Two major European cities will have another connection in 2026 as a 540-mile-long train line reopens in the new year.

A sleeper train passes countryside at sunset

European Sleeper announced its brand new route (Image: European Sleeper)

A new train service will take tourists between two of Europe's largest cities, travelling overnight so that visitors don't miss valuable holiday time in either place. Sleeper trains travel between many cities in Europe, and they are often a cost-effective and sustainable way to get from one place to another. Rail travel around Europe remains popular, and many people use things like interrailing passes to get from place to place, seeing as much as they can across the continent in just a few weeks. 

While travellers were let down by the news that a popular sleeper train operator would terminate its service in 2025, another rail company is stepping in to take its place. A new sleeper train service will run between Paris and Berlin via Brussels. Austrian national rail company ÖBB announced in October that it would stop its overnight service between these two major capital cities in a blow to fans of European rail travel. The service was pulled following funding withdrawal from the French government, with services said to stop from mid-December 2025. 

Two people converse in a train carriage

European Sleeper offers several routes around Europe (Image: European Sleeper)

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However, there is some good news as another train operator will link the two cities with an overnight service from March 26, 2026. The new route, operated by European Sleeper, will run three times a week.

It is expected to depart from Paris Gare du Nord on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, arriving in  Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof. Return services are expected to depart on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The current route by Nightjet goes through Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Halle before arriving in Berlin. However, European Sleeper's replacement will run through Brussels, with exact route details yet to be announced. 

Map of sleeper trains in Europe

The new route will replace one that was pulled in 2025 (Image: European Sleeper)

European Sleeper co-founder Chris Engelsman told The Guardian: "We will also be able to extend the ridership as we offer higher capacity than the Nightjet. ÖBB operates 12 coaches from Paris, but it splits to Vienna and then Berlin. On the other hand, we have 12 to 14 coaches that will run entirely to Berlin, with a capacity of 600-700 passengers."

Several new train routes have been announced across Europe in recent weeks. A new £2 million train will connect Madrid and Barcelona in 2026, with journeys taking only around three hours. 

Meanwhile, a new train route will connect Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen next year, giving tourists more ways to visit these places in one trip from 2026.