The Dutch tour operator Sunweb wants to use night trains to the French ski areas and beaches. To this end, the company is working together with night train initiative European Sleeper, both parties announced on Monday. At the earliest next winter, the night train from Amsterdam would run over Brussels towards France.
Sunweb and European Sleeper have the ambition to start with night trains to the French Alps next winter. The next step should be an overnight train that will take travelers to the beach in the south of France in the summer without having to change trains.
It is not yet clear which destinations it will be. “In any case, the intention is to drive to the French Alps in the winter. Possibly even next season”, explains Chris Engelsman, co-founder of European Sleeper. “But we are still figuring out exactly which final destination it will be in France.” European Sleeper is still discussing this with Sunweb. For example, it depends on which ski areas are the most attractive, but the capacity of the specific railway lines also plays a role.
For the summer, the Mediterranean coast is the most logical option. Whether it will then be the Côte d’Azur or more towards Perpignan to the west is not yet clear, says Engelsman. For example, it must be considered in which package and with which accommodation the trip is best offered.
Sunweb and European Sleeper hope for next winter. “That would be great, there are no obstacles so far. It is still possible, but it is a short day, it is a very complex process”, it sounds. “We are trying to get that on track as soon as possible, so it has to be a bit of luck. We are in talks with the rail infrastructure managers, subcontractors to carry it out and suppliers of carriages.” The project is a priority for both partners.
According to Engelsman, it must be a competitive offer that is attractive to a large audience.
European Sleeper has been working on a night train from Brussels, via Amsterdam, to Berlin, Dresden and Prague for some time. The target to finish this summer was not achieved and there is no new target date yet. But the initiators are confident that the train will eventually arrive. For this connection, European Sleeper is working together with the Czech railway company RegioJet.
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