Trains are swiftly becoming one of Europeans’ favourite ways to travel.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A 2025 survey of 11,000 people commissioned by rail manufacturer Hitachi Rail found that almost half of the respondents intend to travel more by train and less by plane in the next five years.
But there’s a growing sense that the infrastructure, cost and availability aren’t keeping up with the demand.
The same survey found that globally, seven in 10 said they would use public transport more if it were better connected.
Night trains are one of the clearest examples where enthusiasm for the service currently outstrips the offerings.
Despite the climate emergency, short-haul flights are picking up frequency while sleeper services are being rolled back in Europe, according to Back-on-Track.eu, a European network to promote cross-border night trains.
To highlight the current status of sleeper services in Europe, and provide a useful resource for travellers, the group has released its 2026 interactive night train map with all the regular routes in Europe.
“The release comes at an increasingly important time to highlight the importance of night train travel as a viable, sustainable solution to connect Europe for passengers amid a looming fuel crisis and growing demand for accessible and sustainable travel options,” Back-on-Track said in a statement.
The map displays every night train connection across the continent in one transport-network style map, while the organisation’s website provides a database with more detailed info about each route and booking tips.
The 2026 edition shows five new connections – European Sleeper's Paris–Berlin line, new PKP routes linking Poland to Praha and München, and a planned Bruxelles–Milano service.
At the same time, 10 lines have disappeared, notably several popular ÖBB Nightjet routes and the 1,456km-long Stockholm-Narvik link, one of the longest night train routes in Europe.
Some services have also been shortened, such as the ÖBB which originally ran all the way from Bratislava to Split, but now begins in Vienna.
“The biggest obstacle for night trains in Europe and the main reason why the train to Narvik was stopped is the lack of investment in rolling stock,” says Juri Maier, Back-on-Track chair, who designed the map.
"The demand is there, and competition with planes is not as fierce anymore. Concepts exist to carry up to 750 sleeping passengers per train, which would make operations profitable on many routes. But to unlock this potential, we need significant investments – now."
Another challenge is ongoing track works across the continent, which disrupt night train schedules.
However, by 2032, new infrastructure is expected to make far better connections across Europe viable.
"The new Bruxelles–Milano line would truly fill a gap on our map, but the route through Switzerland will be an operational challenge. We're excited to see if it works out," says Giovanni Antoniazzi, Back-on-Track vice chair, a spatial data scientist based in Amsterdam who coordinated the setup of the Open Night Train Database.
The interactive map is freely available at back-on-track.eu/night-train-map, where it is also possible to order a printed poster.