Pack your bags, the day is almost upon us! The night train from Amsterdam to Vienna which was supposed to launch in December will finally be departing from Central Station on May 25.
Way back in 2019, Dutch railway company NS and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) announced the launch of a night train service from Amsterdam to Vienna, travelling via Utrecht, Arnhem, Munich and Innsbruck. Sadly, the launch date of December 13, 2020, had to be pushed back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and last autumn it was announced that the service would launch sometime in 2021.
But now, anyone who’s been missing the excitement of travel and visiting new places finally has a date to put in their diary: on May 24, the train will depart from Vienna arriving in Amsterdam at 10am on May 25 before departing from Central Station that evening.
ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä said the new service would help to bring Europe closer together once again, highlighting the importance of climate-friendly rail travel as a viable and affordable alternative to flying: “Every traveller who chooses the night train instead of the plane to Amsterdam saves the environment 350 kilograms of CO2 emissions per direction of travel.”
Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic, ÖBB have set limits for the number of passengers per compartment. Travellers will be able to book a private cabin so they can travel with friends and family without having to share the space, and the six-person cabins will be available for a maximum of four travellers per journey. Travellers are also asked to wear a face mask while onboard, and trains are cleaned before and after each journey.