2023-09-30 14:59:31
The Austrian public railway company ÖBB unveiled the latest generation of night trains in Europe on Saturday, while this slower but much less polluting mode of transport than planes is beginning to make a comeback.
Compared to the old trains, and their “so dark” berths, this “is great luxury. It’s crazy,” Rosemarie, a 69-year-old retiree who did not wish to give her name, told AFP. of family.
These new night trains were presented in Vienna on the occasion of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Austrian company.
“Every kilometer by train is a kilometer for climate protection” and “a contribution to a better future,” Austrian environmental minister Leonore Gewessler told AFP.
These new trains offer travelers more comfort than the previous ones, including showers.
The first of them are due to enter service on December 10 on the Vienna-Hamburg and Innsbruck-Hamburg lines.
These trains, which can reach speeds of 230 km/h, will be put into service little by little in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands.
For France, a green light must still be given by the national railway authority, according to ÖBB.
“Unfortunately, we are not yet a unified Europe in the railway sector,” ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthae told AFP.
These trains were ordered from the German manufacturer Siemens in 2018.
ÖBB has invested 720 million euros in a fleet of 33 night trains which must be delivered gradually by 2028.
ÖBB claims to have the first fleet of night trains including sleeping cars in Europe, used by 1.5 million passengers.
The Austrian company intends to double the number of passengers on night trains by 2030.
At the beginning of September ÖBB announced the return to service on December 11 of the Berlin-Paris night trains, nine years after their cancellation.
Along the way, many European companies are participating in the revival of night trains, which almost disappeared in the 2010s.
But this desire comes up against the price of the equipment needed to replace cars that are often several decades old, the numerous night works on the network which disrupt night-time traffic and the very low profitability of this type of connection.
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