A brand-new night train is poised to embark on its maiden journey from Berlin, whisking travelers to both Brussels and Paris. Departing from Berlin on Monday evenings, the Nightjet will
initially link these cities thrice a week, with plans to escalate to a daily service by October 2024.
In a unique arrangement for its inaugural journey, the train will split at its halfway mark—half bound for Brussels and the other destined for Paris. This joint operation involves the state railway entities of Germany, Austria, France, and Belgium.
The departure of this inaugural journey on Monday evening at 20:18 will be attended by German Transport Minister Volker Wissing and Richard Lutz, the head of Deutsche Bahn. Notably, holiday season trains are already fully booked, indicating a high demand for this service.
While a night train has been in operation between Brussels and Berlin since late May, operated by the Dutch-Belgian railway company European Sleeper, this marks the first occasion in nearly a decade that a direct connection to Paris via a night train has been available. Photo by Dining Car, Wikimedia commons.