Paris-Berlin night train returns with European Sleeper

The Paris-Berlin night train returns tonight, 26 March. European Sleeper is taking over the route, as previously covered by Railway Supply. Also, ÖBB withdrew in December. The operator stepped into the gap left by that exit. It linked the move to SNCF’s withdrawal. It also said the French government ended its subsidy for the service.

Paris-Berlin night train timetable

Meanwhile, European Sleeper lists departures from Paris on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. It arrives in Hamburg early the next morning. In addition, trains from Berlin to Paris run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.

At the same time, the service will also call at Hamburg from 13 July. That will happen once track works on the Hamburg-Berlin line are complete.

Why ÖBB ended the route?

Still, RailTech reports that ÖBB ended the Paris-Berlin sleeper. That came at the timetable change on 14 December 2025. A widely backed petition had called for the service to continue. Separately, the Paris-Vienna night trains ended at the same time.

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ÖBB is Austria’s state railway. It also runs the largest night train network in Europe. The Austrian operator placed responsibility on SNCF and France’s Transport Ministry. It said the routes would stop after only two years. It gave the reason as “the withdrawal of our French partners”.

For example, the French government had authorised a one-year start-up subsidy. That covered the Paris services. It renewed that subsidy twice, and it was extended in 2024. It was not extended for a further period. Also, no other international night train now stops in France. The Paris-Berlin night train is the only one. That follows three months with none.

European Sleeper’s next route plans

Meanwhile, European Sleeper is due to launch a third line. It will run between Brussels and Milan in September 2026. In addition, it operated a seasonal Brussels-Venice night train in the winter of 2025. Still, that service was not renewed.

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