.

Minister for Transport Éamon Ryan TD today announced the commencement of the next phase of the transformation of the Cork Area Commuter Rail network, set to deliver eight new commuter rail stations across the Cobh, Midleton and Mallow lines, a new depot and the electrification of the network.

Funded by the National Transport Authority under Project Ireland 2040, Iarnród Éireann has awarded a contract to TYPSA and Roughan O’Donovan appointing them as multi-disciplinary consultants for the design, planning and construction of this phase of Cork commuter rail network investment. This includes:

• New stations at Blackpool, Monard, Tivoli, Carrigtwohill West, Waterrock, Ballynoe, Blarney and Dunkettle.
• A new fleet maintenance depot to cater for a new electrified fleet of up to 150 carriages. Design development and review will take place prior to confirmation of the preferred depot location.
• Electrification of the Cork Commuter network.
• The programme also includes the upgrade of nine existing commuter stations on the Cork network.

Added to the existing rail projects underway (see below), the programme announced today will deliver a rail network offering high frequency, high quality rail commuter services to more communities, with a network capacity of trains up to every 10 minutes on all three commuter lines – Cork to Cobh, Midleton and Mallow. The CACR programme is central to the National Transport Authority’s Cork Metropolitan Area Transportation Strategy (CMATS) to transform the public and active transport network for the Cork area.

Iarnród Éireann with the multi-disciplinary consultants will develop the design of the stations, depot and electrification and other associated infrastructure, before applying to An Bord Pleanála for a Railway Order (equivalent of planning permission) by the end of 2025. Subject to the granting of the Railway Order and funding.

Today’s announcement is in addition to the ongoing three projects in the Cork Area Commuter Rail programme which will treble the capacity for trains on Cork’s commuter network. These existing projects are funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (EURRF) and the National Transport Authority under Project Ireland 2040. Progress to date includes:

• New through platform at Kent Station: Works commenced in Summer 2023 and are on target for delivery by the end of this year, an investment of €23 million.
• Signalling and communications upgrade: facilitating the 10-minute frequency on all three commuter lines, this €180 million investment has seen a design and build contract awarded for the new signalling system, and civil works commenced in February 2024. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
• Glounthaune to Midleton twin-track: A €90 million investment, a Railway Order was granted by An Bord Pleanála in October 2023. A contract award for construction Is expected to be made in the coming months, and completed by the end of 2026.

Speaking at today’s announcement, Minister for Transport Éamon Ryan TD said:

“The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme represents the largest investment in the rail network in Cork undertaken by the State. It will completely transform transport in and around the city, increasing train capacity and frequency, and connecting communities from Cobh to Midleton to Mallow along a sustainable and reliable rail spine. This is a good day for Cork and is another stepping-stone in our ambition to introduce a new age of rail, here in the Rebel County, and right across the country. With new services and increased capacity nationally, we are already seeing a real resurgence in the numbers of people choosing to use the train. This is not just good for rail users themselves but it’s also good for everyone travelling because it means less cars on our roads, and less congestion, so everyone’s a winner with rail.”

Anne Graham, Chief Executive of the National Transport Authority welcomed the announcement, saying :

“Today’s announcement represents a welcome step in the process of investment in rail infrastructure in the Cork area. It also a clear signal of intent on the part of NTA that delivering for the people of Cork by implementing the various aspects of CMATS is now a priority.”

Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade said:

“We are seeing record demand across our Cork commuter rail network, and we look forward to working with our consultants, and the NTA, EURRF and Department of Transport to deliver a network that will facilitate millions more sustainable journeys for the people of Cork and those visiting every year.”

TYPSA/ROD JV Project Director, Stephen Russell said of the contract award:

“TYPSA and ROD are privileged to be part of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and to contribute to the delivery of a sustainable public transport network in the Cork region. We look forward to working closely with Iarnród Éireann and the NTA to bring this ambitious project to fruition”

Please see a PDF version of the Planned CACR Network map.

Previous Article

17 May 2024

Upcoming Line Improvement Works

Next article, iarnród Éireann night-time track works.