The first Nightjet train that departed from Berlin yesterday evening arrived at its destination – Brussels-Midi, Belgium – around 11:00 local time. However, passengers experienced an immediate one-hour delay due to a longer-than-expected coupling in Germany.
“We are writing a beautiful story,” responded Belgian minister of mobility Georges Gilkinet to Belgian television broadcast RTL. “We already had a night train to Vienna, and now there are two different options to travel to Berlin. More southern destinations are still on the table. Belgium is the first country in Europe to subsidize the night train. It is a great way to cross Europe safely and without CO2 emissions,” he added.
For now, the price remains a weak point. The cheapest round-trip ticket to Berlin costs a whopping 180 euros. Flying with low-cost airline Ryanair, it can be six times cheaper in certain periods, and about ten times faster than using the railroad.
“The timing of booking plays a role in this, of course,” explained Gilkinet. “Such a low price always comes at the expense of the staff. I continue to advocate for low-cost airlines to pay their employees decently.”
“The system around night trains still needs to evolve. The more demand there is, the cheaper such a journey becomes. The price difference is now too high, that is clear. We are working hard within the government to change that.”
The train will make stops at Frankfurt, Bonn, Cologne, and Liège. Passengers can choose from three different comfort categories: a comfortable seat, a reclining place, or a real bed.
The total travel time is 13 hours and 38 minutes, without delays. The night train will run three times a week, with plans to switch to a daily schedule by October next year. There is also a night train between Paris and Berlin, which is coupled along the way with the one from Brussels.
The Nightjet is not the first direct connection between Brussels and Berlin. Since the end of May, a night train has been operating between the two capitals, operated by the Dutch-Belgian railway company European Sleeper.
