Just when it seemed the forces against the sleeper train renaissance were winning, the movement has struck back. The vital Paris-Berlin route, doomed to be cut in December by Austrian operator ÖBB, has been rescued. The Dutch cooperative European Sleeper has announced it will take over the line, launching a new service on March 26, 2026, in a move being celebrated as a “partial victory” by the 91,000 people who signed a petition to save it.
The original Nightjet service was a casualty of shifting economics, with ÖBB pulling out after the French government ended its subsidies. This sparked a “pyjama party” protest by the ‘Oui au train de nuit!’ group. Their activism has now been rewarded, as a new operator steps in to meet the proven public demand for sustainable overnight travel.
The new service will be a high-capacity affair, running three times a week. Departures from Paris Gare du Nord are planned for Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings, with return trips from Berlin on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. European Sleeper’s co-founder, Chris Engelsman, is confident they can win over the existing Nightjet market.
Engelsman’s confidence comes from a key strategic advantage: capacity. The new service will run 12-14 coaches directly to Berlin, carrying 600-700 passengers. This is a significant upgrade from the Nightjet, which had to split its train between Berlin and Vienna. The new service will also forge a new path via Brussels.
While European Sleeper has been a key player in the sleeper market, it has a mixed reputation for “no-frills nostalgia” alongside technical glitches. The new route will use 1990s German-rented coaches, a step up from their older stock. However, in a pragmatic move, there will be no dining car at launch, as the company cites the “challenge” of making it profitable.