Private rooms on new German night trains will be cheaper than flying

A Berlin-based startup has announced that it will launch a new night train service, offering passengers a private cabin for the same price as a plane ticket. The company will launch in 2027 and has plans to connect 100 European cities.

Berlin night train startup will connect 100 European cities

A new startup, Nox, has launched in Berlin and announced plans to operate night train services across Europe starting in 2027. The company says that by 2036, its night trains will connect 100 cities, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Milan, Rome and Catania.

Instead of carriages or compartments with seats, the night trains will only be fitted with private cabins. The startup plans to emphasise “privacy, good sleep and affordable prices", with a two-metre-long bed in one of the private cabins costing 79 euros for a single, and 149 euros for a double. 

The private cabins will be fitted with a luggage storage area, a comfortable chair and a fold-down table for eating or working in front of a large window. There will also be food available onboard, though it is unclear whether there will also be a dining carriage.

Nox will be “real alternative to short-haul flights”

Announcing their launch, Nox founders Janek Smalla and Thibault Constant said they intend to “make night trains an essential part of European travel”. 

Smalla previously worked at FlixTrain, while Constant worked at French transport company Alstom and France’s national rail operator SNCF. Constant is also known for running the Simply Railway YouTube channel.

Having already reserved the train coaches they will refurbish, Smalla and Constant said Nox will have a “strict focus on standardisation and operational excellence” and aim to offer a “real alternative to short-haul flights”.

European Commission also planning night train expansion

Nox isn’t the only company with such plans. Deutsche Bahn, SNCF and the European Sleeper are now among a growing list of rail operators expanding their European night train services. 

The European Commission is also making developments, having begun a pilot project for a train network the bloc is dubbing the “European Metro”, which it hopes would reduce demand for short-haul flights. So far, only a new night train connecting Berlin, Munich, Rome, and Naples has been announced as part of the project.

According to a 2024 study by Greenpeace, there are “almost six times as many direct flight connections between European cities as direct train connections”, and a 2023 study by the same organisation found that German trains are 51 percent more expensive than flights.