European Sleeper drops Amsterdam from Milan night train plan, adds Breda, Eindhoven
European Sleeper has dropped Amsterdam from its planned overnight rail service between Brussels and Milan, reversing earlier plans to include the Dutch capital and instead routing the train through Breda and Eindhoven.
The service is set to begin in September with an overnight connection from Brussel-Zuid. The start has been delayed repeatedly, and now it will launch in September without the Netherlands. From Dec. 14, the line will be extended, with the Dutch stops added.
Just six months ago, the Dutch-Belgian rail company assured customers that the overnight rail service will include Amsterdam, pledging a launch in June. By March, the company postponed the plan, instead saying the train line would begin running in September without making a stop in the Dutch capital, but promising to add Amsterdam back into the mix from December.
Tickets are already on sale for the September-to-December period. Sales for journeys from Dec. 14 through Jan. 3 will open on June 2.
In December, the journey will run via Breda, arriving at 7:03 p.m., and continue to Eindhoven at 7:44 p.m. before proceeding to Milan Porta Garibaldi, where arrival is expected to be at 11:30 a.m. the following morning. Between September and December, the train is scheduled to arrive in Milan at 11:45 a.m.
The full journey between Brussels and Milan will take 17 hours and 8 minutes, according to the company. The segment from Eindhoven to Milan will take about 15 hours and 46 minutes.
European Sleeper co-founder Chris Engelsman said, “Earlier we promised that the Netherlands would again get a direct night train to Italy, and we are very pleased that we can now confirm that Breda and Eindhoven will be on the route from December 2026. This connection brings important European regions together at night in a comfortable and practical way.”
The train will operate three times per week. Service to Milan will run on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, while return service from Milan will operate on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The route change also includes an adjustment in Switzerland, where Zürich will be replaced by Aarau due to morning rush-hour congestion.
A planned European Sleeper night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona won support from the European Commission back in January 2023. The program was to identify and mitigate “obstacles hindering the uptake and operation of cross-border passenger rail services, and measures to address them,” the Commission wrote at the time.
Still, the European Sleeper route between the Dutch capital and the Spanish destination has been plagued by delays. If it hits the rails, it might not be until 2028. And even then, the company said Amsterdam was at risk of being cut from the proposed route.
