Last January we reported that Austria’s OEBB was launching its first Nightjet linking Brussels with Vienna.
Now I bring news that another Nightjet, this time from the Netherlands, is planned to start on December 13.
It will run from Amsterdam bound for Munich, Innsbruck and Vienna.
In fact this Nightjet will start from Amsterdam as a single train but when it reaches Nuremberg one portion will continue to Munich and Innsbruck with the other to Vienna.
Schedules are not finalised but Netherlands Rail says they will involve an early evening Amsterdam departure with arrival at final destinations the next morning.
Amsterdam-Vienna journey time will be 14 hours.
Austria’s national rail operator OEBB is the main provider of international night trains in Europe now that other rail operators have either cancelled or drastically slimmed services.
It wants to expand its Nightjet trains across mainland Europe and to include Sweden.
Indeed OEBB’s CEO Andreas Mattha tweeted “I want to see an expanded night train network in Europe again by 2028: from Berlin to Paris, from Stockholm to Rome” at Simmering (Vienna) – see below.
Mit den neuen Nightjetgarnituren und der neuen Werkstätte hat unser Chef einen klaren Traum: „Ich möchte bis 2028 wieder ein ausgebautes Nachtzugnetz in Europa sehen: von Berlin nach Paris, von Stockholm bis Rom.“ 🤩❤ #nightjetliebe #oebbtssimmering
— ÖBB (@unsereOEBB) August 21, 2020
To this end OEBB has started construction on a new €40 million servicing depot at Simmering which will enable it to cope with future expansion.
OEBB has already ordered a fleet of new generation Nightjet trainsets which will see service from 2022. The cost for these 13 trains is €250 million.
Now the Austrian government has provided a further €500 million so that OEBB can acquire a further 20 trainsets plus locomotives.
