TICKETS have gone on sale for the Vienna - Munich - Paris overnight Nightjet service which will be introduced by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), German Rail (DB) and French National Railways (SNCF) on December 13, running three times per week.

The train will depart from Vienna Main Station at 19.40 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and will run via St Pölten, Linz, Salzburg, Munich, and Strasbourg before arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est at 09.42. The return service from Paris to Vienna will operate every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. The direct train revives the route of the Orient Express, which operated until 2007.

The Vienna - Munich - Paris and Zurich - Amsterdam service, which is also due to launch in December, are the first connections launched under a partnership between ÖBB, DB, SNCF and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), agreed at the end of 2020, to expand the European night train network. The partnership also plans to launch a Vienna/Berlin - Brussels/Paris service in December 2023, and a Zurich - Barcelona route in December 2024.

The train consists of seven coaches offering three classes and comprising:

  • two seating coaches with 132 seats, with six seats per compartment and a shower room and toilet in each car
  • three couchette cars offering 156 berths, with four to six passengers per compartment, a shower and toilet in each car; passengers will be served a Viennese breakfast, and
  • two sleeping cars with 72 berths, with single, double or triple compartments; standard compartments have a washbasin while deluxe compartments have a shower and toilet, and passengers are offered a welcome drink, welcome bag, toiletries, bed linen, a wake-up service, à la carte breakfast and hot and cold food to order.

Nightjet tickets are available from €29.90 in the seating coach, €59.90 in the couchette car and €89.90 in the sleeping car. Passengers can book individual seats in the seating coach and berths in the couchette or sleeping cars, or a full compartment in the three comfort categories to ensure privacy. The ÖBB Nightjets are also thoroughly cleaned before and after each journey.

“With the Nightjet from Vienna to Paris, we are setting another milestone for a European night train network,” says ÖBB CEO, Mr Andreas Matthä. “Only with additional direct connections can we encourage even more people to switch to the train. A journey with the Nightjet not only protects the environment, but also offers a special travel experience. Because nothing is as relaxing as arriving at your desired destination in the city centre in the morning. I am delighted that we will now also be able to do this in Paris from December.”

Mr Alain Krakovitch, director general of Voyages SNCF, says the launch of the new night train service is a big step forward.

“I am delighted about the cooperation with ÖBB and DB, which makes it possible to connect Vienna and Paris even more closely,” he says. “This new night train connection is a real ecological commitment to more rail transport and Europe. Travelling by train means choosing a means of transport that produces 50 times less CO2 than a car journey and 80 times less than a flight.”

“Europe should grow even closer together, also by rail,” says DB board member for passenger transport, Mr Berthold Huber. “This is what the new ÖBB, SNCF and DB night train between Vienna and Paris stands for. Together with our European partner railways, we will significantly expand the night train network. In the coming years, we want to connect 13 European metropolises with each other overnight.”

The May 2021 edition of IRJ includes a detailed feature on the Night train renaissance. Website subscribers can read the feature here.