Night train service between Berlin and Brussels to…

Night train service between Berlin and Brussels to stop running from end of March

Austrian Railway’s Nightjet sleeper service connects various cities across Europe - (AFP via Getty Images)

Several services have been cancelled on a European night train service connecting several major cities across the continent as last-minute construction work is announced – with one route discontinued altogether.

Nightjet, operated by Austrian Railways (ÖBB), connects 25 destinations such as Paris, Rome and Berlin on its multi-national train services, with passengers offered the choice of sleeper cabins, couchettes and seating carriages on its journeys.

Due to “construction sites in Germany, Austria and France announced at short notice”, the train operator has said that several of its services will not be running over the two next months.

However, one route will not be coming back after the wave of cancellations and will be discontinued altogether.

The train operator said that departures from Berlin to Brussels will be cancelled from 26 March onwards, and Brussels to Berlin from 27 March.

An ÖBB spokesperson told The Independent: “Unfortunately, we have to discontinue the Berlin - Brussels connection. The reason for this is the complex construction site situation, but also there is a lower demand on this connection.”

“Apart from the night train service, Brussels remains well connected to Berlin via Cologne during the day. The ICE 3neo has been providing more reliability and comfort for travellers to Belgium on this connection between Frankfurt and Brussels since June 2024.”

“The Nightjet connection Vienna - Brussels will in any case continue to be offered.”

Rail expert Mark Smith, from the Man in Seat 61 said in a report of the Nightjet Berlin-Brussels route that “a combination of difficult-to-bypass late-notice trackwork in Germany and (no doubt) the fact that it now runs on the same 3 days of the week as the European Sleeper mean they seem to have given up”.

Specific departures between Vienna and Paris and between Berlin and Paris also have cancellations on certain days from 27 March to 26 May, ÖBB added.

Alongside this, various trains running to and from Zurich, Amsterdam and Prague will not be able to run next month between 13 April and 28 April.

Other connections will also have changes along its routes.

The connection from Zurich to Berlin or Berlin to Zurich (NJ 408 / NJ 409 incl. IC 60408 / 60409) will be operated to/from Hamburg between 14 April and 27 April 2025, the operator said.

On the Zurich to Hamburg / Hamburg to Zurich connection (NJ 470 / 471 with IC 60470 / 60471), stops at Bremen and Verden an der Aller will be cancelled between 14 April to 27 April.

For both changes, the train operator has requested that travellers take the daytime service to Hanover, and Nightjet tickets will be recognised.

ÖBB said they apologise for any inconvenience caused due to the last-minute cancellations and have directed passengers to the ÖBB Customer Service at +43 5 1717 for free cancellation or rebooking of Nightjet tickets.

The full list of cancellations and changes due to the construction works:

NJ 468 from Vienna to Paris departing on 27 March, 1 April, 6 April–8 April, 24 April–8 May, and 20 May–22 May.
NJ 469 from Paris to Vienna with a departure on 28 March, 2 April, 7 April–11 April, 25 April–9 May, 21 May–26 May
NJ 40424 from Berlin to Paris with a departure on 27 March–10 April and 24 April–25 May
NJ 40469 from Paris to Berlin with a departure on 28 March–9 April and 25 April–23 May
NJ 424 from Berlin to Brussels, departures from 26 March
NJ 425 from Brussels to Berlin, departures from 27 March
NJ 402 from Zurich to Amsterdam with a departure on 14 April to 27 April
NJ 403 from Amsterdam to Zurich with a departure on 15 April to 28 April
EN 40459 from Zurich to Praha with a departure on 14 April to 27 April
EN 40458 from Praha to Zurich with a departure on 13 April to 26 April