I received this morning the e-mail newsletter from hidden europe magazine, describing an idyllic 21 hour train journey yesterday from Breckland in East Anglia, across the Fens, through Ely and into London, eurostar to Paris and on to Berlin on Deutsche Bahn's revamped City Night Line services.

The last sentence of the e-mail asks, "But why has nobody in recent years ever had the sense to run direct night trains from London right through to continental cities?"

A good question, I thought.

I am not posting the newsletter out of respect for hidden europe's copyright. But it will be posted on their website within 4 days as hidden euorope e-brief 2008/13. Go to http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/ and click on "newsletter archive".

>"But why has nobody in recent years ever had the sense to run direct night trains from London right through to continental cities?"

They had.
Just google "Nightstar"

the eurostar night trains for years languished at North Pole in London, on a siding

they were planned to do British-Continental destinations but though the trains were ordered it never materialized

discount airlines advent i think may have been a cause of their demise before becoming operational

i think these trains are actually now in Canada or some god forsaken place.

That was very kind of Ron to so graciously mention our newsletter here. For those inclined to read that account of our journey from eastern England to eastern Germany, you can find the piece online at http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/bartic...rticles_id=522.

Of course we were guilty of a slight historical error in suggesting that no-one has ever thought of running night trains from London to the continent. For over half a century there were direct night sleepers from London Victoria to Paris and Brussels (with the sleeper cars shipped by ferry across the Channel). There was even a seasonal service to Basel in Switzerland. But, as others here have rightly observed, nothing at all since the advent of Eurostar.

"Doubtless we crept past the backs of grimy Ruhr factories..."

There's more to NRW and the Ruhr area than just grime and factories.

No doubt, but doubtless we also crept past the backs of grimy Ruhr factories... as well as leafy meadows and a moonlit Rhine. But perhaps Wuppertal at 2 am has an appeal that I've somehow failed to notice. Part of the charm of the night train, it seems to me, is that creaking through urban areas by dead of night.

"Doubtless we crept past the backs of grimy Ruhr factories..."

There's more to NRW and the Ruhr area than just grime and factories.>

no doubt but what strikes me everytime i rail thru the area is exactly 'grimy' Black County factories - this is what tourists remember and not all the idyllic fens and glens in between

And Wuppertal at night - well there is an extraordinary sight you miss - the unique Wuppertalbahn or whatever they call that upside down monorail that incredibly is built over the course of a 'pristine' Ruhr Country stream the whole of its several mile course thru this factory-studded town