European Sleeper, a nascent Dutch-Belgian rail company, is gearing up to launch its first night train service in May, which will connect Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin before expanding to Dresden and Prague in 2024.
The inaugural service will depart Berlin at 22:56 on Thursday 25 May, stopping in Amsterdam and Rotterdam before arriving in Brussels at 9:27 the following day. The return journey from Brussels departs at 19:22 and arrives in Berlin at 6:48 the following day.
Services from Berlin depart on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, while those from Brussels operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The start-up rail company also plans to introduce a second line from Amsterdam to Barcelona in 2025. This is one of 10 pilots supported by the European Commission to establish new cross-border rail links and to improve existing international services.
Tickets for the Brussels–Berlin sleeper train will go on sale on 20 February and can be booked via the company’s website.
There are three ticket categories available, based on ‘comfort level’. Entry-level tickets allow for a single seat (basic ticket option) to be booked in a compartment of six seats. Prices for a single trip from Brussels to Berlin start from €79 in a shared compartment or from €289 for a private compartment, however prices vary depending on the date of travel.
Couchettes with six seats that convert into sleeping berths can be booked as a six-person (from €109), four-person (from €129) or private compartment (from €399) and include bed linen, breakfast and access to a washroom (comfort ticket option).
Sleeper compartments (deluxe ticket option) accommodate up to three people and feature a separate seating area, made-up beds, a private wash basin, towels and toiletries and ‘luxury’ breakfast. Like couchettes, sleepers can be booked as single (from €209), double (from €239) or triple (from €149). All prices listed are for single, one-way fares from Brussels to Berlin.
Women-only couchette and sleeper compartments are also available, with no added charges, and pets are permitted in private compartments. Different comfort levels and layouts cannot be combined in one ticket.
Fare flexibility is also built into pricing. ‘Easy night’ fares are the most affordable but do not allow for cancellations, while the ‘Good night’ fare allows for 100 per cent cancellation up to one month prior departure and 50 per cent up to 15 days before travel.
The ‘Flex night’ fare, with the most flexible conditions, allows for cancellation up to 48 hours before departure, but prices are steep.
For example, a €79 ‘Easy night’ seat in a shared compartment can jump to €129 if booked as a ‘Flex night’ fare.
The rail company, organised as a cooperative, was launched in 2021 after founders Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman raised €500,000 in seed capital. A second capital raise in 2022 secured €2 million and, according to the company, “created an enthusiastic night train community”.