European Sleeper Milan route set for June 18 launch

European Sleeper Milan route is due to begin on June 18, giving the crowd-funded private operator a third overnight service, as reported by International Railway Journal.

The Amsterdam/Brussels to Milan overnight train is set to run three times a week, with evening departures and morning arrivals in Italy.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

How the European Sleeper Milan route will run

On southbound trips, the service will start as two portions — one from Amsterdam and one from Brussels — before being coupled together in Cologne. From there, the combined train will head for Milan, calling at Bern, Brig, Domodossola and Stresa. Northbound journeys will follow the same pattern in reverse, separating again after Cologne.

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A stop at Olten in Switzerland is being considered to improve connections to Zürich, while calling at Basle has already been ruled out. European Sleeper is also in talks with the infrastructure manager Italian Rail Network (RFI) about access to Milan Central station.

Timetable, accommodation and ticket sales

Trains from Amsterdam Central and Brussels South are planned to leave at around 19.00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Milan between 09.00 and 10.00. In the other direction, departures are expected between 19.00 and 20.00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with arrivals in Amsterdam and Brussels between 09.00 and 10.00.

On board, passengers will have a choice of seating, couchette and sleeper accommodation. Tickets are expected to go on sale in January or February.

Operations, connections and funding

In Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, the service will operate under the safety certificate held by Netherlands-based private company Train Charter Services (TCS). European Sleeper says it is still selecting an operating partner for Switzerland and Italy.

The operator describes the new night train as an important north–south European link, including connections to and from London via Brussels South. Overnight services are also due to start on the company’s second route — linking Paris, Brussels and Berlin — on March 26, as Railway Supply noted, while plans for a Brussels–Barcelona overnight train have been pushed back to 2027–28.

European Sleeper has also opened a new funding round on December 10, aiming to raise €1.3m, with a further €1m round planned in early January.

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