From May 25 2023, passengers will be able to board a Eurostar train from St. Pancras in the afternoon and arrive at Berlin Hauptbahnhof on a European Sleeper the following morning after a quick changeover in Brussels, resulting in a total journey time of fewer than 16 hours. Journey prices on the European sleeper will start from €49 for a seat and this price even includes breakfast.
With the earlier launch of the 13-hour direct NightJet sleeper train from Hamburg to Stockholm and European Sleeper’s upcoming connection between Barcelona and Amsterdam in 2025, it is obvious that sleeper trains are not only improving but revolutionising international travel.
Thanks to the ongoing climate emergency, we are becoming increasingly concerned with the impact that our actions can have on the environment with air travel as a huge contributor to climate change. According to the European Environment Agency, air travel generates 285 grams of CO2 emissions per passenger mile, compared to rail travel’s 14 gram contribution.
Although many people may be put off by the longer travel time of trains as a flight from Heathrow to Berlin takes less than 2 hours, air travel is not as quick as it seems because passengers are required to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before take-off but with train travel, you can arrive at the station minutes before the train is due to depart. Airports are also always situated outside of the city, whereas train stations, such as Berlin Hauptbahnhof, are situated in city centres so you can hop off the train and immediately start exploring.
As someone who has spent a significant amount of time travelling throughout Europe because I am currently on my year abroad in Germany, one of the main things I will miss when I return to the UK is the access to rail travel across the continent and so I am thrilled to see this expansion of connections between the UK and the rest of Europe even if it is just from London. And, hopefully, this will encourage many other Brits to embrace rail travel.