Ă–BB said the move to scrap the night services was due to the fact the French government had withdrawn its financial support for the services.
"The French railway company SNCF Voyageurs has been informed by the Ministry of Transport in Paris that the government service contracts for the Vienna-Paris and Berlin-Paris night trains will be discontinued for 2026," an Ă–BB statement said.
"Night trains can currently only be operated with the participation of international partners. Ă–BB regrets that, following the withdrawal of the French partners, both night train connections will no longer be offered as of December 14, 2025."
Ă–BB confirmed it will continue to invest in its Vienna to Brussels night train connection.
The Local had reported last week that the popular services were under threat, much to the anger of rail user groups in France.
The Paris-Berlin and Vienna night trains – operated by ÖBB (Austrian Railways) in partnership with SNCF Voyageurs and DB (German Railways) – was launched to great fanfare in December 2023.
BFM Business reported last week that “launch aid” for the service was paid in 2024 and 2025 but will not be paid in 2026, as the French government sought to make budget savings.Â
Without financial support from the French government, rail operators Ă–BB and DB warned they no longer intend to bear the deficits alone.
French rail user group RĂ©seau Action Climat expressed their anger when it emerged the services could come of the rails over a "derisory sum".
“Everyone is passing the buck," the group said. "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.”
Another user group "Oui au train de nuit" highlighted issues with the way the services were marketed.
It 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”.
It had 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," the group said.Â
“It is unacceptable that the only two international night trains serving France year-round should disappear. Each of the players has room for manoeuver and each can take a step to truly revive international night trains,“ the group said.
Comments