Here's how you reach Paris by night train from Vienna or Berlin

The announcement came at the end of June and was quite unexpected for many: The night train route between Berlin and Paris or Brussels, which had just been ceremoniously inaugurated last December, will be out of service for several months during the peak travel season this summer (Nightjet 40469/40424 or Nightjet 424/425). The connections between Vienna and Paris (Nightjet 468/469) are also affected. In mid-June, a statement from Deutsche Bahn indicated that the schedule could not be guaranteed. A week later, the bad news arrived: The routes would be out of service for months.

Unfortunately, the connections on nightride.com now show an empty void:

On the nightjet.com website of ÖBB, it states: "Due to extensive construction work in Germany and France, some Nightjet connections cannot be offered between August 12 and October 25, 2024. Affected are the connections Vienna - Paris as well as Berlin - Paris and Berlin - Brussels. All lines will be offered as scheduled again from October 28."

These are the alternatives!

Fortunately, there are a few alternatives and detours to reach the French capital. Especially after the excitement of the Olympic Games, many may feel the urge to visit Paris again.

With Nightjet 40425 / 40468, you can still travel three times a week between Vienna and Brussels. The good news: There are still plenty of options this summer, which you can compare and book via nightride.com.

Find your night train from Vienna to Brussels

There is also a connection from Berlin to Brussels three times a week (as well as to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp) offered by the private night train company European Sleeper. You will be able to compare their offers with us in a few weeks. Until then, it is best to book your ticket directly with European Sleeper.

From Brussels, you can then reach Paris in under 90 minutes several times a day with the Eurostar (and vice versa).

High risk of cancellations due to construction work

What is the reason for the cancellations? One might think that construction work is somewhat predictable. However, according to various reports, the night train operators are apparently often caught off guard by very short-notice construction work, especially in France. This has frequently led to delays and problems, at least on the lines from Berlin to Paris and Brussels, in recent times.

Patrick Neumann from the organization Back on Track, which advocates for the expansion of the night train network, told the Berliner Zeitung: "It is mainly due to SNCF Réseau [...]. The French seem to be unable to provide construction schedules in a timely manner, which would allow for reasonable ticket sales."

In principle, a journey would theoretically often still be possible. However, ÖBB does not want to take the risk of a train being stranded on the route because early morning construction work, combined with accumulated delays, makes further travel impossible. This is understandable and would likely be an unpleasant experience for passengers as well.

The fact that ÖBB is cutting back and suspending the routes for several months shows that they assess the risk of such incidents as high. It also highlights the complexity of international rail travel in Europe.