hetismij2

According to the Guardian many night train routes are stopping, or changing. This includes the Citynightline from Amsterdam to Prague.

You can read the article here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...leeper-service

PalenQ

thanks for posting this!

Man_in_seat_61

That was quick - the author of the article only spoke to me last night!

PalenQ

good info needs highlighting.

Dukey1

Amazing! A newspaper article that is just as accurate as somebody's for-profit website!!!

swandav2000

This is really awful news for me. The night train from Munich to Paris was my preferred method of travel; I loved waking up in Paris and having the whole day there instead of spending it in travel.

I just don't understand why flying has become more popular -- it's laden with hassle (getting to the airport, checking in, getting through security, waiting, flying, getting luggage, getting into the city), and it's so much worse for the environment. I just don't understand how people could prefer that to the convenience and fun of a night train.

Also -- I was at the train station the other day and asked the clerk at the desk if it was true that the night train to Paris would be discontinued. He said he didn't know and that we would have to wait for the schedule. I suspect that he was just being a jerk.

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PatrickLondon

For me, they'd have to have massive sound-proofing and gyroscopic stabilisers and dampers on the suspension before I could use a sleeper again, fantastic though the idea is. I just can't sleep on moving transport - even the overnight ferry to Holland on a calm sea was just too much.

thursdaysd

That's really sad. While some routes could get rough (I'm thinking Spain ten years ago), the train hotels are usually fine. Flying has become a major hassle.

Of course, it's not just night trains getting cut. Trains in the Baltics have practically disappeared. I did a Scotland to Saigon rail trip in 2004, with an extensive detour around Europe, and my route might not even be possible now.

Christina

People don't think night trains are convenient because they take up so much of your time and because for some people, you do not have a good night's sleep. I've only been on one once but didn't like it. I would not choose to do it over a short flight. And those fares aren't that cheap if you add in the sleeper car, you can fly a lot cheaper usually. For some cities, it isn't that big a hassle getting to/from the airport, either. It isn't much trouble for small places.

I don't consider checking in at the airport a big hassle. I don't care about security, either, it's just a line, I don't care, it's not a particular hassle to me--the only issue is the time it takes. I agree pre-boarding time is shorter for trains, they jsut take so long. Overnioght trains in particular have to take long, and you can arrive at a very inconvenient hour (like 6 am).

PalenQ

People don't think night trains are convenient because they take up so much of your time>

au contraire IMO - the time taken up is sleeping - whether it be on a train or in a hotel - on the train you actually save time by traveling at night - leaving daytime sightseeing time more open. But if you are a light sleeper then yes it is problematic that you will get a good night's snooze so anti-productive.

For folks wishing to see what overnight trains are like in general check these IMO very informative sites: www.seat61.com (English bloke quoted in original article and assumedly the guy sho dukey1 takes a shot at); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Again night trains are not for everyone for the reasons Christina found out but do not throw the baby out with the bathwater either. Different strokes for different folks.

swandav2000

Yes, I agree with Pal -- the night trains usually leave around 22.00, so I'm usually not doing much at that time but getting ready for bed.

I also don't think the fares are that expensive, even with a private deluxe sleeper. If you get your fares 90 days in advance, it is under 200€ -- not bad for an overnight plus the transport. Really not a LOT more than one would pay for an overnight.

And -- I would surely not like to spend my valuable Europe time standing in line or in a waiting room at a bland airport. Much rather bathe my eyes in some European vistas.

I guess I do pack too heavily, because it is a hassle for me to get to the airport. I have to put my hands on my suitcase and haul it around more often when I fly than when I take a night train.

But, yes, as Pal says, why throw out the option altogether? The flights will still be available if they kept the night trains; no one will be forced to take them. But now . . . those who love the romance and convenience of a night train are cut off.

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PalenQ

Well said Swandav - well said - you can fly in the States but rarely have the chance to take night trains - ah the romance - bring some wine and food onboard - no restrictions on that - wine can be a sleep aid to some, including moi - have a picnic and a good romantic time and arrive in your new city bright and early and ready to go.

thursdaysd

Like anything else, there are good experiences and bad ones, on night trains and on flights. It just seems that, especially with the egregious TSA procedures in the US, and the ever-shrinking shoulder and leg room in economy, there are more bad ones on planes these days.

I can remember a few particularly bad night trains: Hanoi to Sapa, when it seemed that the carriage hadn't been connected properly, Hat Yai to Bangkok in third class (my fault, I should have made a reservation), and Madrid to Ronda when my compartment was hotter than the outside and infested with somne kind of insect life. But I remember more that were good, especially second class in Thailand, where the berths are parallel to the side of the carriage and you get visual privacy, and several train hotels in Europe. And then there are routes like the Trans-Mongolian, where the whole point is the train ride...

My upcoming European trip will be day trains and cheap flights only, but if there were night trains from Venice to Nice and Nice to Lisbon I'd be on them.

PalenQ

Night trains indeed can be a crap shoot at times - I have some real horror stories too - like the French bloke who stunk to high heaven on a Spanish night train - everyone was holding their nose until the conductor thankfully relocated him elsewhere.

swandav2000

ahhh . . . I've been really fortunate. All my experiences have been great.

Like the time my sister and I travelled to Spain from Switzerland in 1969 -- we were in our teens (travelling from our boarding school to our parents in Spain), and it was Grand Adventure. We also travelled from Paris from Germany in the 1980s -- we brought champagne and snacks and laughed most of the night away.

I just don't see such wonderful memories with just another tedious, boring flight.

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swandav2000

Well, that should read "TO Paris from Germany in the 1980s," not "from Paris from Germany," lol.

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hetismij2

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...eeper-services has a couple of links if anyone feels like protesting.

swandav2000

Thanks so much for posting this!

s