Rail News: Rome/Florence to Paris Night Trains to Be Scrubbed...
 

http://www.seat61.com/news.htm#.UlxuiFDrwtE

says a report from Man in Seat 61, the current guru of European trains - on his site - as of December, with advent of winter schedules there will be no overnight trains between Rome and Florence and Paris - the Venice to Paris trains will continue to run, for now.

Poor service and a low occupancy rate - 30% Man in Seat 61 says - doomed the service.

So for all those folks during the past several months I said could take an overnight train between Rome and Florence and Paris - saving time and a night in a hotel cost, not possible on this route after wingter schedules come into effect this December.

And I lament this turn of events - I have ridden zillions of overnight trains all over Europe and love them for their utilitarian nature and also they are always an adventure - especially in couchettes where strangers and sexes are mixed in together - you never know who your compartment mates will be - mainly I've had some great experiences and conversations along with some fiascoes - but generally nice folk - though you can no longer hop a night train between Rome and Florence to Paris there are still zillions of overnight trains running in Europe.

Consider them for an adventure if you've never taken any!

Thanks for the update. Makes me sad too. Perhaps they'll put them back on the summer schedule??

No I think they are dead as doornails - they had been withdrawn after the dismal Artesia night trains disaster flopped, largely due to abysmal service - AC failing, terrible on board service, etc. Thello tried to resurrect the service after an absence of a year or so and demand just does not seem to be there - even with fares as low as 59 euros possible!

PalenQ, tell us about the fiascos please. You cannot leave us hanging like that. Well, you can, but I hope you won't.

Yeah, a real adventure not knowing who you are going to be sleeping with tonight but for some that's not unusual at all.

"there are still zillions of overnight trains running in Europe."

But increasingly, they're offering connections budget airlines - or buses - offer for less, so their business keeps on declining.

The only people genuinely nostalgic for them are people who used them for holidays. But most people travelled on them because they were the cheapest way of going home from their guest worker jobs, or of seeing distant relatives.

That market's booming: buses and planes serve it better.

PalenQ, tell us about the fiascos please. You cannot leave us hanging like that. Well, you can, but I hope you won't.>

thanks for the interest - well one huge fiasco was on a Spanish Night train from Granada to Barcelona - a French guy with a bicycle came into our couchette compartment - wedging the bicycle on the floor so that no one could really move around much - but the thing was the guy stunk to high Heaven - so so much that the conductor when checking tickets was repulsed and led the guy away - presumably to an unusued compartment.

Another one was from Rome to Basel - a train that no longer runs - and in our couchette car came three raggedy Albanians looking like refugees of some sort and proceeded to lay out a picnic all over the seats with greasy fried chicken and smelly stuff - they had not reserved any couchette and naively sat them I guess until being roused by the conductor and set packing to regular cars - at the Swiss border we say them being lead away from Swiss authorities, no doubt being turned back as they lacked proper documentation to enter Switzerland.

But the fiascoes were relatively few compared to all the memorable interactions I had have in couchettes on European night trains and I lament their increasing demise even though there are still many many left but the sign of the times is that with faster day trains and cheap flights or buses night train days may be numbered.

Maninseat61 gave a glowing review of Thello, but other travelers have not. Worn out cabins, bad food, etc.

The year of the Iceland volcano eruption I booked single cabins on overnight trains to get around, specifically the legs from Venice to Vienna & Budapest to Munich, and loved the luxury of undressing for bed which I wouldn't have obviously in a couchette. I may have missed the camaraderie but loved the luxury the volcano imposed on me. The trains were very nice ones, 1 Austrian, 1 German and while costing more than I'd otherwise have allowed myself to spend I was glad for the experience. I hope they don't go away entirely.

Well, I do undress in a couchette - discretely. I change my top for a long T shirt (actually the top half of a shalwar kameez) in the bathroom, and then take my trousers off under the covers.

I've thought about it and I think I'd likely dress in something sleep-able, soft stretchy things and leave it at that.

If I could afford it I would definitely get a private compartment but as a single traveler those are often very very pricey - you never know when the loud snorer, etc will affect your sleep in a couchette - and like Rick Steves once advised to do to get a whole compartment on regular trains - night trains with ordinary cars - just don't wash your socks or feet and then take off your shoes and everyone else will go away! Most night trains today no longer have regular cars but only couchettes and up.

"...I would definitely get a private compartment but as a single traveler those are often very very pricey..."

Indeed, they were. But I treated it as necessary in the unusual circumstances, felt lucky to get them and made cuts elsewhere to partially compensate. Not something I'd planned for but volcanos are unpredictable. I wasn't sorry, something I'm unlikely to do again but I recommend it for a splurge. Sometimes the only sensible thing is to go with the flow despite the unanticipated cost. It's why I have a credit card, just in case.

I completely agree with MadameLost:

I concur wholeheartedly with you on that. Once in Sicily I tried to get a couchette to Rome and was told all couchettes were booked up for weeks - so I bit the bullet - had to and paid for a berth in the Sleeping Car - a triple however so not private but I was glad to get it at any price!

"I completely agree with MadameLost"

As I'm sure you know, PalenQ, getting lost has it's own special rewards.

MP