ÖBB's new-generation sleeper trains are now in service. Here's where you can go.
ADVERTISEMENTFlight-free travel in Austria has just levelled up with the release of rail operator ÖBB's new generation night trains.
Originally unveiled in October, the sleeper trains hit the tracks on 10 December with an inaugural ride from Vienna to Hamburg.
The luxurious new trains are a response to demands from travellers for less polluting alternatives to planes and petrol or diesel cars.
Night trains are starting to make a comeback in Europe thanks to their low-carbon footprint. After years of neglect, operators are now investing heavily to replace their ageing rolling stock.
Austria's state-owned rail operator ÖBB, which has 20 rail routes across Europe, has been a pioneer in reviving such services.
The company has Europe's largest fleet of sleeper trains and hopes to double its number of overnight passengers from 1.5 million to three million by 2030.
Austria's new sleeper trains are 'pure luxury'
The new trains feature a modern design, more privacy and more facilities. Each two-person compartment has its own toilet and shower.
There are even single-person cabins for solo travellers who are looking for a bit more privacy.
"I still remember the old sleeping coaches, which were so dark - the small window, the bunk beds and a curtain," says 69-year-old retiree Rosemarie, as she examines ÖBB's sleek new night train.
Compared to the old sleeper trains, "this is crazy - pure luxury", she laughs.
The first of 33 - ordered from German conglomerate Siemens in 2018 for a total investment of €720 million - is now in service.
It connects the Austrian cities of Vienna and Innsbruck to the German port of Hamburg.
Between now and 2028, the new sleeper trains will be phased in on other routes in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
"France will have to wait a bit because this requires new approvals from the national railroad authority," ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthae told news agency AFP.
"Unfortunately, we are not yet a unified Europe in the railroad sector."
Austria's sleeper trains are powered by renewable energy
"Every kilometre by train is a kilometre for climate protection and... a contribution to a better future," Austria's Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler told AFP.
"Boarding in Vienna in the evening and waking up refreshed in another European metropolis the next morning. This will be even easier and more comfortable in the future," she added in a statement.
Since 2018 ÖBB said all its trains "run on electricity generated exclusively by hydropower, solar and wind power... a milestone for climate protection in Austria".
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Matthae said that the company will continue to play a "pioneering role" in developing Europe's night train transport.
ÖBB's Berlin-Paris night train service returned on 11 December, nine years after it was cancelled. It offered its first passenger service on the Vienna - Hamburg and Innsbruck - Hamburg lines.
Watch the video above to see inside ÖBB's new night train carriages.
