[AMcWhirter]

Next generation Nightjet will finally launch in December

Last October I started the above thread.

Well the Vienna-Hamburg service did launch on Sunday night but, there were technical issues enroute, and it arrived three hours late into Hamburg.

Last night there were also problems and, again, the arrival into Hamburg was late again.

Now for the past few years mainstream media (both in Europe, North America and elsewhere) has reported on the “renaissance of night trains.”

It all sounded so logical as Austria’s OEBB was acquiring a new fleet of Nightjets which would offer standards suitable for the next generation of customers.

Now the prices have been published, initially for this one service which also covers Vienna-Amsterdam, and the truth is that if consumers want the best standards they will have to pay for them.

Night trains are expensive to operate, as we have reported previously, and their rolling stock is both complex and expensive.

Would corporate travel managers be happy with such prices ?

Travel blogger @PaliparanDotCom sums up the pricing situation here:

The new Nightjet prices: €600 for a single sleeper Vienna-Hamburg on a random off-peak date in winter. For the same amount of money you can fly business class with Austrian & stay at the 5* Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on the Inner Alster Lake in the heart of the city. Mad! pic.twitter.com/R1VT7M70Iy

— Paliparan (@PaliparanDotCom) December 11, 2023

[AMcWhirter]

Travel blogger Paliparan has now written a piece re those new Nightjet prices.

Nightjet Launches New Insanely Expensive Ticket Prices

[MartinJ]

I’m not surprised at those prices as demand must be soaring. My company’s travel policy now mandates train travel to places that can be reached in under four hours or on direct night trains. Any exemptions must be argued on a case by case basis. Currently based in Munich, my recent trips to Rome, Amsterdam and Vienna had to be by train. Yes, fares are high for night trains, but I am starting to enjoy the experience of waking up refreshed in a city centre rather than getting up at stupid o’clock for a flight.

[x2000traveller]

Sure, when it works it’s OK (not quite 5-star levels of comfort, but that’s another story). It’s when trains are delayed/breakdown that things are not so good. Is OEBB’s network really at the level of reliabilty that can justify such fares…?!!!

[AMcWhirter]

OEBB has now adopted ‘dynamic pricing’ for its Nightjets.

Its Nightjet website has been revamped to show the prices along with more detail of available accommodation.

So prices will vary from route to route, day to day etc.

I checked the cost of a single compartment Vienna-Hamburg for Monday December 18. Prices are high (although this might change at less busy times).

Using this new generation accommodation for the above date would cost Euros 515 for a single compartment with toilet and Euros 665 if you wanted similar accommodation with shower and toilet.

[Londonsteve]

I’m not sure those prices are all that mad for what is effectively a new en-suite hotel room that happens to keep moving through the night. They’re higher prices than historically we’ve seen on night trains but demand has soared and rather like pricing for J and F when flying long haul, we’re seeing often silly prices for the simple reason that enough people will pay the rates being asked. How many of these single and double en suite compartments is there per train? It must only be a handful and senior business travellers will be competing with wealthy leisure travellers.

To my mind the cost of a couchette in a 4 berth compartment, or a closable berth in the style of a Japanese capsule hotel is more relevant when compared to flying short haul Economy class. I doubt the prices of these are anywhere near those of private sleeping compartment with an en suite bathroom.

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