AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) introduced the first of its new Nightjet overnight trains between Vienna, Innsbruck and Hamburg with the timetable change on December 10 as several overnight routes were restored across the continent.
The new seven-car trains are configured as semi-permanently coupled push-pull sets, although operation in push-pull mode - using the driving trailer with a locomotive at the rear - is currently not authorised.
The new trains are made up of sleeper, couchette and seated accommodation. The couchette cars include a section with new capsule or mini-cabin compartments for solo travellers as well as more traditional four-berth couchette compartments.
ÖBB introduced several other overnight services on December 10, including Berlin - Paris and Berlin - Brussels trains, which are initially operating three times a week. This will extend to daily when further new Nightjet trainsets are introduced in 2024.
The Austrian federal operator also plans to introduce its latest Railjet push-pull daytime trains on the route from Munich and Innsbruck to Verona and other Italian cities from mid-2024. Both new fleets have been built by Siemens in Austria.
The European overnight network will grow further next year when private operator European Sleeper extends its existing Brussels/Amsterdam - Berlin service to Dresden and Prague from March. In France overnight trains are due to return to the Paris - Aurillac route from next summer.
International services
Daytime international services have been improved on several routes, including linking Polish cities with Prague by means of a new Wrocław - Prague service. Additional services have also been introduced on the Krakow - Berlin route, while an extra Vienna - Krakow train pair has also begun operating.
Five daily services are now available between Copenhagen and Hamburg, with more services to be introduced next summer. Most of these services will be operated using older German Rail (DB) inter-city coaches and Danish State Railways (DSB) Vectron locomotives until the new Talgo trains ordered by DSB enter service later in 2024.
Operation of the new Berlin - Amsterdam inter-city route has also changed with Vectron MS locos hired from European Locomotive Leasing (ELL) to replace both DB and Netherlands Railways (NS) locomotives. This arrangement will continue until the new DB ICE-L trains that Talgo is also supplying enter service.
Regional changes
In Germany, DB Regio introduced a new fleet of Siemens Desiro HC EMUs on routes in Franconia. From June a smaller batch of faster, 190km/h Desiro HC sets will commence operation on the Nuremberg - Coburg - Erfurt route using the Erfurt - Nuremberg high-speed line.
In northern Germany operators Errixx and Nordbahn are steadily introducing the 55-strong Flirt Akku BEMU fleet built by Stadler for Schleswig Holstein transport authority NAH.SH. Elsewhere in Germany BEMU fleets are entering service in Saxony on the Leipzig - Chemnitz line with Alstom battery-powered trains and in the Black Forest region around Offenburg using Siemens Mireo+B multiple-units. The full fleets are likely to enter service in spring 2024.
DB Regio has also commenced operation of route RE2 from Munich to Hof in Bavaria. It replaces Netinera which will continue to operate the Alex-branded Munich - Prague service.
In Austria the new timetable saw the opening of the Klagenfurt - Lavanttal section of the future Klagenfurt - Graz Koralmbahn. Following electrification services are operated by ÖBB EMUs and trains from Klagenfurt continue beyond Lavanttal to Wolfsberg, on a route which has also now been electrified.
In Sweden national operator SJ is replacing MTR as operator of the SL-branded commuter network around Stockholm. Infrastructure manager Trafikverkert reports that the 2024 timetable introduced on December 10 contains the services of 52 different operators using its network, up from 47 in 2023.
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