Inside the reality of a night train startup
21 May 2026
We started European Sleeper with a clear idea. To reconnect Europe by night train, in a way that feels trustworthy, shared, meaningful. That journey is still unfolding. And like any journey, it brings smooth tracks and difficult moments.Across Europe, we are not alone in this. More travellers are choosing to move differently, to trade short flights for slower nights, to wake up in a new city rather than rush between them. Routes that once disappeared are gradually returning. Each connection added is a step towards a more connected, more considered way of travelling.
On 26 March 2026, we took an important step. In just four months, we brought back the night train between Paris and Berlin. We had to take this on with our small, ambitious team, working across borders, systems, and partners. It’s something we’re proud of, and since launching, more than 11,000 passengers have travelled with us on this route.
The past few weeks reminded us that starting a new night train route does not come without hurdles. Unfortunately, the journey between Berlin and Paris did not always reflect the standard passengers should expect from us. Significant delays occurred, causing uncertainty along the way, even some cancellations and downgrades, and we had several days with bus replacements for the French part of the route. We are carefully reviewing what happened and how to avoid these situations in the future.
Part of the challenge lies in the reality of launching a new international train route. Night trains cross borders, and with them come different rail safety systems, planning processes, and voltage schemes. In this case, the rolling stock was not reliable enough from the very start, which also led to frequent toilet failures on board. In addition, due to multiple reasons such as temporary shortage of operational train staff in France, temporary lack of parking space in Paris or track works during some weekends, we could not run the French part of the journey as planned. It is important to us that we bring our passengers to their final destination as promised. While we have always arranged replacement bus transport for the French part of the journey, we understand that this is not the experience our passengers were expecting.
This is not the experience we want to offer. And even when parts of a journey depend on partners and systems beyond our direct control, the responsibility to you as a passenger remains with us. Building something new means learning in real conditions. Not everything can be predicted on paper, especially across multiple countries and systems. But every disruption gives us a clearer view of where we need to be sharper, more resilient, and better prepared.
Just as importantly, we are looking at how we communicate during these moments. Clear, timely information can make a difficult situation more manageable, and that is something we can improve.
To everyone who travelled with us, especially those affected by any disruptions, thank you for your patience and for being part of this journey, even when it hasn’t been as smooth as it should be.
