Night trains in Europe: relics of the past or promise for the future?

Introduction

The closure of night train lines such as Paris–Berlin and Paris–Vienna, along with delays in new lines supported by the European Commission, highlight the turbulence currently affecting the night train sector, largely due to a lack of support from various European states.

Through this European study, OpinionWay, together with its subsidiary Polling Europe, sought to gauge the level of enthusiasm among European citizens for this mode of transport and to understand whether, from their perspective, night trains are relics of the past or a promise for the future.

Key insights:

• Beyond transport, night trains appeal for the experience they provide: serenity, scenic landscapes, and conviviality.
• Only 1 in 4 Europeans has taken a night train in the past six years. While currently a minority practice, it holds significant potential, as 86% of Europeans would consider at least one night train destination if the offer were expanded.
• Italy, France, and Spain dominate the list of preferred night train destinations, with more than a third of Europeans dreaming of travelling there by night train.
• Nine out of ten Europeans express interest in the development of night trains, seeing them both as an opportunity to travel more frequently and easily across Europe and as a genuine ecological advance.
• Night trains are perceived as the most attractive mode of transport in terms of ecology, cost, comfort, and overall experience.
• Young, urban travellers represent a key target for the growth of the European rail market.
• Poland, Germany, and Spain lead in current usage, serving as the three engines of the European night train revival.
• Even for journeys exceeding 2,000 km, 1 in 5 European travellers would choose a night train—twice as many as would choose a daytime train.
• Nearly 1 in 4 Europeans sees the night train primarily as an ecological advancement.