European Sleeper: Supported by a community
26 March 2026
The revival of night trains in Europe. European Sleeper started because we felt something was missing in how Europe moves. There was a time when night trains quietly connected cities and countries, letting people sleep while the landscape unfolded beyond the window. Over the years, many of those services faded away. We believed they should return, not as a relic, but as a practical, mindful way to travel: friendly to people and to the planet.Our Cooperative
At our core, European Sleeper is a Belgian-Dutch cooperative, founded in 2021 by Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman. Both bring deep experience in railways and a shared passion for sleeper trains. Elmer’s long-held dream of running a train company, “I’ve been dreaming of having my own train company for over 20 years."
What makes European Sleeper unique is how we’re financed and organised. There are no big corporate backers. Instead, we are entirely community-funded. In our first funding round in 2021, we raised €500,000 in just minutes by offering shares to individuals - people who believe night trains matter across borders.
Travel while you sleep
Night train travel itself is distinctive: you board in the evening, settle in, and as the world outside darkens, the rhythm of the tracks becomes part of the journey. The next morning, you arrive in a new place, rested and ready for the day. We see it as a calmer, more human way to move across Europe.
Our first service ran from Brussels to Amsterdam and Berlin, later expanding to Dresden, Saxon Switzerland, and Prague. Today, this line operates three times a week. Along the way, we have learned a great deal: about coordinating across rail networks, navigating the technical challenges of international travel, and the importance of clear communication. All of this continues to inform how we adapt and improve.
3 routes in 2026
Looking ahead, we continue to open the night. This spring, our Paris–Berlin route has begun its journey, linking two cultural centres in a calmer, overnight rhythm. And by September 2026, we’ll extend further south, with Brussels and Cologne connecting to Zürich and Milan. We're proud to keep growing, connecting more of Europe by night.
