2023-12-12 01:48:12
French and German ministers, directors of the German railway companies Deutsche Bahn, French SNCF and even Austrian ÖBB… the list of officials accredited to attend the departure of the first night train from Berlin station to the French capital attested to the importance of the event, nine years following the interruption of this line.
“This is a new era for the night train alliance,” enthused German Transport Minister Volker Wessing in front of a crowd of officials, night train promoters and some young people from the Franco-German Youth Office (Ofaj).
The train, which left Berlin at 8:18 p.m., was due to arrive at 10:24 a.m. in Paris.
For the moment, three connections per week are planned with departures on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Paris and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Berlin. The service should become daily from October 2024.
The Berlin-Paris, operated with Nightjet trains belonging to the Austrian company ÖBB, a pioneer in the relaunch of night trains in Europe, offers several options, from sleepers to seats, including sleeping cars with private rooms for one, two or three people.
Less polluting
“We must follow the example of ÖBB,” argued the Belgian Minister of Mobility, Georges Gilkinet, who spoke on video at the inauguration of Paris-Berlin.
The Austrian company invested heavily in night trains, including new trains, when Western Europe was gradually closing most of its night lines during the 2010s.
Since 2020, faced with the craze for modes of transport that emit less CO2 than planes or cars, France has also chosen to relaunch night trains.
In 2016, there were only two lines of this type remaining in France: one going from Paris to the Pyrenees – Latour-de-Carol or Portbou via Toulouse – and Albi and the other from Paris to Briançon, in the Alps. The objective is to have ten by 2030. The “Yes to the night train” collective is calling for it to open 25 and to invest more massively, while France has no plans to buy new trains. before 2025.
100 million euros
Fans of “slow travel”, eco-friendly travelers concerned regarding the carbon impact of their travels: there is however no shortage of customers and they continue to grow for a mode of transport that is not devoid of charm. In France last summer, 215,000 travelers slept on the rails, or 15% more compared to summer 2022.
The French government has invested 100 million euros for the relaunch of the night train: 76 million for the renovation of 93 old Corail cars brought up to date and 24 million for the necessary station installations.
But without new trains, it is impossible to open new lines. “However, the construction of new trains takes five to eight years. Meanwhile, Europe is moving forward: Austria is starting to put more than 200 brand new night cars into service, which it had ordered in… 2018,” underlined the “Yes to the night train” collective.
Although the night train enjoys a certain popularity, it remains an unprofitable product for railway companies. The French state largely subsidizes the relaunched lines: around 10 million euros per year for the connection to Berlin as well as three to four million for the one between Paris and Aurillac, canceled 20 years ago and reopened Sunday evening, according to the ministry transports.
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