The Paris-Berlin/Vienna night train – operated by Ă–BB (Austrian Railways) in partnership with SNCF Voyageurs and DB (German Railways) – was launched to great fanfare in December 2023, connecting the capitals of France and Germany by a 12-hour overnight rail trip.Â
It has proved a success, with an average occupancy rate of around 70 percent, rising to 90 percent in the summer. However, according to the “Oui au train de nuit” (Yes to Night Trains) group, the French government has threatened to withdraw its subsidy, sacrificing the service on the altar of public deficit savings.
It has launched a petition calling on ”the government to continue to support these lines, even if it means renegotiating the subsidy, in exchange for a commitment from operators to run trains daily”.
BFM Business reported that “launch aid” for the service was paid in 2024 and 2025 but will not be paid in 2026, as the government is known to be seeking budget savings.Â
Without financial support from the French government, rail operators Ă–BB and DB no longer intend to bear the deficits alone, so the service could come to an abrupt end next December.
The French government has criticised SNCF and its German and Austrian partners for failing to keep promises to create a daily service in order to make the night train economically viable – currently three return services a week operate.
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According to Réseau Action Climat, “everyone is passing the buck. The worst thing is that we are talking about a derisory sum for the State and SNCF. The operators involved need to talk to each other to find a solution. We want this line to be maintained, especially as these trains are very popular.”
Oui au train de nuit claimed that tickets for the overnight trains are not available on the SNCF Connect platform, “and does not even provide information about the existence of these trains that it operates”.
And it has called on the government to continue its support for the night service “even if it means renegotiating the subsidy, in exchange for a commitment from operators to run trains daily”.
"Ultimately, international night trains in 2025 are in the same situation as domestic night trains in 2015: the SNCF is degrading the service and thus encouraging the government to get rid of it, against a backdrop of an ill-suited regulatory framework.Â
“It is unacceptable that the only two international night trains serving France year-round should disappear. Each of the players has room for maneuver and each can take a step to truly revive international night trains,“ it continued.
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