The highly anticipated night train service between Berlin and Paris, inaugurated on December 11, 2023, has been temporarily halted for essential maintenance work on the French and German rail lines. The connection between Vienna and Paris has also been suspended during this period. The French railway company SNCF Réseau announced that the interruptions will last from August 12 to October 26, 2024, affecting the optimal running of night trains between Epernay and Château-Thierry in France, as well as on the Berlin-Mannheim line in Germany.
Despite the setbacks, companies like ÖBB, DB, SNCF Voyageurs, and SNCB remain committed to the future of night trains in Europe. While no tickets have been sold for the affected trains, the companies promise to resume operations and invest in new, higher-capacity trains to meet the strong demand for night train travel. However, the challenges of operating cross-border night trains have forced start-up Midnight Trains to halt its venture, disappointing fans of slow and low-carbon travel.