German rail problems putting Amsterdam-Prague night train at risk

Problems on the German railway are putting the European Sleeper night train to Prague at risk, the company warned in a press release this week. Railworks, a complicated timetable process, and a lack of coordination between Germany and other countries could mean that the sleeper train from Brussels to Rotterdam and Amsterdam and then to Prague may have to stop running in June.

The German infrastructure manager Deutsche Bahn is planning a lot of railworks in the coming months and is not giving European Sleeper clarity about the new timetable, the company said. The new timetable starts in December, and European Sleeper doesn’t know where it stands. “There is a chance that gaps [in the timetable] will continue to exist, making the entire timetable unusable.”

European Sleeper general manager Elmer van Buuren expects to only find out what is going on when the new timetable takes effect. “We are trying to enter into discussions with the infrastructure manager, but there are strict rules attached to this,” he told Treingreiziger.nl. According to him, Germany is refusing to coordinate with other countries, expecting them to just get by with whatever timetable it comes up with.

Van Buuren hasn’t given up hope for the Prague train, and the company is trying to find support from other parties, such as politicians, to turn the tide. “We are trying to make clear that if you start a connection, you want it to continue,” he said.

European Sleeper launched the Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin night train in May 2023 and extended it to Prague in March this year. Next winter, it will also run a night train to Venice for the winter sports season, and it is planning to launch an Amsterdam-Barcelona connection in 2026.