European Sleeper’s CEO says the company is hopeful for the future of the route, despite the setbacks.
A planned night train set to start running from Amsterdam to Barcelona from 2025 will now not launch until 2026.
The operating company, European Sleeper, confirmed the delays this week and laid bare the issues they are having ahead of starting the route.
They say they are having issues negotiating with the French railway manager SNCF Réseau as well as being forced to wait for more train carriages. Sleeper trains tend to require a larger number – and more specific kind – of carriages, which are not always easy to find.
Although the long-awaited train’s launch will be held up, European Sleeper remains hopeful for its future.
“Things are improving step by step. We also hear from other parties that it is simply difficult to do business with SNCF Réseau,” co-founder Chris Engelsman told the Treinreiziger, a Dutch travel agent.
He did not pull any punches over his issues with the French company, calling their attitude, “partly understandable but also partly incompetence”.
Engelsman also said they are “very conservative” in terms of their planning for nighttime railworks: “They plan a lot of work in advance that does not always happen. They do not even have that many contractors. They are playing it very safe, and that does not make a night train possible.”
In terms of the carriages needed for the new train, he elaborated: “We need 30 to 35 good carriages. We are working on that now, but they will probably also have to be renovated.”
He remains hopeful that the night train could be launched as soon as the end of 2025, although 2026 is more likely.
“We will start as soon as we can. The sooner the better,” he said.
The delay comes at a busy – and exciting – time for European Sleeper.
The start-up recently announced a seasonal night train which will run from Brussels to Venice from February 2025.
The service will travel from the North Sea to the Adriatic and pass through nine different cities, including Rotterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands.
European Sleeper says the particular route was chosen to accommodate winter sports holidays, city breaks and the Venice Carnival, which is set to take place from 22 February to 4 March next year.
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