Paris-Berlin night train returns under European Sleeper

European Sleeper passengers at departure — the cooperative launched its Paris-Berlin night train on 26 March 2026, filling the corridor vacancy left by ÖBB's Nightjet exit in December 2025. Photo: European Sleeper.

CROSS-BORDER: Paris and Berlin are connected by night train again — European Sleeper launched its first service on 26 March, three months after ÖBB’s Nightjet withdrawal left the corridor dark.

The Belgian-Dutch cooperative ran its inaugural departure from Paris Gare du Nord on 26 March, routing via Aulnoye-Aymeries, Mons, Brussels and Liège to Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

ÖBB closed the Nightjet service with the December 2025 timetable change after SNCF pulled out when the French government declined to renew the route’s start-up subsidy.

Three weekly services, Hamburg stop added from July

The service departs Paris on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with return services from Berlin on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.

The French government’s decision not to renew the aide au démarrage — a start-up grant supporting night train operations — triggered SNCF’s exit, which in turn led ÖBB to withdraw from the route it had operated since 2023.

European Sleeper is a community-owned cooperative that funds expansion through direct investment from individuals and organisations, operating without state subsidy on the routes it serves.

From 13 July, the service will add a stop at Hamburg-Harburg once track works on the Hamburg–Berlin line are completed, extending the operator’s reach into northern Germany.