The German Green Party has presented a proposal for the return of night trains with the creation of a night train network with 40 branches across the continent.
Almost a year ago, in December 2020, a group of state railway operators in Europe presented the Nightjet project, a night train network that connects 13 cities of the continent, in the hopes of reviving a form of travel that had been forgotten amid the boom of low-cost flights in recent decades.
For the German Green Party, this proposal was not enough, so they decided to present a project to make it connect 200 cities.
The Euro Night Sprinter Netzvision 2030+ involves the launch of 40 international lines, which would allow travel from eastern cities such as Saint Petersburg, Kyiv or Istanbul, to Glasgow, San Sebastián, Lisbon, and Malaga.
As noted, Terry Reintke, Vice President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, some of the largest European cities will become hubs for the night train network, such as Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and Brussels.
More Convenience for the Night Train Traveler
The goal is, in addition to reviving these trains that saw their golden age between the 1930s and 1970s, to make it easier for travelers to buy tickets by launching a single sales platform.
While crossing Europe from end to end by train is possible, it requires purchasing each ticket separately, which causes the price of the trip to skyrocket, the reason why many people continue to choose flights.
Night Trains, Another Way to Travel
Members of the Green Party recall that train trips (especially at night) are a door to friendship and create more successful social relations than flights or trips by car.
They also explain that the luxury of many high-speed trains can be included in night services to make traveling more pleasant.
In addition, there is a considerable impact of railways to sustainability: they generate 0.4% of gas emissions, while cars are responsible for 71.8%, aviation for 13.2%, and maritime transport for 14.1%.
These are some of the benefits highlighted by Midnight Trains, a French start-up company, which presented a proposal to recover night train trips through France in high-class cabins that can travel from Paris to Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Copenhagen, Rome, and Edinburgh.
The Trans-European Train Is Still on Its Way
Another project to promote the use of trains is the Connecting Europe Express, which has been touring the continent since September 2.
After having left Lisbon and stopping in Madrid and Irun, the train has now left Estonia and is moving to Riga, the capital of Latvia. The journey, in which it will pass through 100 cities, will end on October 7 in Paris.