After a bit of a delay, European Sleeper reportedly hopes to launch its highly anticipated night train service between the Netherlands and Prague in the spring of 2023.

European Sleeper delays launch of night train to Prague

News that another night train service would soon be added to the Dutch public transport network was first announced back in early 2021, and at the time European Sleeper had hoped to have the route up and running by April 2022. 

However, various issues, including the availability of sleeper carriages, maintenance work on the trains and timetabling difficulties, have led to a number of delays. While the company must still overcome a couple of hurdles, Treinreiziger reports that the Dutch start-up company is optimistic the launch will be able to go ahead next spring. 

“Maybe we misjudged it, but we were also unlucky in different ways,” co-founder Chris Engelsman told Treinreiziger. “We are working hard [to prepare for the launch], and we are making progress. However, there is no white smoke yet.” 

Plans to expand rail links between the Netherlands and European cities

Once launched, the service will connect Amsterdam and Rotterdam with 10 cities across Europe, including Antwerp, Hannover, Dresden, Berlin, and of course Prague. The company behind the plans hopes the route will be ideal for both city and business trips, and expects it will provide a practical, more sustainable, and more affordable alternative to flying. 

In addition to the night train service to Prague, European Sleeper has revealed plans to establish a night train service to Barcelona, and partnered with Sunweb to run a night train service to the south of France, which was supposed to be up and running before the end of this year. However, mounting costs and route issues mean the launch of the latter had to be postponed.