London, Barcelona, ​​Milan: where the Berlin night train network could grow

Train lovers should have tears in their eyes when they see this: there were 23 night train connections in Berlin in 1995. By 2017, their number had dwindled to just two. Although four night train lines are now running regularly via Berlin, many passengers would like significantly more. The Senate also has bigger goals and dreams of the German capital as a night train hub in Europe.

The Senate Transport Administration has now conducted a study to investigate the possibilities for further overnight connections by train in Berlin. It describes some interesting potential - but it is also clear: the obstacles for further routes are high.

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Four night train lines currently run via Berlin to Vienna, Budapest, Zurich and Stockholm. Two more will be added soon: from December 2023, night-time rail traffic between Berlin and Paris will resume. The private provider European Sleeper from the Netherlands wants to start the connection from Brussels via Amsterdam and Berlin to Prague in both directions as early as this summer.

"At the moment it would be difficult to find a business case without state funding," said Bauer. Nevertheless, he believes in the future of sleeping cars. “Night trains will be part of mobility in Europe. There will be sustainable business for us and other providers.”